Dutch grid crisis: solar owners asked to cut output at peak times

The Netherlands is grappling with one of Europe's most acute electricity distribution crises. Liander and Enexis — the country's two largest distribution system operators (DSOs) — have publicly asked consumers and renewable energy producers to adapt their behaviour. According to Liander, approximately 7,300 customers are waiting longer than expected to upgrade from a small-consumer connection to a more powerful one, directly blocking those wanting to install heat pumps or EV charging stations.

What are grid operators asking solar owners to do?

In 2025, Enexis invested a record €1.9 billion in new grid infrastructure, unlocking 542 MW of additional flexible capacity — equivalent, according to van der Leeuw, to the annual electricity consumption of a city the size of Eindhoven. The expansion included flexibility contracts, congestion management tools, and pilot projects for centrally controlling hybrid heat pumps, which reduced evening peak loads by 10–25%.

New rules from July 2026

The Dutch situation is a preview of challenges other densely solar-equipped European countries — including Germany, Spain, and Belgium — may soon face. For solar and heat pump owners across Europe, the takeaway is clear: smart self-consumption, overnight EV charging, and flexible feed-in are no longer optional extras but increasingly central to how distributed energy systems will function.