Senators have voted in favour of the new government’s plan to change the way solar panel owners are paid for the excess electricity they feed back into the grid.

From 2027, solar panel owners will no longer be able to deduct the excess electricity from their bills. Instead, they will be paid a fee for the electricity they produce and which goes back into the system. How much has not yet been decided.

The method was a quick way for homeowners to recoup the cost of installing solar panels but was criticised for costing the government billions in lost taxes.

Energy firms have also now started charging clients fees if they feed energy back into the grid.

A third of Dutch households have rooftop solar panels and around 25% generate more electricity than they use in a year.