The Province of South Holland, in collaboration with Rijkswaterstaat, RES regions, and municipalities, is investigating suitable locations for solar panels along the A4 and N11 in South Holland. An intention declaration has now been signed regarding this.

South Holland is dealing with grid congestion and power shortages and also has a high demand for space. Therefore, it is good to see how we can use unused space along roads for electricity generation, said Berend Potjer (opens in a new window) (Deputy Energy), who co-signed the intention declaration. In this process, we also explore whether local residents can share in the benefits of energy from their own neighborhood.

This initiative is part of the Energy Generation on State Property (OER) program, where the government makes land available for energy projects. Both roads are characterized by their passage through the Green Heart and along several suburbs. The area studied for the A4 runs from the ringvaart viaduct at the provincial border to the connection of the Rijnland route. For the N11, it concerns the entire route between Zoeterwoude-Rijndijk and Bodegraven. The total length is 52 km.

Smart use of space

The Netherlands is densely built. By making state lands available along the A4 and N11 and using other government lands, opportunities arise for placing solar panels. This contributes to achieving the energy goals of the Regional Energy Strategies (RES) of Holland-Rijnland and Midden-Holland.

In the autumn of 2023, a preliminary study began into the project to see how much space is available for solar panels. The outcome was positive, so it was decided to conduct further research. Officials have now signed an intention declaration, deciding to move on to the next phase. In this phase, it will be examined where and under what conditions solar panels can be placed, how they fit into the landscape, how large the project will be, and whether the project is financially feasible.

Involvement of the community

During the next phase, local residents will be informed and it will be examined how the community can financially benefit from the project. A total of 50.4 hectares are in scope. The search areas are mainly around the Hoogmade exit and the N11 near Alphen, but there are also lands available in other municipalities. At a later stage, local residents will have the opportunity to express their opinions on the project.

The OER project A4/N11 is a collaboration between the municipalities of Alphen aan den Rijn, Bodegraven-Reeuwijk, Kaag en Braassem, Leiden, Leiderdorp, the Province of South Holland, the RES regions Rotterdam The Hague and Midden-Holland, ProRail, and Rijkswaterstaat region West-Nederland-Zuid (WNZ). Furthermore, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS), the State Property Agency (RVB), and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO) are involved in the project.