According to preliminary data from CBS (Central Bureau of Statistics), the share of renewable energy in the total energy consumption in the Netherlands reached 15 percent in 2022. This marks an increase from the previous year’s 13 percent. The rise is primarily attributed to the growing utilization of solar and wind energy, while biomass consumption experienced a slight decline. The Netherlands has committed, in line with EU agreements, to generate at least 27 percent of its total energy consumption from renewable sources by 2030.
In 2022, the consumption of renewable energy amounted to 277 PJ (petajoules), indicating a 6 percent growth compared to the previous year. Meanwhile, the total final energy consumption in the country was approximately 1850 PJ, which represents a significant decline of over 7 percent from the previous year and the lowest level since 1990. This reduction is largely attributed to a significant decrease in natural gas consumption. Consequently, the share of renewable energy has risen due to the overall decrease in energy consumption.
Notably, the consumption of solar energy (both electricity and heat) witnessed a remarkable growth of 45 percent in 2022, reaching 62 PJ. This increase can be attributed to the installation of new solar panels. The total installed capacity of solar panels has increased by 28 percent compared to the previous year, surpassing 19,000 MW (megawatts).
Furthermore, 2022 was a particularly sunny year in the Netherlands. Of the installed solar panels, 20 percent were located in solar parks, while the remaining 80 percent were installed on rooftops or used as shading devices in parking lots.
The consumption of wind energy also increased in 2022. Compared to the previous year, wind energy consumption rose by 13 percent to 78 PJ. The consumption of offshore wind energy remained at approximately 30 PJ, similar to the previous year. However, the consumption of onshore wind energy increased by 25 percent, reaching 47 PJ during the same period.
By the end of 2022, the total capacity of wind turbines in the Netherlands reached nearly 9,000 MW, reflecting a 14 percent increase from the previous year. This growth was mainly driven by the installation of new onshore wind turbines, which saw an additional capacity of 950 MW. Offshore wind capacity increased by 110 MW.
Despite the decline in biomass consumption by 15 percent in 2022, biomass remains the largest contributor to renewable energy, accounting for 40 percent of the total. This decrease is partly due to a 25 percent reduction in co-firing biomass in electricity plants. Additionally, stricter sustainability criteria for certain installations using solid and gaseous biomass have been enforced since mid-2021. Failure to comply with these criteria leads to the exclusion of biomass consumption from the gross final energy consumption calculation, according to the European methodology.
The consumption of biofuels experienced a 4 percent decline in 2022. While the consumption of biobenzine increased by 7 percent, the consumption of biodiesel decreased by 12 percent. However, a significant increase in biodiesel delivery to international shipping was observed.
The contribution of heat pumps to the overall renewable energy quantity remains relatively small at 7 percent but is steadily increasing. The total amount of extracted heat rose by over 25 percent in 2022 compared to the previous year, reaching more than 20 PJ.
Heat pumps are playing an increasingly important role in building heating systems. They extract heat from the outdoor air or ground (up to 500 meters deep) to provide heating. In 2022, data on the number of hybrid heat pumps became available for the first