Netherlands Greenlights 773 MW of Solar Power in 2025 Subsidy Round
The Dutch government has approved 86 solar energy projects with a combined capacity of 773 megawatts under the 2025 round of its flagship renewable energy subsidy scheme, the SDE++, the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth announced this week.
In a letter to parliament, Climate Minister Stientje van Veldhoven confirmed that 283 renewable energy projects were approved in total, nearly exhausting the available budget. An additional €700 million in applications are still being processed, meaning the full allocation is likely to be used.
Breakdown of Solar Approvals
The 86 approved solar projects span three categories:
- Ground-mounted solar: 33 projects totalling 575 MW — the largest share, reflecting the Netherlands’ push for utility-scale installations despite space constraints in one of Europe’s most densely populated countries.
- Rooftop solar: 50 projects with 140 MW of combined capacity, continuing the country’s tradition of leveraging commercial and industrial roof space.
- Floating solar: 3 projects adding 58 MW, an emerging segment where the Netherlands is a global pioneer, building on the success of Europe’s largest floating solar farm in the North Holland region.
In total, these projects have been awarded €358 million in subsidies: €262 million for ground-mounted installations, €68 million for rooftop, and €28 million for floating PV.
A Slightly Smaller Round Than 2024
This year’s allocation is down compared to the SDE++ 2024 round, which awarded €449 million to 1.8 GW of solar capacity. The drop reflects several factors: maturing technology that requires less subsidy per megawatt, increased competition from wind projects in the same scheme, and grid congestion challenges that have made some developers more cautious about large-scale solar deployment.
Separate provisional estimates from Dutch New Energy Research suggest the Netherlands added approximately 2.08 GW of total solar capacity in 2025 — 0.54 GW from residential installations and 1.54 GW from commercial, industrial, and utility-scale projects.
Solar Remains Central to Dutch Climate Goals
The Netherlands now has one of the highest per-capita solar capacities in the world, with panels on everything from farmland to bike paths. While wind energy — particularly offshore — dominates headlines, solar PV quietly continues to be the workhorse of the Dutch energy transition, contributing a growing share of the country’s electricity mix each year.
The Netherlands, for internationals
One email a week: the week's news for internationals in the Netherlands, new practical guides and what changed in the cities. No spam, unsubscribe any time.
