Avoided use of fossil energy and emission of CO2
| Energy sources/techniques | Energy application | Periods | Avoided use of fossil energy Avoided energy (TJ) | Avoided carbon dioxide emission (CO2) Avoided emission (kton) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total energy sources | Total energy applications | 2023 | 525,521 | 32,145 |
| Total energy sources | Total energy applications | 2024** | 591,177 | 35,944 |
| Hydro power | Total energy applications | 2023 | 681 | 40 |
| Hydro power | Total energy applications | 2024** | 659 | 38 |
| Wind energy, total | Total energy applications | 2023 | 217,804 | 12,656 |
| Wind energy, total | Total energy applications | 2024** | 254,219 | 14,626 |
| Wind energy on shore | Total energy applications | 2023 | 126,861 | 7,372 |
| Wind energy on shore | Total energy applications | 2024** | 135,773 | 7,812 |
| Wind energy off shore | Total energy applications | 2023 | 90,943 | 5,285 |
| Wind energy off shore | Total energy applications | 2024** | 118,446 | 6,815 |
| Solar energy | Total energy applications | 2023 | 159,531 | 9,268 |
| Solar energy | Total energy applications | 2024** | 173,522 | 9,982 |
| Solar photovoltaic | Total energy applications | 2023 | 158,264 | 9,196 |
| Solar photovoltaic | Total energy applications | 2024** | 172,281 | 9,912 |
| Solar thermal | Total energy applications | 2023 | 1,266 | 71 |
| Solar thermal | Total energy applications | 2024** | 1,242 | 70 |
| Total geothermal energy | Total energy applications | 2023 | 12,647 | 704 |
| Total geothermal energy | Total energy applications | 2024** | 13,753 | 767 |
| Deep geothermal heat | Total energy applications | 2023 | 6,791 | 381 |
| Deep geothermal heat | Total energy applications | 2024** | 7,489 | 420 |
| Total shallow geothermal energy | Total energy applications | 2023 | 5,856 | 323 |
| Total shallow geothermal energy | Total energy applications | 2024** | 6,264 | 347 |
| Shallow geothermal heat, total | Total energy applications | 2023 | 4,536 | 246 |
| Shallow geothermal heat, total | Total energy applications | 2024** | 4,938 | 271 |
| Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps | Total energy applications | 2023 | 4,346 | 236 |
| Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps | Total energy applications | 2024** | 4,748 | 260 |
| Shal geothermal heat, without heat pumps | Total energy applications | 2023 | 190 | 11 |
| Shal geothermal heat, without heat pumps | Total energy applications | 2024** | 190 | 11 |
| Shallow geothermal cold | Total energy applications | 2023 | 1,320 | 77 |
| Shallow geothermal cold | Total energy applications | 2024** | 1,327 | 76 |
| Aerothermal heat, total | Total energy applications | 2023 | 5,874 | 283 |
| Aerothermal heat, total | Total energy applications | 2024** | 7,689 | 391 |
| Total biomass | Total energy applications | 2023 | 128,985 | 9,195 |
| Total biomass | Total energy applications | 2024** | 141,335 | 10,140 |
| Municipal waste; renewable fraction | Total energy applications | 2023 | 21,582 | 1,238 |
| Municipal waste; renewable fraction | Total energy applications | 2024** | 20,762 | 1,183 |
| Co-firing of biomass in electr. plants | Total energy applications | 2023 | 31,971 | 3,028 |
| Co-firing of biomass in electr. plants | Total energy applications | 2024** | 26,821 | 2,540 |
| Total biomass households | Total energy applications | 2023 | 11,600 | 653 |
| Total biomass households | Total energy applications | 2024** | 11,680 | 656 |
| Biomass households, open fireplaces | Total energy applications | 2023 | 180 | 10 |
| Biomass households, open fireplaces | Total energy applications | 2024** | 173 | 10 |
| Biomass households, inserts | Total energy applications | 2023 | 1,658 | 93 |
| Biomass households, inserts | Total energy applications | 2024** | 1,672 | 94 |
| Biomass households, wood stoves | Total energy applications | 2023 | 7,698 | 433 |
| Biomass households, wood stoves | Total energy applications | 2024** | 7,663 | 431 |
| Biomass households, pellet stoves | Total energy applications | 2023 | 2,064 | 116 |
| Biomass households, pellet stoves | Total energy applications | 2024** | 2,172 | 122 |
| Biomass households, charcoal use | Total energy applications | 2023 | ||
| Biomass households, charcoal use | Total energy applications | 2024** | ||
| Biomass boilers companies, total | Total energy applications | 2023 | 24,474 | 1,391 |
| Biomass boilers companies, total | Total energy applications | 2024** | 24,907 | 1,408 |
| Biomass boilers companies, CHP | Total energy applications | 2023 | 13,688 | 783 |
| Biomass boilers companies, CHP | Total energy applications | 2024** | 13,736 | 780 |
| Biomass boilers companies, heat only | Total energy applications | 2023 | 10,786 | 607 |
| Biomass boilers companies, heat only | Total energy applications | 2024** | 11,171 | 628 |
| Total biogas | Total energy applications | 2023 | 11,201 | 667 |
| Total biogas | Total energy applications | 2024** | 11,110 | 660 |
| Biogas from landfills | Total energy applications | 2023 | 297 | 17 |
| Biogas from landfills | Total energy applications | 2024** | 251 | 15 |
| Biogas from sewage water purification | Total energy applications | 2023 | 2,057 | 120 |
| Biogas from sewage water purification | Total energy applications | 2024** | 1,994 | 116 |
| Biogas, co-digestion of manure | Total energy applications | 2023 | 4,899 | 295 |
| Biogas, co-digestion of manure | Total energy applications | 2024** | 4,904 | 294 |
| Other biogas | Total energy applications | 2023 | 3,949 | 235 |
| Other biogas | Total energy applications | 2024** | 3,960 | 235 |
| Liquid biofuels for transport, total | Total energy applications | 2023 | 28,157 | 2,218 |
| Liquid biofuels for transport, total | Total energy applications | 2024** | 46,056 | 3,693 |
| Biogasoline | Total energy applications | 2023 | 10,781 | 794 |
| Biogasoline | Total energy applications | 2024** | 10,752 | 804 |
| Biodiesel | Total energy applications | 2023 | 14,730 | 1,196 |
| Biodiesel | Total energy applications | 2024** | 30,187 | 2,444 |
| Biokerosene | Total energy applications | 2023 | 2,646 | 229 |
| Biokerosene | Total energy applications | 2024** | 5,117 | 444 |
| Source: CBS. | ||||
Table explanation
The use of renewable energy avoids the use of fossil energy and as a consequence avoids emission of CO2. Renewable energy is energy from wind, hydro power, the sun, the earth, heat from outdoor air and biomass. This is energy from natural processes that is replenished constantly.
Figures are presented in an absolute way, as well as related to the total emission of carbon dioxide in the Netherlands.
Avoiding the use of fossil energy and avoiding emission of carbon dioxide are important underlying aims for stimulation of the use of renewable energy.
The figures are broken down into energy source/technique and into application (electricity, heat and transport).
From reporting year 2021, new sustainability criteria for solid and gaseous biomass will apply in the context of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2018). Only solid and gaseous biomass compliant according to these criteria are used to determine the avoided use of fossil energy and emission of CO2 in 2021.
An exception applies to the biogas used for bio-methane production. The current methodology doesn’t discern sustainable from non-sustainable biogas used for bio-methane production. This differs from the methodology used for gross final energy consumption that is the basis of most statistics on renewable energy.
Data available from:
1990
Status of the figures:
This table contains definite figures up to and including 2023, revised provisional figures for 2024.
Changes as of December 2025:
Figures on 2021 and 2022 have been revised, figures on 2023 and 2024 have been updated.
The revision concerns improved data on (bio)diesel oil consumption by mobile equipment in the construction and services sectors. This results in a shift of biodiesel consumption in energy application transport to energy application heating and cooling. Figures on other energy sources have been slightly adjusted based on new information.
The figures on “Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps” and “Aerothermal heat, total” differ from the figures as published in the heat pumps table (StatLine-code 85523). The reference efficiencies used to determine the avoided use of fossil energy and the avoided emissions for 2024 were published in December 2025. When updating the heat pump table in November 2025 the references from 2023 were used, which explains the differences.
Changes as of July 2025
Figures for 2024 have been added.
Changes as of January 2025
Figures have been updated for 2022 and 2023. Figures for 2022 are now definite.
The figures on “Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps” and “Aerothermal heat, total” differ from the figures as published in the heat pumps table (StatLine-code 85523). The reference efficiencies used to determine the avoided use of fossil energy and the avoided emissions for 2023 were published in December 2024. When updating the heat pump table in November 2024 the references from 2022 were used, which explains the differences.
When will new figures be published?
Provisional figures: June of the following year.
Revised provisional figures: December of the following year.
Definite figures: December of the second following year.
Description topics
- Avoided use of fossil energy
- The avoided use of fossil primary energy is the amount of fossil (and nuclear) energy that would have been used if renewable energy was not used.
The avoided use of fossil primary energy is the sum of:
1. The avoided use of fossil primary energy by the domestic production of electricity, heat and gas from renewable sources.
2. The avoided use of fossil energy by the biofuels for road transport sold on the domestic market.
Imports and exports of green electricity is not included.- Avoided energy
- In this table, the unit TeraJoule (TJ) is used. This equals 1,000,000,000,000 joules (10 to the power of 12). A joule is a unit of energy equivalent to 0.24 calories. A TJ is equivalent to 31 600 cubic meters of natural gas or 278 000 kilowatt-hours of electricity.
- Avoided carbon dioxide emission (CO2)
- The amount of carbon dioxide that is emitted if no use is made of renewable energy technology. The amount of carbon dioxide is calculated in accordance with the methodology of the Protocol Monitoring Renewable Energy (AgentschapNL, 2010). It covers domestic production of renewable electricity, heat and gas. Imports of green electricity is not included.
This methodology only considers the avoided emission by the use of the renewable energy at the final stage: production of renewable electricity, heat and gas. The earlier stages are not included. For biofuels for road transport greenhouse gas emissions of the earlier stages may be substantial. Therefore, for these biofuels no avoided CO2 emissions are published.- Avoided emission
- 1 kton = 1,000 ton = 1 million kg.