The total CO2 emissions from the greenhouse cultivation industry decreased by 0.2 Mton to 5.6Mton and is therefore 0.6Mton under the original goal for 2020. Compared to the new goal for 2020 (4.6 Mton), the CO2 emissions were higher in 2016. To realise this goal the emission have to be reduced by another 1.0 Mton. The CO2 emission was 1.2 Mton (18%) under the level of 1990 in 2016. For the Netherlands in total the CO2 emission was 9% higher than in 1990. The greenhouse cultivation industry is ahead of the national development in this. This shows from the Energiemonitor Glastuinbouw 2016 by Wageningen Economic Research.
In the period 2010-2016 the total CO2 emission dropped by 2.5 Mton. After temperature correction the decrease was 2.2 Mton. This decrease can be 77% explained by decrease in the area, less electricity sales, more sustainable energy, less purchasing of heat and more purchasing of electricity. The other 23% is explained by the sum of the factors of intensification, extensification and energy saving. In the period 2010-2015 the share of energy saving in the CO2 reduction was 30%. The share of energy saving has further increased in 2016.
Energy-efficiency
The index of the energy efficiency showed and improved in 2016 of 1 percent and ended at 41% compared to base year 1990. The greenhouse industry is using 59% less primary fuel per unit of product than in the base year. The improvement in 2016 was due to a decrease in the primary fuel use per m2 by 1% and an increase in physical production per m2 of 0.5%.
Sustainable energy
The share of sustainable energy grew in 2016 by 0.6 percent to 5.5%. The absolute use rose by 0.6 PJ to 5.4 PJ. The growth rate declined in 2016 compared to 2014 and 2015. This was partially due to technical problems in geothermal heat projects and also due to less new sustainable energy projects. In 2016 geothermal heat foresaw 50% of the adapted sustainable energy, followed at a distance by the purchasing of sustainable electricity (17%), the use of solar energy (14%), organic fuels (13%), purchasing of sustainable heat (5%) and the purchasing of sustainable gas (1%). The growth was in geothermal heat and purchasing sustainable electricity in 2016. The share of sustainable in the greenhouse industry is behind the share of the Netherlands as a whole, which was 6.05, although sustainable energy in the greenhouse industry is growing more quickly.
Electricity
In 2016 the greenhouse industry produced around 9 billion kWh of electricity with thermal power connection and covered around 8% of the national consumption. The total power of the thermal power park of the greenhouse industry was around 2,700-2,800 MWe at the end of 2016 and shows a decrease since 2012. The decrease is due to the shrinkage in area, lower electricity prices and the increase of sustainable energy. The average length of use of the CHP decreased by almost 20% in the period 2011-2016.
Due to the smaller power and shower length of use the sales of electricity have decreased by almost 40% to 4.9 billion kWh in the period 2010-2016. The purchasing of electricity moved between 2.2 and 2.5 billion kWh per year in the period 2010-2014. The years 2015 and 2016 showed an increase to 2.6 billion kWh. The electricity consumption is estimated to be over 7 billion kWh in 2016. This matched 6% of the national consumption.
Purchasing heat
The amount of purchased heat increased again slightly in 2015 and 2016 after many years of reduction, due to the extension of the area that uses purchased heat and a relatively cold winter. Purchasing heat had a share in the total energy use of the greenhouse industry of almost 4% in 2016.
Purchasing heat
The amount of purchased heat increased again slightly in 2015 and 2016 after many years of reduction, due to the extension of the area that uses purchased heat and a relatively cold winter. Purchasing heat had a share in the total energy use of the greenhouse industry of almost 4% in 2016.
CO2-goal
In 2014 the Meerjarenafspraak Energietransitie Glastuinbouw 2014-2020 (Multiple Year Agreement of Energy Transition in the Greenhouse Industry 2014-2020) was closed between the greenhouse cultivation industry and the government. The goal in the agreement was a maximum total CO2 emission of 6.2 Mton in 2020. The parties involved have technically corrected to 4.6 Mton to account for decrease in area and less electricity sales.