The Dutch produce most of their energy from renewable sources: statistics

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For the first time, most of the electricity produced in the Netherlands comes from renewable sources, with wind power providing a significant boost, officials said on Friday.

According to the Dutch Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), fifty-three percent of Dutch electricity production came from renewable sources in the first half of the year.

According to CBS, the Netherlands produced 32.3 billion kilowatt-hours (kWh) from renewable sources out of a total of 60.5 billion kWh.

The power generated from wind increased in the first half of 2024 to 17.4 billion kWh, an increase of 4.4 billion kWh.

More than two-thirds of this growth was due to offshore wind production, with two new wind farms off the coast of the Netherlands providing a strong boost.

Efficiency on land also increased as new wind turbines replaced smaller and older machines.

Solar energy production increased to 11.7 billion, an increase of 0.8 billion kWh.

The Netherlands ranks around the European Union average in renewable electricity production, ahead of France and Belgium but behind pioneers such as Denmark and Sweden.

Total electricity consumption in the Netherlands increased by five percent in the first half of 2024 to 55.8 billion kWh.

This was slightly below levels seen before the Covid-19 pandemic, CBS reported.

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