Wind energy capacity, 1990-2023

Wind capacity increased in 2023

The total wind capacity in the Netherlands was 10.7 thousand megawatts by the end of 2023. This is a 23 percent increase compared to 2022. The growth is mainly due to an increase (+55%) in the offshore capacity from 2,570 to 3,978 megawatts. Despite this growth, the Dutch Energy Agreement's objective for sustainable growth has not been achieved (SER, 2013). This agreement stated that offshore wind farms would have an installed capacity of 4,450 megawatts by the end of 2023. On land, the installed capacity has grown from 6,131 megawatts to 6,757 megawatts.

Most wind turbines in Flevoland

Looking at the spatial distribution of onshore wind turbines, it is clear that most are located in the coastal provinces. This is not surprising, given the greater wind supply in coastal areas. However, the wind supply is not the only factor to be taken into consideration in the positioning of wind turbines. The perception of how they fit into the surrounding landscape also play an important part. This explains why, despite the fact that it is not the most suitable province in terms of wind supply (Geertsema and van den Brink, 2014), most wind turbines are found in Flevoland. 

Plans for onshore wind turbines

In the National Climate Agreement, the Netherlands has agreed to the target to have at least 35 terawatt hours of onshore renewable electricity (wind and large-scale solar energy installations > 15 kilowatt) by the end of 2030. In the Regional Energy Strategy (RES), the regional share for the national task is worked out as concretely as possible. Municipalities, provinces and water boards draw up these strategies. (PBL, 2023)

Large turbines produce more wind energy

There is more wind at a greater height than at ground level. As a result, tall turbines generally produce more wind energy per unit of power. Over the years, more and more large and therefore tall turbines have been added and small turbines have been demolished. There has been a strong increase in recent years, especially in the highest category, tower height of 96 meters or more. Tower height is the height at which the rotor blades are turning. Although only 45 percent of onshore wind turbines had a tower height of 96 meters or more at the end of 2023, this accounted for approximately two-thirds of the total capacity and almost three-quarters of the gross electricity production from onshore wind.

Offshore wind farms

The first offshore wind farm, Egmond aan Zee (108 megawatt), became operational in 2006, and was followed by Prinses Amalia (120 megawatt) in 2008, Luchterduinen (129 megawatt) in 2015, and Gemini (600 megawatt) in 2016. In 2020 wind farm Borssele (752 megawatt) was realised. The growth in 2023 is mainly due to two new large wind farms, Hollandse Kust Zuid (1.5 gigawatt) and Hollandse Kust Noord, site V (700 megawatt).
Offshore wind turbines produce more electricity per unit of power than onshore wind turbines. On the other hand, offshore wind turbines are much more expensive. All in all, electricity generated from offshore wind turbines used to be more expensive than that from onshore wind turbines (Lensink, 2013). This has changed in recent years, however: in 2018 and 2019 permits were granted for the first subsidy-free offshore wind farm in the world, Hollandse Kust Zuid. 
By the end of 2023, the total capacity of offshore wind turbines in the Netherlands was almost 4 gigawatts. Offshore wind farms accounted for 41 percent of all wind energy produced in the Netherlands in 2023.

Plans for offshore wind farms

The Dutch Energy Agreement (SER, 2013) included an objective with respect to offshore wind farms of a planned total of 4.5 gigawatt in 2023. This objective has not yet been achieved. Furthermore, in June 2022, the government indicated that it wanted to realize 21 gigawatts of installed capacity from offshore wind turbines around 2030. This deadline was adjusted in May 2024 to the end of 2032, (Noordzeeloket, 2024). This would cover approximately 75 percent of the current electricity consumption in the Netherlands. Further plans are for the generation of approximately 50 GW of offshore wind energy in 2040 and approximately 70 GW in 2050, (Rijksoverheid 2022). 
The construction of the new wind farm at the Hollandse Kust West location (1.5 gigawatt) at Ecowende (plot VI) and Oranje Wind Power II (plot VII) started in 2023, the expected to be operational in 2026-2027 (RVO, 2024). Plots will also become available at the locations IJmuiden Ver (6 gigawatts), Nederwiek (6 gigawatts), Doordewind (2 gigawatts) and North of the Wadden Islands (0.7 gigawatts).

Normalization of wind energy production figures

The development of wind energy production is measured based on normalized figures. The production of wind energy depends on the wind supply, which may vary substantially from year to year. These fluctuations obscure the view on structural developments. To filter out these fluctuations, normalization procedures for wind energy have been defined in the EU’s Renewable Energy Directive.