The share of renewable energy in the total energy consumption in the Netherlands reached 15% in 2022, up from 13% the previous year. Preliminary figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS) reveal that the consumption of solar and wind energy has experienced significant growth, while biomass consumption has slightly declined. As part of an EU agreement, the Netherlands aims to generate at least 27% of its total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030.
In 2022, the consumption of renewable energy reached 277 petajoules (PJ), marking a 6% increase compared to the previous year. The total final energy consumption was approximately 1,850 PJ, representing a decrease of over 7% from the previous year and the lowest level since 1990. This decline is primarily attributed to a significant reduction in natural gas consumption. As a result of the overall decrease in energy consumption, the share of renewable energy has risen.
Solar energy consumption, including electricity and heat, grew by 45% in 2022, reaching 62 PJ compared to the previous year. This growth can be attributed to the installation of new solar panels. The total installed capacity of solar panels increased by 28% to over 19,000 megawatts (MW) compared to the previous year.
The year 2022 was particularly sunny, with 20% of the installed solar panels located in solar parks and 80% installed on rooftops or used as shading above parking lots.
Wind energy consumption increased by 13% in 2022, reaching 78 PJ compared to the previous year. The consumption of offshore wind energy remained at approximately 30 PJ, similar to the level in 2021. However, onshore wind energy consumption grew by 25% to 47 PJ during the same period.
The total capacity of wind turbines was nearly 9,000 MW at the end of 2022, representing a 14% increase from the previous year. This growth is largely due to the installation of new land-based wind turbines, which increased by 950 MW. The offshore wind power capacity increased by 110 MW.
Biomass consumption experienced a 15% decrease in gross final consumption in 2022. This decline was partly due to a 25% reduction in co-firing biomass in electricity plants.
Additionally, stricter sustainability criteria for certain installations using solid and gaseous biomass were implemented in mid-2021. Failure to comply with these criteria results in the exclusion of biomass consumption from the gross final energy consumption calculation according to the European methodology. Despite the decline, biomass still contributes the largest share (40%) to renewable energy.
The consumption of biofuels decreased by 4% in 2022. While there was a 7% increase in the consumption of bioethanol, biodiesel consumption declined by 12%. However, there was a significant increase in the delivery of biodiesel to international shipping.
The contribution of heat pumps to the overall renewable energy quantity remains relatively small but is steadily increasing. The total amount of heat extracted by heat pumps in 2022 increased by over 25% to more than 20 PJ compared to the previous year.
Heat pumps play an increasingly significant role in building heating systems. They extract energy (heat) from the outside air or ground (up to 500 meters deep).
For the first time, data on the number of hybrid heat pumps installed in 2022 is available. A hybrid heat pump is a system that combines a heat pump with a conventional central heating boiler. Approximately a quarter of the air-to-water heat pumps installed in 2022 were hybrid models.
These latest figures demonstrate the Netherlands’ progress in expanding its renewable energy sector, particularly in solar and wind power, as it aims to achieve its long-term sustainability goals.