"Subsidy on the home battery can be a solution to remain world champion solar panels, while the net-metering scheme is still being phased out," said Bram Straten, energy expert and senior manager at Windpower 5. "The balancing scheme is getting in the way of the energy transition, but it is also the driver for buying solar panels. Subsidizing home batteries can keep solar panels attractive while relieving the burden on the grid."
Because of the net-metering system, the Netherlands has proportionally most solar panels on rooftops of homes, but at the same time this creates a lot of peak load when the sun shines in the (early) summer months. This causes the grid to fill up and grid operators have to lay more and more cables.
"The phasing out of the balancing scheme makes the purchase of solar panels less interesting, which can contribute to the congestion problem. That in itself is good, but this also decreases the growth of green energy," Straten argues.
"The best thing would be to consume the generated power yourself, but without a method of storage, this cannot be done. By actually starting to subsidize home batteries in addition to phasing out the net-metering scheme, the generated energy can be stored during peak hours, and then used when the sun is not shining."
