PV in the Netherlands, learning while growing

The main goal of the Netherlands Photovoltaic Programme is to create conditions to let photovoltaic solar energy play an important role in the Dutch energy supply of the 21st century. Four of the most important conditions are: to create social support; to achieve progress in solar cell and PV-system R&D; to create a market for stand-alone PV-systems; and to gain experience with grid-connected systems in the built environment. For the grid-connected systems a plan has been adopted to reach 250 MWp of installed solar capacity in 2010. The main purpose of this so-called PV pilot plan is not just a scaling up of the production volume but to reach specific learning goals. In this way the scaling-up is an important and justified by-product.