The Netherlands: Solar parks in Netherlands to be connected at 70% of their peak capacity –

The Netherlands’ renewable energy sector has reached an agreement with the country’s grid operators and power providers for a faster grid connection of solar parks. PV plant operators will be able to connect their projects at 70% of their capacity and, in turn, they will be allowed to connect them without having to wait for more grid availability.

Read more at: Solar parks in Netherlands to be connected at 70% of their peak capacity – pv magazine International

The Netherlands: Chint switches on the Netherlands’ self-styled largest solar project - by José Rojo Martín

The Netherlands has recently marked the operational launch of one of the largest solar farms seen to date, a plant delivered in the country’s northeast by Chinese partners.

Chint Solar has now powered up the 103MWp Midden-Groningen Solar Park, built within eight months this year to the east of the city of Groningen.

The 315,000-panel installation was equipped by PV module maker – and Chint’s sister firm – Astronergy and is now supplying the Dutch grid from its 117-hectare site near the village of Sappemeer.

Construction got underway in February 2019 and was completed by the October 2019 deadline thanks to favourable weather conditions this summer, Chint explained.

Read more at: Chint switches on the Netherlands’ self-styled largest solar project | PV Tech

Green Energy- Solar Power: China outshines Europe in 2017 clean power investment ranking

Solar Power Plant in ALMERE, the Netherlands

Solar power dominated a global ranking of new renewable energy investments “like never before” last year, with China accounting for more than half of the world’s new capacity, the UN said on Thursday (5 April). Investments in Europe, on the other hand, recorded a massive drop.

The world installed a record 98 gigawatts of new solar capacity in 2017, far more than the net additions of any other technology – renewable, fossil fuel or nuclear – according to new data.

The ‘Global Trends in Renewable Energy Investment 2018’ report was released on Thursday (5 April) by UN Environment, the Frankfurt School – UNEP Collaborating Centre, and Bloomberg New Energy Finance.

At $160.8 billion, solar power attracted far more investment than any other technology. China saw “an unprecedented boom” in solar that saw some 53 gigawatts added – more than half the global total – with $86.5 billion invested.

‘’China’s clean energy push is impressive and good news for the planet,” said trade association SolarPower Europe, citing “a near 80% red

Overall, renewable energies were far ahead, at $279.8 billion, towering above new investment in coal and gas generation capacity, which reached an estimated $103 billion.

“The world added more solar capacity than coal, gas, and nuclear plants combined,” said Nils Stieglitz, President of Frankfurt School of Finance & Management. “This shows where we are heading, although the fact that renewables altogether are still far from providing the majority of electricity means that we still have a long way to go.”

Last year was the eighth in a row in which global investment in renewables exceeded $200 billion, the report said. Since 2004, the world has invested $2.9 trillion in these green energy sources.

But some regions like the United States and Europe have clearly fallen behind. In the US, investments dropped 6%, to $40.5 billion. In Europe, the fall was steeper, at 36%, to reach $40.9 billion. The biggest drops were recorded in the United Kingdom (down 65% to $7.6 billion) and Germany (down 35% to $10.4 billion).

“In countries that saw lower investment, it generally reflected a mixture of changes in policy support, the timing of large project financings, such as in offshore wind, and lower capital costs per megawatt,” said Angus McCrone, Chief Editor of Bloomberg New Energy Finance and lead author of the report.

Read more: China outshines Europe in 2017 clean power investment ranking – EURACTIV.com

The Netherlands - Alternative energy: Beautiful solar-powered car chargers keep the Netherlands moving

Ever since I started driving an electric car, I've been surprised by just how little I need or care about having a charging network available to me. But I have a driveway. And a second car. For the one-car families and/or those who live in apartments, a reliable charging network would go a long way toward making electric cars a more attractive and practical option.

In the Netherlands, just such a network is already emerging. Fastned has already built 50 beautiful solar-powered chargers and they are aiming for 200 in the very near future. Robert Llewellyn of Fully Charged paid one charging station a visit, and he chatted with company founder Bart Lubbers about their plans for the future.

A few points worthy of note:

    *The solar panels create enough charge for about three cars. The rest comes from a contract with wind power generators.
    *The charging stations are built with expansion in mind. The one in the video currently has two chargers, but there's room for six more.
    *Fastned offers several pricing options and plans, including monthly fees and lower Kwh rates for people charging regularly, and no monthly fee but higher Kwh rates for people needing to charge only occasionally.

Lubbers also shares that the company eventually plans to add shops/coffee shops/bathroom facilities etc. This really does look like a smart approach to electric vehicle charging infrastructure. Now I kind of wish we had something like this in my neighborhood, even though I don't really need it...

Read more: Beautiful solar-powered car chargers keep the Netherlands moving : TreeHugger