Avoided use of fossil energy and emission of CO2

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Energy sources/techniques Energy application Avoided use of fossil energy Avoided energy (TJ) Avoided carbon dioxide emission (CO2) Avoided emission (kton)
Total energy sources Total energy applications 595,772 36,492
Electricity 480,104 28,852
Heat 73,537 4,276
Transport 42,131 3,364
Hydro power Total energy applications 674 39
Electricity 674 39
Heat
Transport
Wind energy, total Total energy applications 259,344 15,070
Electricity 259,344 15,070
Heat
Transport
Wind energy on shore Total energy applications 139,147 8,086
Electricity 139,147 8,086
Heat
Transport
Wind energy off shore Total energy applications 120,197 6,984
Electricity 120,197 6,984
Heat
Transport
Solar energy Total energy applications 172,902 10,045
Electricity 171,660 9,975
Heat 1,242 70
Transport
Solar photovoltaic Total energy applications 171,660 9,975
Electricity 171,660 9,975
Heat
Transport
Solar thermal Total energy applications 1,242 70
Electricity
Heat 1,242 70
Transport
Total geothermal energy Total energy applications 13,608 764
Electricity
Heat 13,608 764
Transport
Deep geothermal heat Total energy applications 7,471 419
Electricity
Heat 7,471 419
Transport
Total shallow geothermal energy Total energy applications 6,138 345
Electricity
Heat 6,138 345
Transport
Shallow geothermal heat, total Total energy applications 4,819 262
Electricity
Heat 4,819 262
Transport
Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps Total energy applications 4,629 251
Electricity
Heat 4,629 251
Transport
Shal geothermal heat, without heat pumps Total energy applications 190 11
Electricity
Heat 190 11
Transport
Shallow geothermal cold Total energy applications 1,319 84
Electricity
Heat 1,319 84
Transport
Aerothermal heat, total Total energy applications 6,978 336
Electricity
Heat 6,978 336
Transport
Total biomass Total energy applications 142,266 10,238
Electricity 48,426 3,768
Heat 51,709 3,106
Transport 42,131 3,364
Municipal waste; renewable fraction Total energy applications 21,033 1,206
Electricity 12,188 708
Heat 8,845 498
Transport
Co-firing of biomass in electr. plants Total energy applications 27,551 2,609
Electricity 26,064 2,468
Heat 1,487 141
Transport
Total biomass households Total energy applications 11,680 658
Electricity
Heat 11,680 658
Transport
Biomass households, open fireplaces Total energy applications 173 10
Electricity
Heat 173 10
Transport
Biomass households, inserts Total energy applications 1,672 94
Electricity
Heat 1,672 94
Transport
Biomass households, wood stoves Total energy applications 7,663 431
Electricity
Heat 7,663 431
Transport
Biomass households, pellet stoves Total energy applications 2,172 122
Electricity
Heat 2,172 122
Transport
Biomass households, charcoal use Total energy applications
Electricity
Heat
Transport
Source: CBS.
Explanation of symbols

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 2022, revised provisional figures for 2023 and 2024.

Changes as of July 2025:
Compiling figures on solar electricity took more time than scheduled. Consequently, not all StatLine tables on energy contain the most recent 2024 data on production for solar electricity. This table contains the outdated data from June 2025. The most recent figures are 5 percent higher for 2024 solar electricity production. These figures are in these two tables (in Dutch):
- StatLine - Zonnestroom; vermogen en vermogensklasse, bedrijven en woningen, regio
- StatLine - Hernieuwbare energie; zonnestroom, windenergie, RES-regio
Next update is scheduled in November 2025. From that moment all figures will be fully consistent again. We apologize for the inconvenience.

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.

Changes as of August 16th 2024
Figures have been added for 2023.

Since 2022, final energy consumption of bio jet kerosene is reported in the Netherlands. This bio jet kerosene is used by the (international) aviation sector, which is not included in the primary energy consumption. However, because international air traffic is considered in the calculation of the gross final energy consumption, which forms the basis for calculating the avoided energy consumption, bio jet kerosene has been added to this table. The figures on bio jet kerosene for 2022 will be included in the next update of this reporting year.

Due to the addition of bio-kerosene to this table, the calculation of the denominators has also been adjusted. The consumption and emissions of international air traffic are included in the denominators for the figures starting from 2023, in order to calculate the relative figures in the table, as is the case for the denominator of gross final consumption.


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.