Two solar panels per person

The Netherlands has more than 48 million solar panels installed - an average of two solar panels per inhabitant and more than 1 kilowatt (KW) per person, making it Europe’s solar powerhouse.

There is no denying that land for renewables is short nearly everywhere in the world, the Netherlands included, but this hasn’t stopped them from finding innovative solutions in order to help the country to go green.

Solar is installed everywhere you can imagine such as car parks, commercial lakes, strawberry farms, churches and even sheep grazing fields. The rapid renewable expansion in the Netherlands has also been driven by drops in equipment prices, efficient energy schemes and ambitious government schemes.

The Netherlands is one of Europe’s top polluters.

The Netherlands currently stands as one of Europe’s top five most polluting countries, but the Dutch government aims to make 70% of its electricity renewable by 2030 and it is clear to see that they are on their way to achieving this. They have enshrined their climate targets into law, vowing to boost green spending and limit onshore gas and oil drilling and last year, the Netherlands created the most electricity from solar than any other European country.

The innovative and creative solutions for renewables in the Netherlands will hopefully inspire better placement of renewables globally.

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