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Saturday Morning at 10:00 AM: Coffee and hot chocolate welcomed guests to celebrate the opening of Zonnepark Wijkerbroek with EWEC and Sunvest

WijksNieuws; November 22, 2025, by Corine Overvest, photo credits: Corine Overvest

 

A celebration for everyone involved

It wasn’t just a festive day for EigenWijkse Energie Coöperatie (EWEC) and project developer Sunvest, but also for the local participants.

Local ownership

The solar park at Wijkerbroek is the first where residents of the Wijk bij Duurstede municipality are co-owners, a concept known as local ownership. “Everyone counts,” said one participant. EWEC’s motto reflects this: “Green energy by, for, and with us.”

Through the panels

The morning began with coffee and hot chocolate, followed by a guided tour of the solar park. Members of EWEC and Sunvest shared insights about the technical aspects of the solar field’s operation, answering questions and even offering professional photo opportunities among the panels.

Pride and forward thinking

Martine van der Woude, board member of EWEC, expressed satisfaction with the turnout: “We’re very pleased with the turnout for the opening of Zonnepark Wijkerbroek and that we could celebrate this festive moment with so many attendees and interested parties.”

The field features 27,500 solar panels, 6% of which are owned by EWEC—equivalent to 1,650 panels. One participant explained his motivation for investing: “This is mainly for my grandchildren. I also really appreciate what EWEC is doing. It’s an active and progressive organization.” Another participant shared his joy but expressed hope for wind and thermal solar energy to address the growing need for heat.

A strong partnership with EWEC

This isn’t the first solar field realized by EWEC and Sunvest. They previously collaborated on the Cothen solar park, though under different terms. “At Zonnepark Cothen, residents could also participate financially, but that was through a bond loan,” explained board member Martine van der Woude.

René Hanssen, a director at Sunvest, reflected on the collaboration: “We had a great connection with EWEC. Local collaboration is one of our pillars. We regularly engaged with the local community, and that’s a good thing.” During his speech, Jeroen Schmaal from Sunvest explained how year-long discussions led to a land exchange, moving the solar park further from the road to accommodate local preferences.

EWEC board members, including Sarida van der Meer, praised the collaboration, often describing the partnership as “pleasant.” However, one participant noted, “When push came to shove, Sunvest did have the final say.”

Symbolic tree planting and future steps

After the tour, speeches from EWEC and Sunvest celebrated the local pride and successful collaboration. Rainy weather and muddy boots didn’t dampen spirits. The event concluded with symbolic tree planting to represent the partnership, and some attendees even broke into a celebratory dance.

Looking ahead

Future plans are already underway. EWEC aims to develop a model to encourage younger generations to invest in their own solar panels. Another goal is the local storage of generated energy using batteries. Local ownership remains a key focus, as Martine van der Woude noted: “Our share may be limited, but we’ve gained valuable experience, which we hope will allow us to secure a larger share in future projects.”

The Dutch Climate Agreement aims to expand local ownership, targeting 50% local investment—by residents or local cooperatives—in new energy projects. On June 4, 2024, an amendment to the Energy Act was passed, enabling municipalities and provinces to require developers of solar and wind energy projects to demonstrate steps toward achieving 50% local ownership.