250,000 m2 of rooftop solar panels to be installed in the port of Amsterdam by 2024
As of June 2020, the Port of Amsterdam boasts 120,000 m2 of solar panels on area rooftops. Equivalent in size to 18 football pitches, the solar panels supply electricity for approximately 6,000 households. Consequently, the Port of Amsterdam has surpassed its own strategic target of installing 100,000 m2 of solar panels in the port by 2021. Given that the Port of Amsterdam wants to have far more solar panels, it has formulated a new target, namely, to install 250,000 m2 of rooftop solar panels at port companies by 2024, the company said in its release.
Back in 2016, when the port had virtually no rooftop panels, the Port of Amsterdam launched the Zon in de haven (Solar Energy in the Port) campaign. The campaign goal was to encourage port companies to make the switch to green energy and to install solar panels on their roofs. The SDE+ grant provided by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs made this financially feasible. The Port of Amsterdam made the application process easier by helping interested parties complete it. Companies were given two options: to finance their own roof-mounted solar panel system or to make their roof available to a third party for a fee (i.e. rent it). This campaign, in tandem with the SDE+ grant, has proven to be highly successful.
