April 14, 2016
Netherlands

Hundreds of Dutch green energy windmills operating at a loss

By Janene Pieters | Apr 14, 2016 | www.nltimes.nl

Hundreds of wind turbines in the Netherlands are operating at a loss and are in danger of being demolished. The main cause is the very low energy prices, which mean that the maintaining the turbines cost more than what the generated energy bring in, the Financieele Dagblad reports based on own research.

Subsidies for generating wind energy are in many cases no longer cost-effective. Smaller, older windmills in particular are running at a loss, but even newer mills are struggling to be profitable with insufficient subsidies.

This is extremely worrying, according to the paper, seeing as the Netherlands is already behind in meeting green energy targets set in the Energy agreement.

Teun Bokhoven, chairman of umbrella organization for sustainable energy companies, thinks that the subsidy arrangement need to change, he said to BNR. The current subsidies are based on long-term forecasts and do not take the current low energy price into account.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2016/04/14/hundreds-of-dutch-green-energy-windmills-operating-at-a-loss/