Working with Netbeheer Nederland, we helped the Netherlands’ grid get to grips with solar

Every day, new solar panels are installed across the Netherlands. Each one is a step towards a greener energy system – but only if that system is set up to use them.

Netbeheer Nederland – an association of the Netherlands’ energy network operators – needed to know what more solar panels would mean for the grid and brought us on board to help them find out.

We turned abstract questions into concrete recommendations

Solar panels were a new part of an old system, and the tried-and-tested list of things to look out for when connecting assets to the grid wasn’t up to scratch.

We looked to Germany for concrete lessons about what solar did to a real grid in the real world. We cast our net wide, used contacts, and dug deep into published resources – and then turned that knowledge into a set of recommendations. Our report looked at the question from every angle – technical, commercial, regulatory – to set out what was going to be make or break in arming the Dutch grid for solar panels.

Our report laid out the technical requirements of getting panels hooked up to the grid. It tackled what regulators could do to give operators clear sight of future grid capacity. It pushed for operators to be empowered to cut supply when needed to protect the network. And, it showed how batteries could plug gaps in supply.

Insights for a sustainable future

Netbeheer Nederland published Baringa’s report, setting a clear vision of what would happen with and without action. As solar becomes a bigger and bigger part of the Dutch grid, we’ve given a rock-solid, real-world insight into what’s happening, what’s going to happen, and what network operators and policy makers can do about it.

Find out how we help our clients in Power and Renewables