Dutch PV braces for fresh grid connection limits after ‘record’ 2019

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email
Image credit: Paul van de Velde

Dutch PV players are to face yet more grid connection limits in 2020, with one of the major operators warning of spreading bottlenecks after a year of record solar additions.

Liander, one of the Netherlands’ largest network operators, said in recent days it will have to restrict project connection requests again in 2020, adding to curbs it had already announced in 2019.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

In a statement last Friday, the group repeated a pledge to invest €882 million (US$972 million) in grid upgrades this year but warned that holding off requests will remain necessary.

Liander laid out a number of “orange scarcity areas” in the provinces of Friesland, Gelderland and Noord-Holland, where capacity is unavailable but solutions are being “investigated”.

In addition, the firm offered a list of “red scarcity areas” in the aforementioned provinces and three others, where bottlenecks are more serious and alleviation measures are not an option.

Energy projects submitting connection requests in these code-red areas will have to wait until the grid upgrades have had the time to materialise, Liander explained.

Europe’s third PV installer grapples with congestion

For Dutch PV, the past few years have combined meteoric growth – at 2.5GW added in 2019, the country is now seen as the year’s third fastest European installer – with pressure from politicians.

The industry’s success reaping billions in state incentives and putting forward ever larger projects has triggered a clampdown from lawmakers, who worry over impacts on grid and land scarcity.

As it outlined the 2020 grid restrictions, Liander attributed the bottlenecks to the rapid rise of solar, together with data centers and other energy-intensive applicants including greenhouse farming.

Reviewing PV installation volumes for 2019, the grid operator found additions had grown at rates from 34% to 59% across all of the Dutch provinces it serves, describing it as a “record”.

Where a PV plant can be commissioned within a year, grid upgrades can take five to eight years, Liander argued, adding: “The Netherlands is not geared to these developments.”

In the past, however, PV bodies have blamed the bottlenecks on grid operators themselves. Holland Solar has, for one, said Liander and others failed to anticipate how quickly green energy would grow.

See here to browse the list and map of areas where Liander will restrict grid connection requests

The prospects and challenges of solar's new era in Europe and beyond will take centre stage at Solar Media's Solar Finance & Investment Europe (London, 5-6 February) and Large Scale Solar Europe 2020 (Lisbon, on 31 March-1 April 2020).

2 December 2025
Málaga, Spain
Understanding PV module supply to the European market in 2026. PV ModuleTech Europe 2025 is a two-day conference that tackles these challenges directly, with an agenda that addresses all aspects of module supplier selection; product availability, technology offerings, traceability of supply-chain, factory auditing, module testing and reliability, and company bankability.
10 March 2026
Frankfurt, Germany
The conference will gather the key stakeholders from PV manufacturing, equipment/materials, policy-making and strategy, capital equipment investment and all interested downstream channels and third-party entities. The goal is simple: to map out PV manufacturing out to 2030 and beyond.

Read Next

July 3, 2025
Spanish IPP Zelestra has secured a €235 million (US$277 million) increase to its sustainability-linked loan, bringing the total to €770 million.
Premium
July 3, 2025
Meeting the UK’s solar targets will not simply require the installation of new capacity, but investment in grid infrastructure and training.
July 1, 2025
French private equity firm Ardian Clean Energy Evergreen Fund (ACEEF) has bought 117 solar PV plants, worth 116MW of total capacity in several locations in Italy.
Premium
June 30, 2025
Solargis CEO Marcel Suri explores three areas where new standards could help underpin greater efficiency, accuracy and market resilience.
June 30, 2025
Eni subsidiary Plentiude has started operations at the northern block of its 330MW Renopool solar portfolio in Spain.
June 27, 2025
Statkraft has signed PPAs with Better Energy to purchase energy from two solar power plants in Poland with a total capacity of 64GWh.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Media Partners, Solar Media Events
September 2, 2025
Mexico City, Mexico
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece
Solar Media Events
September 22, 2025
Bilbao, Spain
Solar Media Events
September 30, 2025
Seattle, USA
Solar Media Events
October 1, 2025
London, UK