Photo: ANP
So many solar panels have been installed in the Netherlands in recent years that our country is now the hottest candidate in Europe, per capita. Globally, the Netherlands is second only to Australia, according to a report by SolarPower Europe. The European Trade Association calculates that the installed capacity in the Netherlands is 825 watts per inhabitant. That’s more than Germany, where 714 watts are installed per inhabitant, according to the report.
After Germany, Japan, Belgium, Malta and Luxembourg. The top ten were completed by Denmark, South Korea and Switzerland. Australia leads the way with an installed capacity of 1,049 watts per inhabitant (more than 1 kW). In absolute terms, the largest capacity can be found in China. This is where 33 percent of the global total lies. It is followed by the United States from a distance with 13 percent, Japan with 8 percent, and Germany with 6 percent of global capacity.
For years, the Netherlands has lagged behind in sustainable energy generation, but the pace has accelerated significantly in recent years. Globally, things are also accelerating: According to the report, solar capacity has doubled in three years. SolarPower Europe calculates that the 1 terawatt limit was exceeded in April of this year. The organization expects a further acceleration in the next three years, to 2.3 TWh in 2025.
By way of comparison: in 2002, 2 gigawatts of solar installations were installed worldwide. Thus, the current capacity is five hundred times higher than it was twenty years ago. “With 228 GW of solar installations expected to be installed, capacity added in 2022 equals the total capacity that was in place in 2015.”
The trade union also discusses the role of “extremely sad developments in Ukraine”. At the same time, the Russian invasion there demonstrated the “geostrategic importance of solar energy,” according to SolarPower Europe.
