Electricity Grid Review 2025: Netherlands
January 1 - December 31, 2024 vs 2025
Data coverage: 366 days (2024), 365 days (2025)
1. Electricity Price (Day-Ahead, EUR/MWh)
Correlation coefficient: -0.78 (2024), -0.83 (2025). Strong negative correlation - higher renewable generation = lower prices, reflecting the merit order effect.
1.1 Daily Price Extremes
Based on daily average prices
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Daily Avg | โฌ381.9 (Dec 12, 2024) | โฌ236.1 (Jan 20, 2025) |
| Lowest Daily Avg | โฌ-34.8 (May 12, 2024) | โฌ-44.8 (May 11, 2025) |
| Negative Price Days | 6 | 2 |
| Negative Price Hours | 458 | 584 |
1.2 Hourly Price Extremes
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Highest Price | โฌ873.0 (Dec 12, 2024 16:00) | โฌ523.5 (Jan 20, 2025 16:00) |
| Lowest Price | โฌ-200.0 (May 1, 2024 11:00) | โฌ-350.0 (May 11, 2025 11:00) |
1.3 Days by Price Range
Based on daily average prices
| Range (โฌ/MWh) | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| โฌ0-50 | 72 | 58 | -14 |
| โฌ51-100 | 228 | 217 | -11 |
| โฌ101-150 | 58 | 78 | +20 |
| โฌ151-200 | 6 | 10 | +4 |
| โฌ201+ | 2 | 2 | 0 |
1.4 Hours by Price Range
Based on hourly prices
| Range (โฌ/MWh) | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Negative | 458 | 584 | +126 |
| โฌ0-50 | 1,336 | 865 | -471 |
| โฌ51-100 | 4,656 | 4,069 | -587 |
| โฌ101-150 | 1,963 | 2,645 | +682 |
| โฌ151-200 | 189 | 404 | +215 |
| โฌ201+ | 98 | 127 | +29 |
1.5 Average Price by Hour of Day
1.6 Price Distribution (Hourly)
584 hours with negative prices across 116 days. Most negative: โฌ-350.0/MWh.
Average daily price swing: โฌ124/MWh. Maximum single-day swing was โฌ477/MWh on 2025-07-01 (low: โฌ40, high: โฌ518).
Notable monthly evolutions
Change: +96% vs 2024
1.7 Multi-Level Price Heatmap
Price Heatmap
โฌ/MWh
hourly range: -350-524
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
2. Load
2.1 Monthly Load
2.2 Average Load by Hour of Day
Peak demand at 12:00 (18.6 GW). Minimum at 02:00 (9.8 GW).
2.3 Weekday vs Weekend
2.4 Net Load Pattern (Duck Curve)
Evening ramp of 3.8 GW from belly (11:00) to evening peak (18:00). This requires flexible dispatchable generation or storage to meet rapidly increasing demand as solar output decreases.
2.5 Seasonal Net Load Patterns
The duck curve shape varies significantly by season due to changes in solar intensity and heating/cooling demand patterns.
Winter (Dec-Feb)
Belly: 7.2 GW @ 02:00 | Peak: 11.0 GW @ 17:00 | Ramp: 3.8 GW
Spring (Mar-May)
Belly: 3.4 GW @ 12:00 | Peak: 8.8 GW @ 18:00 | Ramp: 5.4 GW
Summer (Jun-Aug)
Belly: 2.9 GW @ 11:00 | Peak: 8.9 GW @ 19:00 | Ramp: 6.0 GW
Fall (Sep-Nov)
Belly: 5.4 GW @ 01:00 | Peak: 9.0 GW @ 17:00 | Ramp: 3.6 GW
Summer shows the most pronounced duck curve with an evening ramp of 6.0 GW, 2.2 GW larger than winter (3.8 GW). This reflects higher solar penetration in summer months creating steeper ramping requirements.
2.6 Peak & Minimum Demand Records (2025)
| Rank | Highest Load | Date | Lowest Load | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 26.9 GW | 2025-06-12 12:00 | 0.0 GW | 2025-12-04 16:00 |
| 2 | 26.7 GW | 2025-06-12 11:00 | 0.1 GW | 2025-12-05 17:00 |
| 3 | 26.0 GW | 2025-06-23 13:00 | 0.1 GW | 2025-12-04 07:00 |
3. Production-Based vs Flow-Traced Carbon Intensity (gCOโeq/kWh)
Production-based carbon intensity is 11.8g higher than flow-traced carbon intensity in 2024 (11.6g in 2025). This means Netherlands's imports are cleaner than domestic production, lowering the carbon footprint of consumed electricity.
3.1 Monthly Production Mix
3.2 Production Mix (Domestic Generation)
3.3 Flow-Traced Power Mix
3.4 Import/Export Impact on Mix
Netherlands produces no hydro power locally, but ~2% of consumed electricity comes from hydro imports.
3.5 Power Mix Comparison
Production vs Flow-Traced consumption by source
| Source | Prod 2024 | Flow-traced 2024 | Prod 2025 | Flow-traced 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gas | 38.1% | 34.8% | 36.1% (-2.0pp) | 33.8% (-1.0pp) |
| Wind | 27.6% | 28.0% | 25.4% (-2.2pp) | 26.3% (-1.7pp) |
| Solar | 20.6% | 18.8% | 24.0% (+3.4pp) | 22.9% (+4.1pp) |
| Coal | 6.0% | 6.3% | 7.1% (+1.1pp) | 6.9% (+0.6pp) |
| Biomass | 4.8% | 5.0% | 4.6% (-0.2pp) | 4.6% (-0.4pp) |
| Nuclear | 2.8% | 3.9% | 2.9% (+0.1pp) | 3.3% (-0.6pp) |
| Hydro | 0.0% | 3.1% | 0.0% (+0.0pp) | 2.0% (-1.1pp) |
| Hydro Storage | 0.0% | 0.1% | 0.0% (+0.0pp) | 0.1% (+0.0pp) |
3.6 Key Trend
Netherlands's electricity consumption is led by ~33.8% gas. Solar saw the biggest growth from 18.8% to 22.9%.
4. Cross-Border Electricity Flows
Netherlands exported a net 13.65 TWh in 2025.
4.1 2025 Gross Exports (Netherlands โ Neighbor)
Total electricity exported to each country โ with average carbon intensity
4.2 2025 Gross Imports (Neighbor โ Netherlands)
Total electricity imported from each country โ with average carbon intensity
4.3 Net Position by Neighbor (2025)
| Neighbor | Net (TWh) | Direction |
|---|---|---|
| BE | +9.33 | Net Exporter |
| DE | +5.81 | Net Exporter |
| GB | +0.38 | Net Exporter |
| DK | +0.06 | Net Exporter |
| NO | -4.15 | Net Importer |
Positive = Netherlands is net exporter to that neighbor. Negative = Netherlands is net importer from that neighbor.
4.4 Flow Pattern by Hour of Day
Peak exports at 11:00 (3.0 GW avg).
5. Carbon Intensity (gCOโeq/kWh)
5.1 Daily Records
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest Carbon Intensity | 88.6 g (Jul 04, 2024) | 69.7 g (Sep 15, 2025) |
| Lowest Fossil % | 12.7% (Jul 04, 2024) | 9.2% (Sep 15, 2025) |
| Highest Carbon Intensity | 500.4 g (Dec 12, 2024) | 507.0 g (Jan 19, 2025) |
| Highest Fossil % | 83.1% (Dec 12, 2024) | 84.4% (Jan 19, 2025) |
5.2 Hourly Records
| Metric | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|
| Lowest Carbon Intensity | 62.8 g (Jul 4, 2024 12:00) | 57.1 g (Sep 16, 2025 09:00) |
| Highest Carbon Intensity | 526.6 g (Dec 12, 2024 06:00) | 534.2 g (Apr 22, 2025 01:00) |
5.3 Days Below Thresholds
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 100 gCOโeq/kWh | 1 | 6 | +5 |
| < 200 gCOโeq/kWh | 99 | 117 | +18 |
| < 300 gCOโeq/kWh | 253 | 242 | -11 |
5.4 Hours Below Thresholds
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| < 100 gCOโeq/kWh | 482 | 1,063 | +581 |
| < 200 gCOโeq/kWh | 3,013 | 3,152 | +139 |
| < 300 gCOโeq/kWh | 5,051 | 4,820 | -231 |
5.5 Average Carbon Intensity by Hour of Day
5.6 Seasonal Carbon Intensity Patterns
Carbon intensity daily patterns shift with seasonal changes in renewable generation and electricity demand.
Winter (Dec-Feb)
Peak: 371 g @ 17:00 | Trough: 267 g @ 12:00 | Spread: 103 g
Spring (Mar-May)
Peak: 378 g @ 20:00 | Trough: 117 g @ 12:00 | Spread: 261 g
Summer (Jun-Aug)
Peak: 367 g @ 20:00 | Trough: 92 g @ 11:00 | Spread: 276 g
Fall (Sep-Nov)
Peak: 340 g @ 18:00 | Trough: 174 g @ 11:00 | Spread: 167 g
Summer offers the lowest carbon intensity, with midday troughs reaching 92 gCOโ/kWhโ66% lower than winter. Scheduling flexible loads during seasonal low-carbon windows maximizes emission reductions.
5.7 Carbon Intensity Distribution (Hourly)
Notable monthly evolutions
Change: +22% vs Jan 2024
Change: +31% vs Feb 2024
Change: +32% vs Apr 2024
Change: -25% vs May 2024
1,819 hours with both low price (<โฌ69/MWh) and low carbon intensity (<150 gCOโeq/kWh).
5.8 Multi-Level Carbon Intensity Heatmap
Carbon Intensity Heatmap
gCOโeq/kWh
hourly range: 57-534
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
6. Renewable & Carbon-Free Energy (Flow-Traced)
Includes electricity exchanged with neighboring grids
6.1 Days Above Thresholds
Days with carbon-free share above threshold
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| โฅ50% carbon-free | 244 | 244 | 0 |
| โฅ60% carbon-free | 145 | 163 | +18 |
| โฅ70% carbon-free | 53 | 74 | +21 |
6.2 Hours Above Thresholds
Hours with carbon-free share above threshold
| Threshold | 2024 | 2025 | ฮ |
|---|---|---|---|
| โฅ50% carbon-free | 4,726 | 4,583 | -143 |
| โฅ60% carbon-free | 3,547 | 3,644 | +97 |
| โฅ70% carbon-free | 2,154 | 2,597 | +443 |
6.3 Multi-Level Renewable % Heatmap
Renewable % Heatmap
%
hourly range: 7-94
Yearly
Monthly
Daily
Hourly
