Considerable growth renewable electricity

Production of renewable electricity has risen from 6.0 percent of domestic electricity consumption in 2007 to 7.5 percent in 2008. This is due to an increase in electricity produced from renewable energy sources like wind energy and biomass. The government has the ambition to have 9 percent of domestic electricity consumption covered by renewable sources in 2010.

Renewable electricity from domestic energy sources

Half of renewable electricity generated by wind turbines

Electricity production from wind energy was one quarter higher in 2008 than in 2007. This is mainly due to the construction of extra wind turbines. Wind energy now accounts for about half of renewable electricity production.

By the end of 2008, the overall wind turbine capacity equalled an unprecedented 2,216 megawatts (MW), approximately 470 MW more than one year previously. A capacity increase of this magnitude is unprecedented. Most new wind turbines are still subsidised under the MEP scheme.

More powerful wind turbines

More biomass combusted in power stations

The amount of biomass combusted in large power stations increased by one quarter in 2008 relative to 2007, but in 2005 and 2006, more biomass was combusted for electricity generation due to a more generous subsidy scheme. Biomass combustion in power stations accounted for approximately one quarter of renewable electricity production in 2008.

Last year, three new medium-sized installations for generation of electricity from biomass became operational, i.e. two waste wood combustion installations in Alkmaar and Hengelo and one chicken manure combustion installation in Moerdijk. The overall capacity of these three installations amounts to approximately 90 MW and accounted for about 5 percent of renewable electricity production.

Renewable electricity, domestic production and imports

Green electricity from abroad

Renewable electricity generated in the Netherlands is used to supply Dutch consumers with green electricity. As the domestic demand for green electricity by far exceeds the supply, net imports of green electricity certificates is considerable, accounting for just under 15 percent of total electricity consumption in the Netherlands in 2008. These imports do not contribute to the Dutch government’s objective to cover 9 percent of total domestic electricity consumption by electricity generated from renewable sources in 2010.

Reinoud Segers and Marco Wilmer