Renewable energy consumption increased to 5.8%

Energy consumption from biomass up by 2 percent

In 2015, consumption of renewable energy in the Netherlands was 118 petajoules, up more than 7 percent from the previous year.
Biomass is by far the largest source of renewable energy, accounting for almost 70 percent of the total. Energy consumption from this source increased by 2 percent while solar, wind and geothermal energy saw an average growth of 21 percent.
Total final energy consumption in the Netherlands over 2015 was up by nearly 2 percent from 2014, another factor playing down the effect of growth in renewable energy consumption.

More biomass used for heating

Last year, the share of biomass consumption for heating went up by 7 percent. This increase was mainly seen in industrial heating systems and waste incineration plants. Deliveries to urban heating networks were expanded, contributing significantly to the increase by waste incineration plants.

Lower consumption of biofuels

The consumption of biofuels for transport declined by around 10 percent in 2015 from 2014, in spite of extended requirements for petrol and diesel fuel suppliers to supply renewable energy.
As of 2015, fuel suppliers are permitted to include biofuels towards their obligation, although the supply of such biofuels to the Dutch market is not yet definite. This explains why CBS bases its calculations on the actual deliveries to the Dutch market.

Mainly renewable heat

Energy from renewable sources is used for heating, electricity and transport. In 2015, approximately half of the total renewable energy consumption was intended for heating, 40 percent for electricity and over 10 percent for transport.