Analysis by Bloomberg of the costs of wind and solar power across 58 economies has put the two on the same level, a finding that has been welcomed by Johan Nooitgedagt of Dutch fishermen’s association De Nederlandse Vissersbond.
‘It’s good news for everyone that solar energy is cheaper than air-to-sea energy,’ he said, aiming a clear message at the energy policies of Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte and minister for economic affairs Henk Kamp.
‘This means that the government can now stop building windfarms over the North Sea and the IJsselmeer.’
According to Bloomberg’s analysis, there has been an unprecedented drop in the costs of solar power generation, making solar energy within the urban environment a serious alternative to gas and wind power.
‘That means that the Netherlands with its limited energy budget can achieve more environmental benefits by choosing the cheapest form of renewable energy. I call on the government not to invest more in expensive wind farms but to use its money as efficiently as possible to achieve its 2050 CO2 targets,’ he said.
‘While the North Sea is being crammed rapidly with windmills, investment should be going into other forms of energy generation that have barely started. Think of solar cells on every suitable roof in towns and villages, as well as other innovations such as windows and special tiles that generate electricity.’
He commented that by concentrating on offshore wind power, the government is choosing the easy option that scores it green points in the short term.
‘But there is precious budget lost to wind farms in the North Sea,especially if the government takes in the economic collateral damage. By this I mean the economic damage in the form of safety implications for shipping and area closures for our fisheries,’ Johan Nooitgedagt said
‘A lot is possible within the urban environment, such as cold/heat storage in combination with heat pumps, geothermal, biomass, waste heat, biogas, fuel cells and other solutions for storing this energy. Centralised solutions only complicate the issue and generate more bureaucracy. Now there really is work for the government do to on this.’