Avoided use of fossil energy and emission of CO2

The use of renewable energy avoids the use of fossil energy and as a consequence avoids emission of CO2. Renewable energy is energy from wind, hydro power, the sun, the earth, heat from outdoor air and biomass. This is energy from natural processes that is replenished constantly.

Figures are presented in an absolute way, as well as related to the total emission of carbon dioxide in the Netherlands.

Avoiding the use of fossil energy and avoiding emission of carbon dioxide are important underlying aims for stimulation of the use of renewable energy.

The figures are broken down into energy source/technique and into application (electricity, heat and transport).

From reporting year 2021, new sustainability criteria for solid and gaseous biomass will apply in the context of the EU Renewable Energy Directive (2018). Only solid and gaseous biomass compliant according to these criteria are used to determine the avoided use of fossil energy and emission of CO2 in 2021. An exception applies to the biogas used for bio-methane production. The current methodology doesn’t discern sustainable from non-sustainable biogas used for bio-methane production. This differs from the methodology used for gross final energy consumption that is the basis of most statistics on renewable energy.

Data available from: 1990

Status of the figures: This table contains definite figures up to and including 2022, revised provisional figures for 2023.

Changes as of January 2025 Figures have been updated for 2022 and 2023. Figures for 2022 are now definite. The figures on “Shallow geothermal heat, heat pumps” and “Aerothermal heat, total” differ from the figures as published in the heat pumps table (StatLine-code 85523). The reference efficiencies used to determine the avoided use of fossil energy and the avoided emissions for 2023 were published in December 2024. When updating the heat pump table in November 2024 the references from 2022 were used, which explains the differences.

Changes as of August 16th 2024 Figures have been added for 2023.

Since 2022, final energy consumption of bio jet kerosene is reported in the Netherlands. This bio jet kerosene is used by the (international) aviation sector, which is not included in the primary energy consumption. However, because international air traffic is considered in the calculation of the gross final energy consumption, which forms the basis for calculating the avoided energy consumption, bio jet kerosene has been added to this table. The figures on bio jet kerosene for 2022 will be included in the next update of this reporting year.

Due to the addition of bio-kerosene to this table, the calculation of the denominators has also been adjusted. The consumption and emissions of international air traffic are included in the denominators for the figures starting from 2023, in order to calculate the relative figures in the table, as is the case for the denominator of gross final consumption.

When will new figures be published? Provisional figures: June of the following year. Revised provisional figures: December of the following year. Definite figures: December of the second following year.