Rotterdam to switch to green energy in 2020

The municipality of Rotterdam is waking up to the need of the hour and taking control of its energy consumption – starting from January 1, 2020, all the municipal electricity consumed will be generated only through sustainable sources.

This means the electricity the municipal pays for like public buildings, lighting in public spaces and sewage pumping stations will all come from solar or wind energy!

This is after Aldermen Arno Bonte of the GroenLinks and Alderman Arjan Van Gils of the D66 signed an agreement with Eneco and Greenchoice. It was ratified for 10 whole years so that sustainable energy will be supplied to the second-largest city in the Netherlands.

wind energy netherlands
Wind energy and solar energy will soon power Rotterdam! Image: Pexels/Pixabay

Goodbye fossil fuels, hello green energy?

Alderman Bonte says that this new energy contract will surely push Rotterdam forward and help it transition into a “leader in clean energy”. He said, “we not only switch to 100% green energy but also provide additional wind turbines and solar parks in Rotterdam. That brings us a step closer to achieving our independence from fossil fuels.”

He asserts that “sustainable procurement is of paramount importance to us” and believes this agreement is an important step forward. Hans Peters, Eneco’s Chief Commerical Officer is “particularly proud” of this collaboration and is happy to get down to business to push the local energy transition forward. About time, eh?

Half of the volume of energy will be generated locally

Alderman Van Gils also says that a large part of the energy will be generated right here in Rotterdam. Additionally, any new energy installations will be supplied by Eneco and Greenchoice.

Also, have you heard about all these amazing new buildings that will be gracing Rotterdam’s skyline? If what they say is true, they will only be supplied with green energy!

“Green energy for and by Rotterdammers”

The Aldermen also wants to get local residents and businesses involved. In Greenchoice’s vision, they believe this agreement will be successful only with their involvement. “The starting point is that every Rotterdammer must be able to participate in the energy transition: green energy for and by Rotterdammers,” Marieke van den Hoek, Commercial Director of the company states.

Do you think this announcement is too late, or is it better late than never? Let us know in the comments below!

Feature Image: Pexels/Pixabay

Kavana Desai
Kavana Desaihttps://medium.com/@kavanadesai
Coping with the aftermath of her 3-year stint in the Netherlands, Kavana is a writer, content creator and editor for DutchReview. Hailing from India, she frequently blogs about the Netherlands, being Indian in the Netherlands, and everything in between. She envisions herself to one day be the youngest person to win that Nobel Prize for Literature (she is also not very humble but welcomes only constructive criticism). In the meantime, she fills her days with writing for DutchReview, writing her master's thesis on art theft, and writing fiction that will hopefully see the light of day soon.

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