Netherlands selects 2.2 GW of PV projects in new SDE++ round

The Dutch Ministry of Ministry of Economic Affairs has revealed that it has preselected 2.26 GW of PV projects in the 2022 round of the SDE++ (Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie) program for large-scale solar and renewable energy projects. Solar accounts for around 90 % of the assigned capacity thus far.

Rijksdienst voor Ondernemend Nederland (RVO), the state-run agency that manages the SDE++ program, has accepted 2,052 renewable energy project proposals with a combined capacity of 2,344 MW. Of these projects, 1,944 were for rooftop PV installations with a combined capacity of 1,275 MW, while 77 were for 955 MW of ground-mounted solar capacity. Another 20 were for 20 MW of floating solar arrays, in addition to 75 MW of wind farm proposals.

“Developers could apply for a maximum of 37.5 TWh of renewable electricity generation on land for solar PV and wind in this round,” said the RVO. “This production ceiling has not been reached.”

The budget for the 2022 SDE++ program is €13 billion ($13.5 billion), which is the highest amount for the scheme to date. The program also accepted renewables-linked green hydrogen proposals for the first time, as well as industrial electrification projects based on hybrid glass furnaces. In addition, there were three proposals to build 42 MW of hydrogen electrolyzers.

In the latest round of the program, the Dutch government selected 3,426 PV projects with a combined capacity of 3,535 MW. The Netherlands could reach between 38 GW and 125 GW of total installed solar capacity by 2050, according to a new report by Netbeheer Nederland. By the end of December, the country’s cumulative installed solar capacity hit 14.3 GW.