Dutch electric trains operate on power that is 100% covered by renewable energy sources. The Netherlands’ principal passenger railway operator, Nederlandse Spoorwegen (NS), achieved this ambitious goal, making it one of the first major rail networks globally to reach this milestone. This transition shifted a major portion of the country’s public transport system toward climate-neutral operation by matching all electricity consumed by the electric fleet with power generated from sources like wind farms.
The Scale and Timeline of the Transition
The transition began in 2015 when NS signed a long-term contract with the energy company Eneco. The initial goal was to have all electric passenger trains running entirely on wind power by January 2018. Due to significant investment in new renewable capacity, the 100% renewable energy target was officially met a year ahead of schedule, in January 2017. This achievement applies to the entire electric passenger fleet, which consumes an estimated 1.2 Terawatt-hours (TWh) of electricity annually, comparable to the consumption of all households in Amsterdam.
The Power Delivery Mechanism
The claim that Dutch trains run on 100% wind power requires an understanding of how electricity is physically delivered and accounted for on a national scale. In reality, the trains draw power directly from the national electric grid, which is a single, interconnected system carrying electricity from all sources, including coal, gas, wind, and solar. It is technically impossible to isolate electrons generated by a wind turbine and send them only to a moving train.
The “100% wind power” guarantee is achieved through a commercial and regulatory mechanism involving Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and Guarantees of Origin (GOs). A PPA is a long-term contract between the rail operator and the power generator, which guarantees that for every kilowatt-hour (kWh) of electricity the trains consume, an equivalent kWh is produced by a designated wind farm. These agreements are often signed for newly constructed wind farms, ensuring that the rail sector’s demand directly stimulates the creation of new renewable capacity.
The Guarantees of Origin (GOs) are electronic certificates that track the source of renewable electricity. When a wind farm generates one megawatt-hour (MWh), it is issued one GO certificate confirming the power was produced from a renewable source. The rail operator purchases and cancels a volume of these certificates that precisely matches its annual electricity consumption. This 1:1 matching system ensures that the environmental attribute of the consumed electricity is legally accounted for as being 100% renewable.
Measuring the Environmental Achievement
The shift to renewable power delivered quantifiable environmental benefits by offsetting the energy demand of a major transport sector. The transition resulted in a significant reduction in emissions, saving approximately 1.43 billion kilograms of carbon dioxide (CO2) over the first two years of operation compared to conventional sources. This success established electric rail travel as a highly sustainable transport option within the country.