Rights and obligations of customers and prosumers
Customers:
• connections ≤ 3 x 80A: right to be connected and right to use full connection transport capacity; no restrictions or obligations;
• connections > 3 x 80A: right to be connected plus right to a contract for the requested power; use of the connection is restricted to the contracted power.
Prosumers:
• connections ≤ 3 x 80A: right to be connected; right to feed electricity into the grid; obligation to inform DSO and CertiQ about the existence and power of the generation plant, feed in automatically limited in case grid voltage exceeds the safety limits.
• connections > 3 x 80A: right to be connected; plus right to a contract for the requested feed-in power; use of the connection is restricted to the contracted power; in case of congestion: obligation to make the system operator an offer for congestion management.
Rights and obligations of plant operators
Plant operators have the right to be connected, the right to feed electricity into the grid, the obligation to contribute to the grid's stability, and the obligation to participate in congestion management.
Specific rules or obligations concerning RES plant operators
Cooperatives, receiving a SCE (Subsidieregeling Cooperatieve Energieopwekking - Cooperative Energy Generation Subsidy Scheme) subsidy, shall connect their generation plant to the grid with a connection power of ≤ 50% of the generation power of the plant;
In case of transport or congestion problems, curtailing of the RES generation plant is only possible as a last resort.
Task of the DSO/TSO
Maintain grid balance and avoid congestion by purchasing balance and congestion management power.
Role of the National Regulatory Agency (NRA)
Controlling and supervising TSOs and DSOs, solving conflicts between customers and TSOs/DSOs
Priority for RES and curtailment
When granting access to the grid, a non-discrimination rule is applied (art. 24 (3) Electricity Act). Renewable energy is not prioritised.
In the case that the capacity of the grid is insufficient for the grid operator to fulfil the obligation, municipalities may give preference to certain applicants, depending on which applicants are more able to ensure a stable electricity market. Only applicants falling under the categories ‘congestion softeners’ (e.g. batteries), ‘safety functions’ (e.g. fire brigades) and ‘basic needs’ (e.g. schools). Restricted access will still be according to the non-discrimination rule, and there is no priority given to renewable energy applicants.
Grid use/management rules on islands
For the European Dutch islands the grid-use and –management rules are similar to those for the mainland.
For the Caribbean Dutch islands, the rules and regulations are very similar except for a few differences:
- The electricity market in the Dutch Caribbean is not unbundled. This has resulted in integrated energy companies active in production, distribution, sales, and supply of electricity.
- A permit is required to produce electricity or drinking water, unless it concerns electricity from RES, produced mainly for own consumption.
- For feeding electricity into the grid, a connection fee is due
- The price offered for electricity fed into the grid by a consumer is determined by the Dutch regulatory authority ACM.
- No reimbursement will be offered for electricity fed into the grid by a consumer that, on a half-year basis, exceeds the total electricity supplied to that consumer’s connection.