"Dispirited"

16 February 2026

35s

Abandon all hope, ye who live here.

All is not well for the family in this Zonneplan commercial. Dad's on the kitchen floor naked in the fetal position; Mum watches as dinner catches fire; and the son hits his head off a wooden pole over and over again. Has a relative died? Have the neighbours from hell moved in next door? No, they just lack control over the energy produced by their solar panels.

Just when you think it would be good for a confident, well-informed spokesman to slide into view right about now, director Angelo Cerisara delivers. As the man in the suit rides a solar panel like a magic carpet, he reveals that Zonneplan lets customers store energy for later and use it how they see fit. That's a good plan, he says—the whole utter despondency thing is not so.

Netherlands

Power Utility Companies