Key takeaways from Solar Solutions Amsterdam

The organizers of Solar Solutions Amsterdam counted exactly 5,124 visitors on the first day of the event. On the second day of the trade fair, for which no figures are currently available, the Expo Greater Amsterdam was visibly better filled, and there was a lot of activity at the 200 trade fair stands. It therefore looks as if the 14,877 visitors recorded last year for all three days of the trade fair will be exceeded this time.

Compared to the major trade fairs in Europe and other parts of the world, these are still low numbers; 115,000 visitors are expected at “The Smarter E Europe” in Munich. Nevertheless, there were plenty of big names represented in the 24,000 square meter Amsterdam exhibition hall, which was completely covered with roof-integrated, semi-transparent solar modules.

The major Chinese PV manufacturers were also there. The reason is simple: The “Solar Trend Report” from DNE Research and Solar265, a sister company of trade fair organizer Good Events & Media, reports a newly installed capacity of 4.82 GW for 2023.

Overall, the Netherlands achieved a cumulative PV output of 24.4 GW at the end of 2023, which is almost 1.4 kW per inhabitant. The country has caught up with what Australia and Germany achieved in 2020.

This development has largely been driven by small PV systems. According to the Solar Trend Report, 34% of all apartment buildings have solar modules on their rooftops. The Netherlands is now well on its way to achieving its goal of 1.5 million CO2-free buildings by 2030. PV systems will be mandatory for new buildings and renovations of buildings with more than 250 m2 of living space from 2025. The government has also set a goal to install 240,000 heat pumps in buildings per year from 2026.

These figures illustrate why the Dutch solar trade fair – which is also dedicated to the areas of green building heating, storage and electric car charging technology – is so heavily influenced by the small-scale business and by the local dimension of the market. Last year, for example, almost 12,300 of the 14,877 visitors came from the Netherlands, with 30% of them from the installation sector. Another 16% came from the consulting sector, and 10% from retail.

In addition to the event in Amsterdam, Solar Solutions has now established itself in Kortrijk, Belgium (this year on Oct. 2 and Oct. 3) and in Düsseldorf (Nov. 27 and Nov. 28). There will also be Solar Solutions Bremen on April 17 and April 18, and Solar Solutions Leipzig from Jan. 28 to Jan. 29, 2025.

The next Dutch solar trade fair will take place in Amsterdam from March 11 to March 13, 2025.