Although the solar panel market in the Netherlands continues to decline, the share of solar power in our grid is only increasing. In the first half of 2025, solar power was the largest source of electricity, accounting for 26% of the total. This pushed natural gas into second place, while coal accounted for only 9% of total electricity production.

Tipping Point for Oil and the Energy Transition

And the good news didn't stop at national borders: worldwide, a staggering 380 GW (GigaWatt, 1 GW = 1,000,000 kiloWatt) of solar panels were added in the first half of 2025, a 64% increase compared to last year. As usual, most new panels were installed in China, meaning China itself is now well on its way to transitioning away from fossil fuels. Despite rapid economic development, oil consumption in China is likely to peak this year or next, after which a steady decline in CO2 emissions will begin.

The energy transition has now entered a new phase in most countries: the focus is no longer solely on expanding new green energy production, but increasingly on storing that energy in batteries. This can absorb the peaks and troughs in green energy production. Just as the cost of solar panels fell sharply in the early years of solar energy, the cost of batteries has also plummeted in recent years. This makes it attractive to install battery storage in both new and existing solar power systems.

Necessary adjustments

At Zonnefabriek, we're clearly seeing the demand for battery storage. While we continue to install new solar panels at a low clip, we're installing more and more battery systems all over the country every month. All this storage capacity creates more space on the grid for even more renewable energy, helping to make the electricity supply cleaner, more flexible, and more robust. According to the European industry association Solar Power Europe, the battery market in the Netherlands is expected to grow by a whopping 200% this year!

A new phase naturally requires adjustments within the company. Where our installers used to have to balance large rectangular panels on the roof, they now mainly work indoors with heavy batteries and complicated wiring. And for our consultants, it's also a challenge to accurately determine which system best suits each individual customer's needs. However, we are especially enthusiastic about the possibilities these beautiful new products offer to make the world a little greener. Interested in joining us? Contact us for a free consultation.