In the Caribbean Netherlands, private individuals will not be encouraged to purchase solar panels. According to Minister for Climate and Energy Rob Jetten to the House of Representatives today, the Central Government prefers the central generation of sustainable energy on the islands.

“Decentralized sustainability (such as solar panels on the roofs of houses) is more expensive to build than central sustainability and potentially jeopardizes grid stability, according to the utility companies.  It mainly favors households that can invest in decentralized electricity production.

Under the current legislation, decentralized generation is possible for own use, but it is not actively promoted. The island governments and utility companies agree with a continuation of the current rules. Therefore, the government has decided not to conduct any further research in this area,” says Jetten.

In the European Netherlands, the purchase of solar panels by private individuals is encouraged by exempting them from the usual 21% VAT.