Groningen port city Delfzijl is home to the largest solar park in the Netherlands.
GRONINGEN–Regional grid operators in the Netherlands Tennet and Enexis say their networks lack the capacity to process the electricity generated by an increasing number of solar farms in Groningen and the north of Drenthe, public broadcaster NOS reported.
“We can just about manage the present situation, but if applications to build more solar farms are granted we simply do not have the capacity to transport the energy,” Enexis spokesperson Loek de Lange told the broadcaster.
The triangle Stadskanaal-Musselkanaal-Gasselte is where the problem is at its most acute. The area, which is popular among project developers because land is relatively cheap, already has a number of solar farms and permits have been granted for more.
According to the grid operators, government rules are not specific about where to locate solar farms. “We do not know in advance if a solar farm will be built, but we are obliged to connect it to the network,” De Lange is quoted as saying.
Solar farm owners are running a risk as well. When the network reaches maximum-capacity the electricity generated by the solar farms cannot be offloaded to the network and that means they will not be making any money, NOS states.
One solution is to increase capacity, but that will take years, the grid operators say.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75808-too-many-solar-farms-threaten-to-overwhelm-regional-networks
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