The Netherlands: Trains powered by 100% wind power? It’s happening

Half of the electric trains in the Netherlands already run on wind power but an agreement from 2014 has that number going up to 100 percent by 2018. That’s according to articles by Popular Science, Railway-Technology.com and North American Windpower this week.

According to Railway-Technology.com:

The Dutch rail network will run entirely on renewable wind energy by 2018 under a new contract signed by power company Eneco and energy procurement cooperative VIVENS. 

Eneco account manager Michel Kerkhof had this to say about the deal: “What makes this contract and partnership unique is that a whole sector decreases its CO2 footprint enormously and sets an example for other sectors to follow,…Mobility is responsible for 20% of CO2 emissions in the Netherlands, and if we want to keep traveling, it is important that we do this without burdening the environment with CO2 and particulate matter. This contract offers all Dutch citizens the option to make a climate neutral trip, regardless of distance.”

According to Popular Science the goal is reduce carbon emissions to zero: “The railway, which carries 1.2 million passengers every day, released about 550 kilotons of carbon dioxide before it started the switch to wind power earlier this year. The hope is to bring that number down to zero.”

This is just another example of how reliable wind energy is able to help power a modern economy, and even help you get to where you need to go the next time you step foot in Dutch country.