New Energy Act supports local ownership by residents

Mandatory local ownership has now been incorporated into European energy directives and into the new Dutch Energy Act, which was passed by the Senate in December 2024 and will soon come into force. The Act provides a legal basis for the local generation of renewable energy and making it available to the local community.

In addition to equal cooperation, there is a second reason why the government is sticking to its target of 50 per cent local ownership. This also contributes to increasing public acceptance of renewable energy projects, thereby reducing the likelihood of resistance and unnecessary delays in the energy transition (see also Letter to Parliament Solar letter).

Local ownership of wind farms is now approaching 50 per cent (source: Financial Participation Monitor 2023A good example of this are the wind turbines on the A4/N11 motorway owned by Rijnland Energie. These two wind turbines, known as ‘de Watergeuzen’, are also owned by more than two hundred residents from across the region.

Local ownership of solar parks is still lagging behind (between 20 and 25 per cent) for various reasons. More information on this can be found in the so-called Solar Letter from Minister Hermans (Climate and Green Growth) to the House of Representatives. In it, she states that she will explore the main obstacles and success factors in realising local ownership of large solar parks.

The new Energy Act already provides municipalities with a basis for imposing a best-efforts obligation on project developers to thoroughly investigate the possibilities for local ownership.