Mainly more green electricity from solar power

Electricity production from renewable sources amounted to 18.0 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) in 2018, versus 16.7 billion kWh in 2017. With a share of 55 percent, wind turbines were the largest contributor, followed by biomass at 27 percent. Solar panels accounted for nearly 18 percent, against 13 percent in 2017. The share of hydropower in electricity production was limited to 0.5 percent. The share of renewable electricity in total Dutch electricity consumption increased from 14 percent in 2017 to 15 percent in 2018.

Limited growth in wind energy production

Electricity generation from wind power rose by 3 percent last year, i.e. from 9.6 to 9.9 billion kWh. As Dutch wind farms hardly grew, the increase was limited, just as in 2017. On balance, the capacity of onshore wind turbines rose by 90 megawatts (MW) to more than 3,300 MW. No additional turbines were built at sea; offshore capacity remained at nearly one thousand MW.

More solar panels

Solar panel power production was up, from 2.2 billion kWh in 2017 to 3.2 billion kWh in 2018. This is an increase of over 40 percent, directly related to the substantially higher established capacity of solar panels. The total capacity of solar panels grew by approximately 1,400 MW in 2018 and is estimated at 4,300 MW. More than half of this increase, around 800 MW, can be attributed to larger installations built on the roofs of buildings and on solar fields. The capacity of smaller installations, often built on the roofs of houses, increased by around 600 MW.

Also more electricity from biomass

Electricity production from biomass sources rose by 2 percent to 4.8 billion kWh in 2018. Growth was restrained by maintenance of several biomass installations, among other things.