The Dutch cabinet has decided to discontinue the SolarNL incentive program supporting domestic photovoltaic module production.
The decision followed a request from an advisory committee of the National Growth Fund, a government-run investment fund that was financing and overseeing the program.
“The advisory committee found that the factors that should make SolarNL a success are unfortunately not, or only partially, present. This means that establishing a new solar PV sector in the Netherlands with large-scale production no longer seems realistic,” the National Growth Fund said in a statement.
Following the advisory committee's advice, the Dutch government withdrew €277 million ($326.0 million) in funds initially awarded for the second and third phases of the SolarNL scheme. Some of the funds may be reallocated to support the Dutch semiconductor industry.
“In the coming months, the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy will consult with stakeholders to determine the consequences for SolarNL of the expiration of funding for the second and third phases,” the National Growth Fund explained. “Some of the funds already allocated for the first phase of the project have not yet been spent.”
The SolarNL program was providing incentives to building-integrated (BIPV) and vehicle-integrated (VIPV) applications, as well as heterojunction modules or perovskite-silicon tandem panels.
In June 2023, the Dutch government allocated €2.6 billion ($3.06 billion) through its National Growth Fund to support innovative technologies in sustainability, energy, high tech, digitization, and health care.
“The sun plays a key role in the energy transition,” the government said at the time, without providing further details on program implementation. “Researchers, raw material suppliers, construction companies and the automotive sector are joining forces to ensure that the next generation of solar panels is developed here in a fully circular manner.”
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