Toespraak van minister Kamp bij de Solar Energy Conference

Toespraak | 23-09-2014

Ladies and gentlemen,

Around 4.6 billion years ago, a solar system was formed around a bright yellow star. Eight planets orbit that star and on one of them, earth, life sprang forth in amazing diversity.

Much of this is due to the miracle of photosynthesis, the process by which organisms such as plants turn light into energy, oxygen and the organic building blocks of life. Natural gas and crude oil, upon which modern society depends, are simply solar energy in another form.

Now, photosynthesis is not particularly efficient. Plants turn only 0.2% of light into energy and crops around 2%. But all plants and crops combined, the planet’s total yield is an estimated 130 terawatt. This is roughly six times the power consumption of human civilisation, meaning Mother Nature has created an amazing technology.

Decarbonising our energy system

Humans have created their own version of photosynthesis - photovoltaic energy - and it is impressive, too. Last year, the Frauenhofer Institute recorded an efficiency of 44.7%, a world record.

Remarkable as that is, solar energy is in many ways still a marginal technology on a global scale: it accounts for less than 1% of global energy production. Last month, the Netherlands reached a milestone of 1 GW of solar power, one quarter of our goal.

But we’re not here because of what solar energy is, but because of what it can become. The International Energy Agency has estimated that solar energy will account for 10-16% of global energy production by 2050. If we achieve this, solar energy will help us to do two important things: largely decarbonise the energy system by 2050 and increase our energy security.

Europe is committed to this goal. Next month, European countries will decide on the path that will lead to an 80-95% emission reduction in 2050. For it’s part, the Netherlands has committed to achieving a fully sustainable energy system by that time. And the UN climate convention in Paris next year is another crucial step to agreeing on the speed of decarbonisation.

It may seem like we have a lot of time, but we don't. The situation is urgent, as you are well aware. Global population growth, growing energy consumption and climate change are challenges we need to tackle now. Which is why I am glad that this conference is taking place. Scientists and businesses have the noble task of creating solar technologies that can be widely and quickly adopted.

About the conference

This conference is a place where experts such as yourselves can share their work with the world, and find partners with whom they can work on innovations. This collaboration is key, because solar energy is a complicated technology with a complex value chain. This spans R&D, high-tech materials, photovoltaic cells, and systems integration and installation, to name a few aspects.

But the success of solar energy does not only depend on technological innovation. It also requires social and economic adaptation, as the technical programme chairman Dr. Jäger Waldou has rightly said. I understand that at the request of the scientific community, the scope of this year’s conference has been broadened to include grid integration, systems-level reliability and public policy. I welcome this broadened scope.

Dutch solar sector

The breadth and depth of the conference echo the breadth and depth of the Dutch solar industry. Last year, the industry generated a turnover of around 1 billion euro and Dutch technology powers half of the world’s solar panels. This is because we are very good at three things: co-operation, high-tech solutions and design.

Co-operation Co-operation, for example between manufacturers and researchers, is a key characteristic of the Dutch solar industry. Solliance, for example, is a partnership between ECN, TNO, the Technical University of Eindhoven, IMEC, Holst Centre and the Forschungszentrum Jülich. It brings together 250 researchers on a joint quest to create better thin film PV. And the Silicon Competence Centre is a similar alliance that focuses on crystalline-silicon, the industry’s dominant solar technology.

Co-operation between business and research is complemented by close involvement from the government. This creates a golden triangle of innovation that improves people’s lives and leads to commercial success. The Dutch government has built several public-private partnerships focused on the strategic energy industry and solar energy is one of our priorities. Such partnerships create a shared roadmap, enable joint R&D and get companies to work together on great products.

High-tech solutions

In addition to collaboration, the Dutch are also good at building high-tech solutions. Dutch Space has built the energy system of the Rosetta spacecraft, which has travelled 800 million kilometres at temperatures of -2700C. Innovative Solutions in Space builds milk carton sized satellites that test solar panels in space. And back on the earth, the Nuna solar-powered vehicle has won 5 out of 7 World Solar Challenges, a 3,000 kilometre race across Australia.

The Dutch are also pushing solar energy into the built environment. We are demonstrating the integration of solar systems into zero-emissions urban areas. We’ve built the world’s first live demonstration of smart grids and integral energy services in a residential area. And we’re building better power management systems that offer more homogenous performance.

Design

In addition to collaboration and high-tech systems, the Dutch are also good at design. Around the world, Dutch Design has been applauded for its mix of innovation, creativity and business acumen. Now, Dutch design is inspiring the solar industry, leading to unexpected results.

For example, several Dutch architects are integrating solar power right into their buildings. The Energy Flower, for example, is a zero-emission building in China whose solar-panel roof is shaped liked a flower petal. We’re also building a street that can generates solar energy, as well as solar-powered urban lighting and even clothing. The power of such design lies not in its aesthetic appeal, but in its ability to combine form and function into social and economic value.

Ladies and gentlemen,

These examples show the great potential of solar energy to create social and economic value. And it shows how quickly the technology is developing. This makes me confident that solar technology will bring us a lot of good. The challenges we face – social, economic and technological – are major, but I believe that with your help we can conquer them. And when we do, we will achieve a sustainable energy system that will allow the world to work, play, create and grow with as much energy as we need. I wish you the same for this conference.

Thank you.