Across the Netherlands, we’re making big steps in generating more renewable energy. Solar and wind installations have grown rapidly in recent years — a great development for the national energy supply and for your own on-site independence.
But with that growth comes a challenge you hear more and more about: grid congestion.
What is it? And what can you do about it?
What is grid congestion?
Grid congestion means the electricity grid doesn’t have enough capacity to handle the amount of power that is being demanded or fed back at a given moment.
Simply put: a traffic jam on the power grid.
What causes grid congestion?
1. Growing electricity demand
In recent years, our electricity use has increased significantly, at home and in businesses.
Things like:
- electric cooking instead of gas
- EVs instead of petrol cars
- businesses switching from fossil-fuel machinery to electric equipment
All of this adds pressure to the grid.
2. More decentralised generation
We also generate far more electricity ourselves.
In 2023 alone, the number of homes with solar panels grew by nearly 30%.
Any energy that isn’t used immediately is fed back into the grid, and transporting this power requires capacity. When that capacity isn’t available, you get grid congestion.
Capacity map electricity grid feed-in Netherlands for large consumers, where white and yellow marked areas have (limited) transmission capacity without queuing.
When does grid congestion occur?
There are two types of congestion, each with its own peak moment:
1. Demand peak
This happens when a lot of electricity is being used at the same time, usually in the evenings when people return home, cook, run appliances, or charge EVs.
The grid isn’t designed for this high simultaneous demand.
2. Feed-in peak
This happens when a lot of electricity is being fed back into the grid at once.
This typically occurs during sunny daytime hours, when many solar installations are producing at full power while most people are away from home.
The more solar generation we add, the bigger this midday feed-in peak becomes.
What are the consequences of grid congestion?
There are two major consequences of grid congestion:
During demand peaks
The voltage on the grid drops. This can cause:- flickering lights
- equipment malfunction
- heat pumps switching off
Because these peaks are predictable, large power stations often increase output to stabilise the grid.
During feed-in peaks
The voltage on the grid rises. Inverters are legally required to shut down when the voltage exceeds 253 volts. When that happens:
- your inverter switches off
- your panels stop producing usable electricity
- you lose output and revenue
Exactly the opposite of what you want after investing in your own system.
How is grid congestion being solved?
1. Strengthening the grid
The root problem is that the Dutch grid is too small for today’s demand and generation.
Solving this requires years of work and major investments.
For example:
- TenneT plans to expand the grid by 2,500 kilometres over the next ten years.
- Municipalities and the national government must free up land for new stations, cables, and transformers.
2. Encouraging smarter use of energy
The government and grid operators are stimulating better alignment between production and consumption.
Examples:
- dynamic energy prices (use more when there’s oversupply, less when there’s a shortage)
- encouraging battery storage
- the phase-out of net-metering (salderen)
All are designed to ease pressure on the grid.
Source image: TenneT. New power highway between Eemshaven and Vierverlaten
What can you do about grid congestion yourself?
Even though there’s no quick solution, you CAN reduce the impact on your own business.
1. Align your consumption with your own generation
If you generate power yourself, try to use as much of it as possible directly.
For example:
- Charge your EV during the day if you have solar.
- Run larger consumers when your small wind turbine is producing well.
- This keeps your energy on your own farm and avoids using or feeding into the grid.
This is also known as self-consumption.
2. Store your energy
Battery storage will play a major role in reducing grid congestion.
With a battery you can:
- store your own solar or wind energy
- use it when you need it
- increase self-consumption
- reduce dependency on the grid
Batteries help balance daily fluctuations. To balance seasonal fluctuations, the ideal combination is still:
wind in winter, sun in summer.
3. Shift your usage away from peak times
Even if you don’t generate your own energy, you can still help by avoiding the worst peak moments.
It doesn’t mean you have to stop using electricity, but anything you can schedule, try to run during daytime feed-in peaks instead of evening demand peaks.
A small wind turbine and grid congestion.
We’ve talked a lot about solar...but what about wind?
A small wind turbine also generates renewable electricity, but it causes less pressure on the grid than solar. Why?
1. Wind generation is more evenly spread
A small wind turbine produces power throughout the year:- not only in midday hours
- also in evenings
- and at night
Its seasonal variation is also smaller than solar’s huge winter dip and summer peak.
2. Better match with business consumption
Because wind production is more evenly distributed, it often aligns better with the energy profile of farms and rural businesses.
The more of your own wind energy you can use directly, the less you need the grid, and the less you feel the effects of congestion!
Have more questions?
Feel free to reach out to our team for a chat or a free site analysis!
