SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR CHALLENGES

LET THE DUTCH PROVIDE YOU WITH SMART 

SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR CHALLENGES 

The Dutch philosophy • Energy and innovation policy • PV technology that serves the world 

Creativity and ambition • International strengths and showcases

Colophon 

Copyrighted images in this brochure 

Cover: Copyright Eurotron 

Page 5: Copyright Mark Dierikx 

Page 12: Copyright Scheuten 

Page 14: Copyright Smit Ovens 

Page 15: Copyright Eurotron 

Page 16: Copyright Grontmij 

Page 17: Copyright ESA & Paulien van Dongen 

Page 18: Copyright Nuon Solar Team, Jorrit Lousberg 

Page 22 & 23: Copyright DSM 

Page 25: Copyright Heijmans & Prêt-à-Loger 

Page 26: Copyright BEAR-iD 

Page 27: Copyright Heijmans 

2 | Let the Dutch provide you with smart solutions for Solar challenges

Table of contents 

Foreword 

The Dutch philosophy 

Our changing world 

Energy and innovation - a priority for the Dutch Government 

Dutch PV technology serves the world 

Creativity and ambition 

Shifting boundaries 

Dutch international strengths 

Showcases 

Effective use of limited living space 

Solar PV research 

Solar PV materials - the industry 

Suppliers to the Solar PV industry 

Solar PV in residential housing, an improvement of the energy label 

Integration in utility buildings 

Infrastructural solutions 

Getting in touch 

4 

6 

8 

10 

12 

16 

17 

18 

20 

21 

22 

23 

24 

25 

26 

27 

28 

Let the Dutch provide you with smart solutions for Solar challenges | 3

Foreword 

Foreword Ministry of Economic Affairs 

The Netherlands is an attractive 

partner for many other countries 

The Netherlands is working on a transition towards a sustainable, reliable 

and affordable energy supply for everyone. The drivers are climate change, 

declining availability of fossil fuels, and dependence on international energy 

suppliers. This transition is in full progress and the solutions we have already 

found and will find in the future, could be beneficial to the whole world. 


To achieve this transition the Dutch government 

has entered into an Energy Agreement for 

Sustainable Growth with Dutch employers, trade 

unions, environmental organisations and other 

parties. Over 40 organisations committed 

themselves to this agreement that forms the 

basis for a future-proof energy and climate 

policy. The main objective is to increase the 

share of renewable energy from the current level 

of 4.4% to 14% in 2020, and to 16% in 2023. One of 

the pillars to achieve this increase stands for 

decentralised energy generation, which include 

further implementation of Solar PV. 

At this moment Solar PV is being stimulated as 

a so-called ‘work-in progress’ preparing both 

the market and the infrastructure for a largescale 

implementation between 2015 and 2020. 

The Dutch government supports this process by 

offering financial support schemes both for 

private and larger scale applications. 

Additionally, the government contributes 

substantially to further innovation, not only 

to strengthen the economic development and to 

accelerate the transition, but also to maintain 

the excellent international position with regard 

to the know-how built up over past decades. 

The Netherlands is an attractive partner for 

many other countries. We offer creative, gamechanging 

solutions, high level know-how and 

excellent products, providing you with the 

possibility to develop, manufacture and install 

first rate Solar PV systems. Therefore I invite you 

to get acquainted with the Dutch Solar PV sector 

through this brochure and to discover the 

inviting opportunities for cooperation. Together 

we can make a difference by contributing to the 

Solar solutions needed to make our world more 

sustainable for ourselves, our children and 

generations to come. 

Mark Dierikx 

Director General, Directorate for Energy, Trade and 

Competition, Ministry of Economic Affairs 


“The Dutch focus on 

innovation, high tech 

technology and research 

& development.” 

The Dutch philosophy 

The Dutch created their land and their land created the way they think and 

work. The people rely on their own inventiveness when it comes to finding 

solutions to the challenges facing them. Especially when it comes to dealing 

with the natural surroundings of a country which is for the most part situated 

below sea-level, the Dutch have shown great resilience. 


Instead of letting the elements take control of 

their lives, the Dutch have always been rather 

adamant to avoid this from ever happening. 

The Dutch philosophy when it comes to 

dealing with challenges, is characterized by 

melting various points of view into a solution 

that fits like a glove. This makes the answers 

the Dutch come up with never isolated but 

always in coherence with each other. 

This integrated way of thinking is unique and 

can be observed in all areas of Dutch society. 

The Dutch way of dealing with energy 

challenges facing us worldwide, is a very 

pragmatic one. Obviously the Netherlands 

is not particularly known for its abundant 

amount of sun hours and yet, the Dutch put 

a lot of effort into converting every ray of 

sunlight that is awarded to them into energy. 

Energy that is effectively used in everyday 

households, industry and transport.. 

And these efforts are of course not limited to 

the Netherlands or to Europe, for that matter. 

They apply to every country in the world. The 

Dutch focus on innovation, high tech and 

research & development in combination with 

a vital business acumen, makes collaboration 

very interesting for international partners. 

The private sector, knowledge institutes and 

public organizations all combine forces in 

order to let the Dutch provide you with smart 

solutions for Solar challenges! 


Holland Sustainable Urban Delta explained 

Waste & 

resource efficiency 

Water 

Safe & secure public 

environment 

Energy 

efficient 

Clean & secure energy 

Transportation & logistics 

Resource 

Efficient use 

efficient industries 

Our changing world 

2 MADE IN HOLLAND 

All over the world there is a tendency that people move to live in cities, 

which become large metropolitan areas. Especially cities in a delta area are 

attractive as the availability of water provides opportunities for trade, logistics 

and food production. Living in these areas requires new ways of thinking in 

order to maintain a comfortable lifestyle. Use of circular water and waste 

stream, use of sustainable energy and sustainable production turn these areas 

into sustainable urban deltas. 


uildings 

land and subsoil 

“Our Struggle for Global Sustainability 

Will Be Won or Lost in Cities.” Ban Ki-moon 

The Netherlands is a small and densely 

populated country with a high standard of 

living and a demanding society. As a major 

part of the country lies below sea level, 

the continuous struggle with water has 

forced the Dutch to come up with efficient, 

flexible and smart solutions to ensure the 

comfortable living conditions people have 

grown accustomed to. Looked at from a 

distance The Netherlands is an agglomeration 

of urban sites and mainports, like Rotterdam 

and Amsterdam. The challenges the rest of the 

world is facing are not at all new to the Dutch. 

In that way, The Netherlands sets an example 

for all the world’s large metropolises. 

The “Dutch Sustainable Urban Delta” can 

be regarded a showcase for magnificent, 

efficient and sustainable living and working 

environments. Smart logistics systems, 

where all kinds of decentralized energy 

solutions are used and wastewater from 

the city is recycled for the production of 

food and other sensible solutions to create 

a sustainable environment are the unique 

selling points of the Sustainable Urban Delta. 

To achieve this a continuous focus on 

innovations has been present. An integrated 

approach with differential solutions is 

characteristic for the Dutch. 


Energy and innovation a priority 

for the Dutch Government 

The energy sector contributes substantially to Dutch national income, 

exports and employment. The Netherlands has embraced a courageous vision: 

by 2050, the country will have a sustainable, reliable and affordable energy 

system. To achieve this, the Dutch aim to cut CO 2 emission by half to generate 

some 40 percent of its electricity from sustainable sources. 

This requires collaboration amongst those involved and a strong focus on 

innovation and implementation. 

Solar energy 

BioEnergy 


Innovation, collaboration and public-private 

partnerships are key to the Dutch approach, 

also in the energy arena. 

In 2014, 40 organizations representing 

government, employers, unions, environmental 

organizations, civil activity groups and financial 

institutions agreed to work on an affordable 

and sustainable energy supply including 

changes for the Netherlands in the clean 

tech sector. Their ambition is to achieve a 

quadrupling of the economic value of the clean 

tech sector, based on growth in the national 

market and a doubling of the international 

market share through export. The home market 

is a very important part of the innovation 

system as a step to international innovation. 

Innovation and public-private partnerships 

are key to the Dutch approach, also in the 

energy arena. This has been put into practice 

by identifying energy as a priority topic in 

order to stimulate innovation. Solar PV is one 

of the priority areas on energy for these publicprivate 

partnerships alongside other renewable 

technologies such as Wind and Bioenergy. 

Wind power 


Dutch PV 

technology 

serves the world 

Rotterdam Central Station 

10.000 m 2 integrated solar panels 

Supplies 340 Megawatt hours per year 


“In many of the 

solar panels 

produced worldwide, 

you can find a piece 

of Dutch technology.” 


Obviously the Netherlands is not 

particularly known for a abundant 

amounts of sun hours, but it was one 

of the first countries demonstrating 

a full integrated solar PV system. 

Besides that the Dutch strive for 

innovation led to an excellent level of 

knowhow and a strong technological 

position in the international 

Solar PV market. 


Dutch PV technology 

serves the world 

The Dutch have really made a difference when 

it comes to shifting boundaries in the solar 

PV sector. Famous research institutes such 

as ECN and TNO as well as the Universities 

of Delft, Eindhoven, Utrecht, Groningen and 

Nijmegen can take credit for a number of 

international patents. 

The high level of know-how is also due to 

national and international collaboration, 

e.g. the Solar Energy Application Center 

and Solliance, as well as collaboration with 

important R&D institutes in Europe, Asia and in 

the United States. 

While the Netherlands imports PV panels for 

the domestic market, it is an important exporter 

of PV production equipment and supplies for 

the international PV market. 

Multinational companies like Philips and 

ASML were the basis for startups that 

focussed on the Solar PV sector, but kept their 

links to the semi-conductor industry. 

For PV production equipment the Netherlands 

hosts world-leading manufacturers such as 

Eurotron, Smit Ovens, Tempress, Rimas, 

Lamers HTS, MECO, Roth &Rau, ASM 

International and VDL Flow. They not only 

provide world leading Solar PV panel 

manufacturers with their equipment, but 

collaborate closely with R&D institutes. 

For roughly every component of PV systems, 

the Netherlands has a representative 

producing company. This includes for 

instance (micro-) inverters, power optimizers 

and storage systems, mounting systems, 

monitoring systems and solar radiation 

measuring instruments. 

tkisolarenergy.nl/en 

topsectorenergie.nl/english 


Creativity and ambition 

Emerging from pioneering work in the eighties, Dutch solutions are now 

acknowledged for their multifunctional use of Solar PV and their versatile 

use in everyday life in. Persisting in their ambition to be front runner the 

Dutch have shown a lot of creativity when it comes to new Solar applications. 

To stay ahead in the market, solutions are 

required that really address the problems of 

the future. The Dutch innovative program on 

Solar energy focuses on three main topics: 

PV systems and applications, Wafer based 

silicon - and Thin film PV technology. 

Over 100 companies and research institutes 

currently work together on the integration of 

solar energy systems in the built environment, 

infrastructure and electricity grid. 

The intention is to commit to further acceleration 

of the development and use of Solar energy in the 

Netherlands, while achieving the greatest possible 

added value for the Dutch economy. These new 

developments are also shown in demonstration 

projects carried out by the research institues in 

collaboration with commercial companies, and are 

meant to improve further applications of 

Solar energy internationally. 




International collaboration 

between the Dutch PV Sector and ESA: 

Dutch Space solar technique for 

Rosetta sattelite 

Shifting boundaries 

Next to the high quality products and solutions that everyone can see in their own 

environment the Dutch also contribute to very specific applications. Amongst these are highvalue 

space applications, futuristic solar cars as well as wearable solar tools to recharge your 

mobile devices everywhere you go. 

The Nuna 7 on page 18-19 for example is a solar car built by the Nuon Solar Team. This team 

consists of 16 students of the Delft Technical University who were able to count on the expert 

advice and experience of Professor and astronaut Wubbo Ockels and who were sponsored by 

energy company NUON. In the Solar Challenge 2013 - a race over a distance of 3000 km across 

Australia - the team came in first. This result was achieved due to a close collaboration of the 

faculties aerospace engineering, industrial design, mechanical engineering, applied physics, 

applied mathematics and electrical engineering. 

wearablesolar.nl 

www.nuonsolarteam.nl/nuna/?lang=en 


Dutch international strengths 

The strengths of the Dutch PV sector described in this brochure, speak for 

themselves with regard to quality, reliability and sustainability. 

“That is great!,” you might think, “but what is in it for me?!” When it comes to 

renewable energy and solar PV solutions in particular, the value of the Dutch 

approach can be brought back to three distinguishing strengths: collaboration, 

high-tech solutions and design. These strengths can be considered powerful 

connecting factors to which you or any of our potential future business 

partners can relate, anywhere in the world. 

Nuna 7 


Collaboration is in the Dutch DNA, partly 

resulting from the many industry clusters 

all over the country and partly because of the 

vibrant consultative structures available. 

Besides that the physical distances are quite 

short in The Netherlands. 

The Dutch favor an interactive approach to 

stimulate and activate innovation, giving 

all partners a clear voice in the process of 

decision making. This is empowering to 

all participants and highly beneficial to 

the endresult. 

The Dutch PV sector also embraces the 

element of collaboration by establishing 

a synergetic interaction between multiple 

disciplines like research and development and 

the implementation of new technology. 

This Dutch synergy philosophy leads to an 

‘integral system thinking’, resulting in versatile 

products with a wide range of application 

possibilities. Furthermore it allows partners, 

however big or small, to contribute equally to 

the improvement of solar technology and 

its application. 

The way in which the Dutch make integral 

thinking - always bearing the bigger picture 

in mind - is undeniably required in a future 

in which the integration of various systems 

becomes more and more important. 

The solutions the Dutch have conceived will 

continue to bear fruit in the future, not only 

in the Netherlands but also in every other 

country that does not mind going Dutch! 


Showcases 

Effective use of 

limited space for living 

Page 21 

Solar PV in houses, 

an improvement of 

the energy label 

Page 25 

The Netherlands 

Width: 200 km 

Length: 300 km 

Surface area: 41.526 km 2 

Sunshine duration: 

1.550 hours/year 

Solar PV Research 

Page 22 

Solar PV materials - 

the industry 

Page 23 

Integration in nonresidential 

buildings 

Page 26 

Suppliers to the Solar 

PV industry 

Page 24 

Infrastructural 

solutions 

Page 27 


Dutch showcases 

Effective use of limited living space 

“The City of the 

Sun is one of the 

areas the Dutch 

created by land 

reclamation, 

harboring the 

largest urbanscale 

photovoltaic 

project in Europe.” 

The Netherlands is a small and densely 

populated country. To fulfill the various 

needs in order to live in an attractive way, 

an integrated approach is required to 

design cities and the buildings therein. 

Integration of Solar PV in the Dutch 

architecture is an absolute necessity in 

order to contribute to a sustainable society 

for all inhabitants. Already 10 years ago an 

integrated approach was applied in the 

City of the Sun project and a project in the 

city of Langedijk. 

The Langedijk solar homes consist of two 

residential housing projects with full roof 

solar systems and a high level of sustainability. 

One of the projects consists of large villas and 

the other is a mixture of villas, townhouses 

and apartments. The large solar roofs were 

made possible due to a close collaboration 

with the energy distribution company NUON. 

These roofs became an internationally 

acclaimed model for BIPV (Building 

Integration of Photo-Voltaics). 

The City of the Sun, located about 40 km 

north of Amsterdam, in the municipality of 

Heerhugowaard, is one of the areas the Dutch 

created by land reclamation. 

The community, harboring the largest urbanscale 

photovoltaic project in Europe, aims to 

be completely carbon neutral by 2030. It is 

well on the way toward achieving this goal 

through its pioneering use of renewable 

energy. What sets the City of the Sun apart 

from other photovoltaic projects is that 

from the earliest stages of its development, 

the city’s plan focused on a passive solar 

design, fully integrating photovoltaic systems 

throughout the city. The whole district is a 

perfect example of Dutch integral thinking: 

it produces as much renewable energy as 

it consumes with all its features like living, 

working and traffic 

www.heerhugowaardstadvandezon.nl 

(only available in Dutch) 



Solar PV research 

“The Netherlands 

is highly ranked 

internationally 

thanks to the 

presence of 

renowned 

institutes.” 

Already in the middle ages, the physicist 

Christiaan Huygens put The Netherlands 

on the world map with his research 

activities. In subsequent centuries, 

The Netherlands in many ways 

contributed to fundamental research, 

which has resulted in several inventions 

that have become widely accepted and 

acknowledged in everyday applications, 

such as the compact disc. 

In Solar PV research, The Netherlands is highly 

ranked internationally by the presence of 

renowned institutes like ECN, TNO, AMOLF/ 

FOM, the Technical Universities of Delft and 

Eindhoven as well as the niversities of Utrecht, 

Nijmegen en Groningen. Within the Innovation 

programme these research institutes are 

working on wafer based crystalline silicon 

PV technology, thin film technology as 

well as hybrid and generic applicable 

PV technologies. Many of these research 

operations take place in close collaboration 

with Dutch manufacturers and/or suppliers 

of production equipment for the solar 

industry. Their aim is to develop new products 

and processes which contribute to a more 

widespread use of Solar PV applications. 

In the field of applied research, the 

Solar Energy Application Centre (SEAC) 

focuses on benchmarking, field testing and 

technical financial modelling of solar energy 

systems and applications. In all projects there 

is a synergetic collaboration with equipment 

suppliers, construction companies and 

others in the supply chain. SEAC focusses on 

applications inbuildings, industry, agriculture 

and infrastructure as well as applications 

improving grid connection. 

A good example of international research 

collaboration is Solliance. Solliance aims at 

positioning the Eindhoven (Netherlands)- 

Leuven (Belgium)-Aachen (Germany) region 

as a world player in the field of thin film 

technology. The collaboration focuses on 

fundamental research into materials at 

universities and research institutions in 

order to develop high-quality production 

technology, production equipment and test 

as well as monitoring devices in collaboration 

with the industry. 

www.ecn.nl/home 

www.tno.nl/en 

www.amolf.nl 

www.tudelft.nl/en 

www.tue.nl/en 

www.seac.cc 

www.solliance.eu


Solar PV materials - the industry 

“An anti-reflection 

coating reduces 

the light reflection 

allowing more 

sunlight to be 

converted in 

usable energy.” 

Dutch multinationals such as Philips, 

ASM, DSM and AKZO Nobel are well 

known all over the world for their 

innovative products. These companies 

also contribute substantially to the 

developments in the Solar PV sector. 

Their added value often ‘disappears’ 

into components of the PV products 

without being obviously present. 

But that does not make their contribution 

less important. To the contrary, it is 

indispensable and utterly necessary in 

order to achieve the desired progress 

in the development of current and 

new technology. 

An example of a visible contribution from the 

Dutch multinationals to the application of 

Solar PV is the “KhepriCoat” anti-reflection 

coating for solar cover glass developed by 

DSM. This coating reduces the light reflection 

on the panel, allowing more sunlight to be 

converted into electricity. Combined with its 

high durability the coating contributes to 

a significant reduction in levelized cost of 

energy (LCOE) for Solar PV. 

www.philips.com 

www.asm.com 

www.dsm.com 

www.akzonobel.com 



Suppliers to the Solar PV industry 

“The close 

collaboration of 

Dutch companies 

with the research 

institutes ensures 

an up-to-date 

position with 

regard to the latest 

development.” 

The Solar PV chain can rely on a range of 

suppliers from the Netherlands, offering 

high tech solutions. 

The Dutch research institutes as well as the 

Dutch semi-conductor industry has been an 

incubator for a number of Dutch companies 

that have developed into leading international 

suppliers for the Solar cell production. 

This includes mono and multi crystalline cells 

as well as thin film technology. The close 

collaboration with the research institutes 

ensures an up-to-date position with regard 

to the latest development activities carried 

out by Dutch companies like Tempress, 

Smit Ovens, Eurotron, which deliver their 

production machinery to major PV cell 

manufacturers all over the world. 

Parallel to this, companies such as Levitech, 

VDL/ETG, CCM, Lamers HTS and Rimas provide 

equipment for Solar PV product assembly. 

One of the most important features in a Solar 

PV system is the inverter. The increasing 

variety of applications of Solar PV modules 

as well as the type of cells applied, requires 

constant development of the inverter 

technology and its application possibilities. 

The sense of urgency to take the lead in this 

development process is a major characteristic 

of Dutch inverter manufacturers and 

developers like Femtogrid, Nedap, Mastervolt, 

Heliox, Victron Energy and PR-electronics. 

In addition, future combinations concerning 

storage systems will have an increasing role 

to play. Dutch companies have already been 

looking into these topics very actively for 

more than a decade. 

For most Solar PV applications specific 

mounting systems are required. 

Systems can vary from limited number of 

panels for flat or angled surfaces at buildings 

to complete solar farms in the open field or 

specific applications such as on the water. 

Dutch companies like Walraven, Van der Valk, 

Flamco and Solarstell have developed a variety 

of systems, combining a modular approach, 

simplicity, assembly speed and a long-term 

use guarantee. 

www.tempress.nl 

www.smitovens.nl 

www.eurotron.nl 

www.levitech.nl 

www.vdletg.com/?language=3 

www.ccm.nl/en 

www.lamershts.nl/wp/en 

www.rimastechnologygroup.com 

www.femtogrid.com 

www.nedap.com 

www.mastervolt.com 

www.heliox.nl 

www.victronenergy.com 

www.prelectronics.com 

www.walraven.com 

www.en.valksolarsystems.nl 

www.flamcogroup.com/uk-en 

www.solarstell.nl (only available in Dutch)


Solar PV, improves the sustainable 

quality of the house 

“For existing 

houses the 

development 

goes far beyond 

the simple 

installation 

of solar PV panels 

on the roof.” 

Solar PV has been widely accepted and 

applied in houses in the Netherlands as 

being, thereby contributing to a higher 

sustainable quality , which is strongly 

promoted by the Dutch Government by 

means of an energy labelling system. 

In newly built houses there is a strong 

trend towards integrated Solar PV solutions. 

A wide range of technical solutions can 

be observed, from partial or complete 

replacement of the roof to a Solar PV 

equipped facade. 

The Aestetic Energy Roof (AER) is an example 

of an integrated and aesthetically appealing 

PV system. This roof is momentarily in its 

demonstration phase at the Solar Energy 

Application Centre, but it is ultimately 

intended to be applied in the Bright house 

concept developed in close cooperation with 

building and construction company Heijmans 

This concept also includes an intelligent 

energy management system to save energy 

and water. 

For existing houses the development goes 

far beyond the simple installation of Solar PV 

panels on the roof. The Prêt à Loger concept 

for instance, stems from the motto: preserve 

the good and improve what can be improved. 

The house is literally covered with an extra 

layer which is put over the roof like a blanket. 

This improves both the spatial and the climate 

performance of the house, without interfering 

with its homely quality. 

www.heijmans.nl/nl/heijmans-bright-house 

(only available in Dutch) 

www.pretaloger.nl 



Integration in non-residential buildings 

“The roof of 

Rotterdam Central 

Station harbors 

3000 solar panels 

without losing its 

function of natural 

daylight supply.” 

City centres often harbour many nonresidential 

buildings which can very well 

be used for Solar PV applications. In this 

respect, challenges lie in the interaction 

between architects,constructors, suppliers 

and project developers to come up with 

unique solutions. 

A recent example of a successful integration 

of Solar PV in the shell of a non-residential 

the building is the new Rotterdam Central 

Station. The old building of 1957 has been 

completely redesigned into a contemporary, 

multifunctional trainstation by Team CS, 

a consortium of Dutch architects. The building 

provides access to the public train and metro 

transportsystem and offers a mixture of office 

spaces and parking facilities. 

A very light hall has been created, by an 

optimal use of natural daylight. The 250 m 

long roof harbors 3000 Optisol glas-glas solar 

panels (9000 m2) manufactured by 

Scheuten Glas. They provide 8% of the energy 

for the building. 

The creativity and experience of Dutch 

architects has already found its way abroad. 

For its R&D centre in Shanghai Malu (China) 

Philips has had a zero carbon emission 

building designed by BEAR ID, Sustainable 

Urban Planners. Energy conservation, 

avoidance of overheating as well as the use 

of daylight and solar energy contribute to the 

zero carbon emission of the building. 

www.rotterdam.nl/english_information 

www.scheuten.com 

www.bear-id.com


Infrastructural solutions 

“The Solaroad 

project transfers 

the solar energy 

on the asphalt into 

electricity.” 

Even the densely populated Netherlands 

contains a route network of almost 

140,000 km covering a total area of 450 

km2. This huge surface is flooded 

with Solar power which can be put to use 

in order to save energy. There are already 

examples of initiatives in which the 

warmth of the asphalt is recovered and 

used to heat buildings. 

The Solaroad project transfers the Solar 

energy on the asphalt into electricity, 

which can be used on and around the road in 

traffic lights and road lighting. But it can also 

be transferred to households and to charging 

stations for electric cars. Solaroad is a joint 

initiative project of the province of 

North Holland, road construction company 

Ooms Civiel, technical services provider 

Imtech and research institute TNO. 

A first test strip - a cycle path with a length of 

100 m - has been installed near the town of 

Krommenie (North of Amsterdam). This rather 

short testing track will be monitored and 

analyzed in order to improve the Solar road 

collector system. 

Especially in a densely populated area, traffic 

roads are often a source of noise. In order 

to increase the livability noise barriers can 

posted. These barriers can also be a used 

as sustainable energy source by integrating 

functions. The Solar Noise Barrier (SONOB 1 ) 

project aims to develop a breakthrough 

innovation for such a modular solar sound 

screen, the basis of which lies in Luminescent 

Solar Concentrator (LSC) technology. 

The SONOB consortium, which consists of 

4 companies, 3 knowledge institutes and 

2 government bodies are developing this 

breakthrough concept since September 2014 

and they are planning a field test in 2015 for 

a minimum period of 1 year. 

www.solaroad.nl/en 

www.seac.cc/projects/solar-noisebarriers-sonob 


Getting in touch 

Would you like more information on the Dutch Solar PV sector? 

For any issues regarding implementation of the Dutch policy please check out the website of the Netherlands 

Enterprise Agency (RVO.nl) english.rvo.nl. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency is part of the Ministry of Economic 

Affairs focuses on providing services to entrepreneurs in sustainable, agrarian, innovative and international business. 

For any research related issues please check out the website of the Topsector Energy: topsectorenergie.nl/english or 

that of the TKI Solar Energy tkisolarenergy.nl/en. 

For any information on other Dutch sectors? Please check out www.hollandtrade.com. 

Hollandtrade.com is a website commissioned by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Government of the Netherlands. 

It is a showcase of Dutch smart solutions to global challenges related to water, food, energy, mobility, health and a 

liveable habitat. Through this website it is also possible to ask specific questions using the Trade Enquiry form. 

english.rvo.nl 



www.hollandtrade.com

SOLUTIONS FOR SOLAR CHALLENGES

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