Europe’s wind and solar ‘transition’ continues to unravel, with the Dutch the latest to ditch the pitch to so-called ‘renewables’. Small (geographically) and industrious, the Dutch have always managed to punch well above their weight, dominating seafaring trade through history and, these days, producing a staggeringly large proportion of the foodstuffs that are consumed around the globe.
But, like most of their European neighbours, the Netherlands has squandered billions of subsidies on chaotically intermittent wind and solar, with little to show for it – other than ruined landscapes and unliveable homes.
Now the hard cold reality of sunshine and/or weather-dependent power generation is starting to bite. Various provinces simply can’t keep the lights on, and have called timeout on the grand ‘transition’ to sunshine and breezes.
When the sun sets and/or calm weather sets in, it’ll be good old gas (an apparently not-so-evil fossil fuel) powering Dutch homes, businesses and industries around-the-clock, as Carl Deconinck explains below.
Dutch province of Utrecht returns to fossil fuel as power-grid faces meltdown
Brussels Signal
Carl Deconinck
25 April 2024
The Dutch province of Utrecht announced it will switch back to fossil fuel to relieve the overworked electricity grid, as the road to net-zero in the Netherlands hits some major obstacles.
The outgoing Dutch Climate Minister Rob Jetten, leader of the Democrats 66 (D66) party, along with local grid operators, announced a set of measures to fight the power-grid overload in Utrecht province. It is expected to be the first of many regions in the country that will have to take action to avoid future problems.
To maintain electricity provision to the public and businesses in Utrecht, there will be a switch back to gas. At moments of peak demand, the local Government will deploy gas generators.
Smart charging stations will be switched off during peak times but the regional authorities and grid operators are working on an exemption option for owners of electric vehicles to top-up their batteries if they need to.
Instead of fully-electric heat-pumps, hybrid heat-pumps are being promoted. These hybrid models can be connected to boiler-heating systems and are less demanding on the electricity grid.
The Dutch public service broadcaster nos reported that the projected shortage equals the needs of 125,000 homes in Utrecht.
Huib van Essen of the Utrecht Provincial Executive said the measures would “have a significant impact on reducing the overload on the power grid”, adding that the use of gas-plants was “unfortunately necessary” for this.
Without implementing appropriate measures, the province is forecast to experience frequent electricity blackouts, which would jeopardise the construction of new housing and industrial complexes, nos said.
Utrecht is the first province to opt to return to fossil fuels but other areas and provinces, in particular Flevopolder and Gelderland, are also said to be working on similar measures.
Without nationwide measures being implemented, nos reported that approximately 1.5 million people in the Netherlands could be subject to power outages until 2030.
Other issues would include the malfunction of electrical devices and lighting.
The problems for households and small consumers come on top of long-standing issues for the Dutch industrial sector, which is consuming electricity at much higher rates than previously.
Waiting times for new or upgraded connections, necessary for businesses to enhance their sustainability efforts, are also on the rise.
The shift back to fossil fuels in the Netherlands follows a decision by the Scottish Government to abandon its flagship target of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 75 per cent by 2030.
It said it had an “unwavering commitment” to achieve net zero by 2045 but on April 18 called the targets for 2030 “out of reach”.
Scotland’s leadership was one of the first in the world to declare a “climate emergency”, in 2019.
Brussels Signal
STOP THESE THINGS 
Common sense prevails ??!! How on earth can something as VITAL as energy and heating etc. be allowed to be controlled by wind or sunshine ??? The MOST UNRELIABLE weather events in Britain and some “idiot” thinks it a good idea to run our electricity needs on these ??!! LAUGHABLE – if it wasn’t so stupid !!!
It’s a cult.