How much energy is produced yearly?
The Dutch PV Portal performance model calculates the National Solar Energy Production (NSEP) as of 31 January 2018. The total calculated production for each day is shown in the graphs here. Warning: due to an underestimation of the capacity growth in 2018 and 2019, the calculated production is also underestimated in these years. A detailed explanation of these calculations is found in the master thesis report of the Dutch PVP 2.0. or the research paper about the Dutch PVP.
Select the date range for which you want to view the data.
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The contribution of solar energy, in the form of electricity, to the total national electricity production per month is based on the national electricity production data of the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), to be found here. For reference, in 2016 the annual Dutch electricity consumption was 120 TWh (120 billion kWh).
National solar power production today
Every 10 minutes the total power production of all PV systems is calculated with the Dutch PVP model. With 'all PV systems' we mean an assumed variety of PV systems that together form a representative portfolio for all PV systems within the Netherlands. A detailed explanation of this model is found in the master thesis report of the Dutch PVP 2.0. or the research paper about the Dutch PVP.
You can view the solar power output on any day between 31 January 2018 and today by selecting a date below.
The national production is composed of the power production values of each Dutch province. Differences in installed capacity and in local weather conditions affect the contribution of each province to the national production, as shown in the figure below.
The national power production at this moment
The power production in each province is mainly dependent on the installed capacity in that province (shown in the 'Installed capacity' tab) and the amount of available sunlight.
Real-time power production in the Netherlands
Not only the amount of solar panels, but also the amount of citizens differs between provinces. Provinces with a high solar panel to inhabitant ratio will have a high contribution of solar energy to the total energy demand of that province. Both Real-time power production per province as per person are visualized in a chart.
Real-time irradiance in the Netherlands
The amount of sunlight is the most important determinant of the power output of PV systems in a given province. The chart below shows how much irradiance on average each province currently receives.
Historical solar energy production in the Netherlands
Here it is possible to view videos of the power production during each day of the years 2015, 2016, and 2017. It can be seen that each subsequent year has a higher solar energy production than the previous one, reflecting the growth in installed capacity in the Netherlands. The data below are taken from the daily solar production forecast of Tennet, published here.
Installed capacity in the Netherlands
The installed capacity, or peak power production capacity, of solar energy has increased exponentially in the Netherlands since 2009.
The higher the installed capacity, the more important the role of solar energy in national energy production becomes. The capacity values of 2009-2016 are taken from the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS). The capacity data for 2017, 2018 and 2019 are estimates based on the Nationaal Solar Trendrapport 2018. The data of the current year are an estimate of the current installed capacity, not the end-of-year capacity. The monthly added capacity for 2020 is an estimate based on growth values from the Nationaal Solar Trendrapport 2020.
DATA DOWNLOAD
Here you can download all the data on national solar energy production stored in the Dutch PV Portal database.
Please note that this data is only meant for your own use or for non-commercial use. Also note that these are calculated values, not real-life measurements.