Regional network operator Enexis has found a coherent solution to keep up with its ever-increasing supply of sustainably produced energy. For now, the company plans to avoid connecting large solar parks in areas that consume little or no electricity. Enexis is supported by Stedin, Alliander and colleagues from the trade organization Netbeheer Nederland.
Due to rising electricity demand and rapidly increasing supply of wind and solar power, the power grid is booming in more and more places. Network operators such as Enexis and Stedin are responsible for expanding and maintaining the network. You are responsible for connecting all electricity providers to the grid in the order in which they are registered.
one billion euros
“We are totally stuck right now. “The waiting lists of companies and energy cooperatives that want to give back the electricity they produce are growing faster than we can lay cables.”
The regional network operator, which includes Groningen, Drenthe and Limburg, announced today that a record amount of more than one billion euros will be spent on grid reinforcement in 2022. But that’s not all: where companies and energy cooperatives have been guaranteed access to the grid for years, grid operators can no longer provide this level of security.
Solar parks in particular are a heavy burden on grid capacities. As a result, other customers, such as energy cooperatives and companies that want or need to become more sustainable, cannot be connected.
According to Netbeheer Nederland, the success of solar meadows is due to the falling cost of solar panels combined with the way subsidies have been organized in recent years. In 2016, the subsidy doubled as biomass exited support for sustainable energy production and climate transition or the SDE program.
This system guarantees entrepreneurs a minimum payment for sustainably produced electricity, even if the selling price is low. This has suddenly made solar park a relatively low-risk investment, making it easier for companies like SolarFields and Groenleven, as well as local initiatives, to get loans from the bank.
Sustainability
The largest solar parks are built where there is enough space and where land is relatively cheap: sparsely populated areas in the German border provinces. But network operators say there is little local demand there.
“In any case, we don’t want to connect these kinds of parks, which we call ‘kilowatt explosions,’ for years to come because it costs too much investment and cable lengths,” says Enexis’ Sanders. “We prefer to use this effort to connect with customers currently waiting to be connected.”
Wannes Deville of Solarfields, the largest solar park in the Netherlands, doesn’t see the ban as logical. “Ultimately, we all have to achieve sustainability goals, and for that you just need more sustainable electricity.”
In fact, municipalities see solar parks as a great opportunity to get closer to their sustainability goals in a snap. Also, solar power is easier for them to access than wind turbines, which often face strong opposition from local residents.
Solarfield wants to relieve the grid, for example, by installing batteries that can store the electricity produced during the daytime and evening hours when demand is highest. But current legislation is still a stumbling block, according to Deville. “In this sense, we are also looking at The Hague. After all, it would be in our great interest to figure this out.”
to go past
Together, network operators invest four billion euros each year in network expansion. They will continue to do so for decades to come. PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) auditors estimate investment costs to be at least €102 billion by 2050, based on future electricity demand and generation.
According to the regulations in force, only the final consumer, that is, companies and consumers, covers these costs. You can see these prices double. For this reason, grid operators argue that large electricity producers should also pay for it. Solar park builders do not see a solution here: they have to pass these costs on to the customer.
approval
The Ministry of Economy and Climate meets regularly with network operators, market parties and regulator ACM to discuss transmission capacity issues.
Network operators are not fast enough. At TenneT, the waiting list of parties requesting grid connection is enough for 40 gigawatts, or 50 times the electricity that Amsterdam uses every day. At Enexis these 14 gigawatts are almost all big generators.
The ministry speaks of a “double success” in a response to Nieuwsuur: Green electricity supply and demand increased significantly more than expected.
The ministry does not approve or reject the network operators’ offer. The ministry writes that preference for sun over wind and sunny meadows is ultimately up to federal states and municipalities. A proposal for manufacturers to pay for grid expansion and grid maintenance is currently under review.
Source: NOS
Emma Fitzgerald is an accomplished political journalist and author at The Nation View. With a background in political science and international relations, she has a deep understanding of the political landscape and the forces that shape it.
