RES 1.0 Holland Rijnland: A First Step
Holland Rijnland’s Regional Energy Strategy (RES) 1.0 is complete. Voorschoten is part of it. The RES will now be submitted to all municipal councils for decision-making. The collaborating local governments in the Holland Rijnland RES region aim to reduce energy consumption by 11% by 2030 compared to 2014. They plan to achieve this primarily by making homes more sustainable and by adopting smarter and cleaner transportation. They also aim to make their energy supply more sustainable. They plan to achieve this by using renewable heat sources and by generating renewable electricity through rooftop solar panels, wind turbines, and solar farms. “We would like to involve residents and stakeholders in the decisions we need to make,” said Councilwoman Erika Spil.
Holland Rijnland’s RES 1.0 provides direction for the regional energy transition—that is, how we will transition from fossil fuels (such as natural gas, gasoline, and petroleum) to renewable energy sources (such as solar and wind). Key challenges in this regard include transitioning residential and office buildings (the built environment) to renewable heat sources and generating renewable electricity. Agreements have also been made in Holland Rijnland regarding energy conservation and promoting sustainable mobility, even though these are not mandatory components of the RES. In the region, 80% of energy consumption is attributable to the built environment and mobility. By making these sectors more sustainable quickly and intelligently, fewer solar farms and wind turbines will be needed.
Energy Savings
Energy that isn’t used doesn’t need to be generated. That is why the local governments within the Holland Rijnland RES region are committed to achieving significant energy savings. The regional goal is to reduce energy consumption by 15% in residential buildings and 11% in the mobility sector by 2030.
Electricity
The region aims to generate 1.05 TWh more renewable electricity by 2030 compared to 2014. At optimal output, that would require 35 wind turbines of 5.6 MW each and 750 hectares of solar fields. (To put that in perspective: 1 terawatt-hour is 1 billion kilowatt-hours; a refrigerator uses 100 kWh per year.) Installing solar panels on large rooftops alone can generate 0.25 TWh. In addition, solar fields and wind turbines are needed in the region to generate the remaining 0.8 TWh of electricity. Wind turbines have been proposed primarily along highways.
Mobility
The transport of goods and people generates a lot ofCO2 emissions in the region, and the region wants to reduce those emissions. This can be achieved if people work from home more, cycle more, and use public transportation. Another goal is to reduce the energy consumption of transportation by 11% by 2030 compared to 2014. A key way to achieve this is by transitioning to electric transportation, which requires less energy than fossil fuels. Solar farms are needed to generate the electricity required for this.
Heat
By 2050, the entire built environment in Holland Rijnland will be heated by sustainable heat sources. To this end, locally available heat sources, such as geothermal and aquathermal energy, will be used as much as possible. Six municipalities in the Leiden region, including Voorschoten, are committed to a residual heat pipeline from Rotterdam, which can supply parts of the region with residual heat—heat left over from businesses.
Together with residents
Decisions made in the RES 1.0 affect the immediate living environment of many residents in Holland Rijnland. Last fall and winter, residents were involved in the regional energy transition. More than 10,000 residents shared their ideas and thoughts through surveys, online meetings, webinars, and street interviews.
Once the municipal councils have adopted the RES, all parties will determine how to incorporate it into their own local (environmental) policies—including in Voorschoten—and identify the necessary actions. Alderwoman Erika Spil: “As the municipality of Voorschoten, we would like to involve residents and stakeholders in the decisions we need to make in the coming period.”
What is the RES?
The Holland Rijnland Regional Energy Strategy (RES) is a document in which the region’s local governments set goals and make decisions aimed at gradually achieving energy neutrality by 2050. The RES 1.0 was drafted by thirteen municipalities, two water boards, the West-Holland Environmental Agency, and the province of South Holland. Grid operator Liander and other local and regional stakeholders contributed to the RES. The draft RES was already adopted by the Voorschoten City Council in June 2020. RES 1.0 is now ready for approval by all city councils, including Voorschoten’s, which will take place before July 1.
From the Climate Agreement to RES
In 2019, the government presented the Climate Agreement. It set out commitments to reduceCO2 emissions by 49% by 2030 compared to 1990 levels, and by 95% by 2050. Thirty regions in the Netherlands are translating these national commitments into appropriate regional goals and measures. Each region is drawing up a Regional Energy Strategy (RES) for this purpose, including Holland Rijnland.
For more information about the RES Holland Rijnland, please visit the website: www.wijzijnon.nl.