Buyer Group for sustainable solar panels

The transition to sustainable energy systems and a circular economy are two highly important challenges in the following decennia. Photovoltaic (PV) installations plays a crucial role in this transition.

Background

The amount of PV installations has grown exponentially in the world. Naturally, the Netherlands included as well. Thanks to subsidy schemes and governmental ambitions, the Netherlands now ranks in the global top 5 for installed PV capacity per capita. In the last 4 years, each year on average 3.5 GWp were installed in the Netherlands.

This annual installation rate is expected to accelerate thanks to the ambition to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in 2030 by 55% versus emissions in 1990.

A substantial part of all PV installations in the Netherlands are commissioned by public organisations as they own many public real-estate and large parts of the public domain.

The drawbacks of PV modules

Many perceive PV modules as a commodity, with Price and Efficiency as the main differentiators. As PV modules generate power without emissions they are perceived as being inherently 'green' and good. However, there are big differences in aspects that are important for society, including:

carbon footprint
technical product lifespan
type and quantity of toxic materials
labour conditions
recyclability and repairability

Many individuals in the PV industry, including buyers, are unaware of the differences between PV modules.

Goal

To purchase PV modules that are 'greener', more sustainable, and better for society.

In order to accomplish this goal we should execute the following steps:

Gather information from science and industry on earlier mentioned topics.
Summarize and distribute the acquired information on these topics to our members.
Inventorize and compare PV modules.
Suggest / advise different manners of weighing sustainability aspects versus price and performance.
Help to write tenders that include sustainability aspects.

Who we are

The Dutch Public Buyer Group for Sustainable PV is one of 20 Buyer Groups that were established by the Ministry of Infrastructure in order to promote and stimulate circular, durable and/or innovative purchases by governmental organisations. This initiative is supported by PIANOo (Public Purchasing Knowledge Center) and led by RVO (Dutch Enterprise Agency).

The DPBG-SPV was founded in 2021 and is managed by a small team consisting of PV personnel and experts with a governmental background.

Members

The DPBG-SPV consists of a group of large (semi-) governmental organisations, active in:

water utility (Water Board Noorderzijlvest)
public Real Estate (Rijksvastgoedbedrijf)
railway Infrastructure (ProRail)
energy generation and distribution (several utilities)
Dutch cities (including Amsterdam, Rotterdam and Groningen)

Each of these organisations have a substantial portfolio and pipeline of PV projects. The number of participating organisations will be continuously expanded.

Contact

Bart Jeroen Bierens - @email