February 26, 2026|General

Energy transition in the Netherlands and Belgium: opportunities through intelligent self-consumption solutions

The energy transition across Europe continues to be shaped by political decisions, fiscal frameworks, and the technical realities of national energy systems. While implementation differs between countries, the overall direction remains clear: electrification, decarbonization, and smarter use of renewable energy. In the Benelux region, particularly in the Netherlands and Belgium, recent regulatory and market developments are accelerating the shift toward self-consumption of solar energy.

Policy changes are reshaping the solar market in Benelux

In the Netherlands, new regulatory conditions are significantly changing the economics of residential photovoltaics. Since 2024, several energy suppliers have introduced so-called feed-in charges (“terugleverkosten”) for households that export surplus solar electricity to the grid. These annual costs typically range between €100 and €697 depending on system size and are permitted by the Dutch consumer authority ACM.

At the same time, the phase-out of the net-metering scheme (salderingsregeling) began in 2025, with the compensation rate dropping from 100% to 64% initially and declining further in subsequent years.
Together, rising feed-in charges and reduced compensation are already lowering the financial return of rooftop PV systems by an estimated €300–500 per year for households. As a result, more homeowners are looking for practical ways to use solar electricity directly within their homes instead of feeding it into the grid.

Self-consumption becomes economically relevant

A residential project in Lekkerkerk illustrates how regulatory changes are influencing homeowner decisions. The detached house is equipped with a 15.3 kWp PV system that produces significantly more electricity than the two residents consume. Since the introduction of feed-in charges, exporting large amounts of solar energy to the grid has become less attractive financially.

To increase self-consumption, the homeowner installed an AC ELWA 2 in combination with a 200-liter buffer tank to convert surplus photovoltaic energy into domestic hot water. Thanks to linear power control and direct communication with the smart meter, the system automatically adjusts to available PV surplus.

The results are measurable: annual grid feed-in was reduced from 7,525 kWh to 3,213 kWh. Feed-in costs dropped from €787 to €330 per year — a saving of roughly €450 annually. Additional savings come from replacing gas or grid electricity previously used for water heating.

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Maximizing self-consumption with PV heat

For new buildings, integrated energy concepts can often be implemented from the start. In existing buildings, modernization typically happens step by step, which makes flexible and scalable solutions particularly important.

Using photovoltaic electricity for heat generation is one of the most efficient ways to increase self-consumption. A hot water storage tank can absorb more PV energy than a conventional battery storage system, and with a linearly controlled heating element, surplus solar power can be converted into heat with minimal losses.

Combining solar-electric heating with battery storage can further increase self-consumption. This reduces strain on the power grids and decreases reliance on external energy providers. Thanks to the open system architecture of my-PV, existing battery storage systems can be easily integrated into photovoltaic heating solutions.

Avoiding grid fees with off-grid PV heat solutions

In certain applications, grid fees can be avoided entirely by using photovoltaic energy exclusively for heat generation without feeding electricity into the grid. Off-grid PV heating solutions enable households to use all generated energy directly on-site.

The DC Power Manager SOL•THOR converts DC power from photovoltaic modules directly into heat without inverter losses. Heating elements in storage tanks can be controlled continuously according to solar production, allowing efficient use of available PV energy.

Because these systems do not feed electricity into the grid, they require no permits or complex administrative procedures and do not incur feed-in charges.

Overview