Make your company more sustainable with solar energy
Do you want to make your business premises more sustainable with solar panels or a solar boiler? There are different subsidies and tax benefits available. With solar energy you can reduce your costs for electricity and hot water. You also improve the energy label of your property.
Solar panels or solar boilers
Do you want to use solar energy? You can choose to install solar panels, solar boilers, or a combination of the 2. It depends on your situation what suits you best.
Solar panels for electricity (solar PV) convert solar energy into electricity. You can install the panels on the roof of your building (in Dutch), or you can invest in a solar farm. You can invest by yourself, or together with other companies or people, for instance in local energy initiatives (in Dutch).
Solar boilers (in Dutch) convert sunlight into hot water. This works with solar collectors that you can put on the roof of your company building, for instance. The hot water is stored in a storage vessel, from which you can use it as tap water. Some solar boilers can also be used to heat spaces or used in industrial processes.
A solar heating system, also known as a solar combi-boiler, is often a solar boiler fitted with a larger storage tank. This provides sufficient heat, particularly in the spring and autumn, when we use less heating than in the winter months.
PVT systems are a combination of solar panels and solar boilers. They supply electricity, heating, and cooling. A PVT panel is a hybrid panel that combines a solar panel (PV) with a heat exchanger (T). The heat they offer is mainly suitable as a source for heat pumps. A PVT system is one of the new applications of solar energy (in Dutch).
Subsidies for solar panels and solar boilers
If you want to buy or use solar panels or solar boilers, you can make use of a number of subsidies. You can also benefit from tax advantages. View the schemes:
You can apply for the Sustainable energy investment subsidy scheme (ISDE) if you invest in a solar boiler to make your premises more sustainable. You will be refunded for part of the purchase costs. You apply for the subsidy before purchasing the solar boiler.
Some of the key conditions are:
- You apply for the subsidy before you buy the solar panel or solar boiler
- You have the solar boiler installed in a building constructed before 1 January 2019. Or you can prove that the building permit for the structure was applied for before 1 July 2018.
Find out more about the ISDE scheme (in Dutch) on the Netherlands Enterprise Agency’s (RVO) website.
Do you want to invest in solar energy on a larger scale? You can apply for the Sustainable energy transition subsidy scheme (SDE++). A feasibility study is required.
You can apply in different categories:
- Solar PV: solar panels on roofs, on water, or in solar parks
- Solar thermal: heat from ‘covered’ solar collectors
- Solar PVT panels with a heat pump
You can find the general conditions and a step-by-step plan to apply for the SDE++ on rvo.nl
Do you want to invest in solar panels together with other companies or people? You can apply for the Subsidy scheme for Cooperative Energy Generation (SCE). This applies to systems with a peak capacity of between 15 kWp and 6 MWp. You will receive a subsidy for the electricity you generate with your system: a fixed amount per kWh.
This scheme is meant for energy cooperatives or owners’ associations (VVEs) that want to buy solar panels to install in a solar farm or on a roof. The members of the cooperative should be established in the same postal code area, or bordering areas.
You can find the general conditions for the SCE (in Dutch) on rvo.nl.
The Energy Investment Allowance (EIA) offers a tax advantage if you buy solar panels or solar heat collectors for your company. You can offset 40% of the investment costs against your taxable profit. This reduces the profit on which you must pay tax. The solar panels and collectors must fit the description included in the Energy list (in Dutch).
Check the conditions for the EIA.
If you invest in business assets, you may be eligible for the Small projects investment credit (KIA). These business assets can include solar panels or solar boilers. The KIA is a deduction from your profits. Solar panels or solar boilers can be such business assets. The investment costs cannot be higher than the amounts set by the Netherlands Tax Administration (in Dutch).
With the BMKB-Green scheme, you can get a loan guaranteed by the government. This allows you to borrow more money more easily. You can use the loan to make your business premises more sustainable with solar panels or solar collectors. The assets must be on the Energy List of the EIA (in Dutch).
You can save on your taxes through the MIA and Vamil schemes if you invest in environmentally friendly business assets or technologies. The MIA, allows you to deduct up to 45% of your investment costs from your profits. With Vamil, you can write off up to 75% of your investment costs at a time of your choosing. Your tax benefit with the MIA/Vamil can amount to more than 14% of the investment amount.
Calculate your tax benefit and apply for MIA and Vamil at rvo.nl.
Several municipalities or provinces also offer subsidies for solar panels or solar boilers. Or they offer advice, for instance on the suitability of your roof. You can check with your province or municipality which schemes they offer.
Use, return, or store solar electricity?
You can use the energy you generate from your solar panels yourself. But you can also supply the energy back to the grid, store it, or a combination of these.
You can supply the electricity you generate back to your energy supplier. You need to report this to your grid operator through the website energieleveren.nl (in Dutch). The grid must have enough capacity to absorb the electricity. Your electricity meter must also be suitable. Ask you grid administrator about this. You can find your grid operator in the EAN codebook (in Dutch).
Netting
Do you have a small consumer connection of maximum 3 x 80A (ampere)? Your grid administrator will offset the electricity you return to the grid against the electricity you use. This is called netting, or salderen in Dutch. If you return more electricity than you use, you will be reimbursed by your supplier. Some energy suppliers also charge a feed-in fee. You then pay an amount each month to feed solar power back into the grid. Even if you have to pay feed-in costs, solar panels will still save you money on your energy bill. Please note that the netting scheme for solar panels will end in 2027.
Read more on the KVK website about selling power back to the grid.
Does your business suffer from grid congestion? And you cannot supply generated energy to the network? See this overview with 7 possible solutions. Such as storing your surplus energy in a battery. The Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) also has a guide available (in Dutch) that tells you exactly what you can do. And you can read who is given priority in the event of a power shortage (in Dutch).
Solar panels and VAT
If you buy solar panels and have them installed on your business premises, you will have to pay VAT on these costs. You must also pay VAT on the electricity you supply to your energy company. You can reclaim the VAT for the purchase and installation.
If you are an entrepreneur and have solar panels installed on your own home, you do not have to pay VAT on these costs. You do have to pay VAT on the electricity you supply to your energy company.
Things to consider if you buy solar panels or solar boilers
Do you want to purchase solar panels or solar boilers for your company? You should keep these concerns in mind:
Use a certified installer to ensure your solar energy system is installed correctly and safely. This will help prevent issues such as fire or loose panels. You can find certified installers at Centraal Register Techniek and De echte installateur (both links in Dutch).
Do you want to install solar panels on a roof? Make sure the roof is suitable (in Dutch) or can be made suitable. There are also options for weaker roofs (in Dutch) such as plastic panels and solar film or special roof anchors for securing solar panels.
In some cases, you need an environmental and planning permit (omgevingsvergunning). For instance, if you want to install solar panels in a field or on a building that is yet to be built. You can find out if this is the case through the permit check on Environment and Planning Portal, (Omgevingsloket, in Dutch). You should also ask your municipality if you need any other permits.
Do you plan to install solar panels or solar (heat) collectors on your company building? Check in advance with your insurer about the possible consequences.
Have your solar energy systems checked regularly. This will ensure your system remains safe.