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Frequently asked questions

  • I am looking for a domain name registrant. Where can I look it up?

    The Whois is an easy-to-use tool for checking the availability of a .nl domain name. If the domain name is already taken, you can see who has registered it.

    On the page looking up a domain name you will find more information about what a domain name is, how the Whois works and how the privacy of personal data is protected. Alternatively, you can go straight to look for a domain name via the Whois.

  • I would like to transfer my domain name to another registrar. What is the procedure?

    To get your domain name transferred, you need the token (unique ID number) for your domain name. Your existing registrar has the token and is obliged to give it to you within five days, if you ask for it. The procedure for changing your registrar is described on the page transferring your domain name.

  • The details registered about me/my company are incorrect or out of date. How can I get them updated?

    To update the contact details associated with your domain name, you need to contact your registrar. Read more about updating contact details.

  • Why is my domain name in quarantine?

    When a domain name is cancelled, we aren't told the reason, so we can't tell you. You'll need to ask your registrar. The advantage of quarantine is that, if a name's cancelled by mistake, you can always get it back.

    One common reason is that the contract between you and your registrar says you've got to renew the registration every year. If you haven't set up automatic renewal and you don't renew manually, the registration will expire.

  • Ik heb een klacht over mijn provider/registrar. Kan ik daarvoor bij SIDN terecht?

    Wanneer je een klacht hebt over of een geschil met je registrar dan zijn er verschillende mogelijkheden om tot een oplossing te komen. Hierover lees je meer op pagina klacht over registrar. SIDN heeft geen formele klachtenprocedure voor het behandelen van een klacht over jouw registrar.

  • What conditions do I have to meet as a registrar?

    Would you like to be able to register domain names for customers or for your own organisation by dealing directly with SIDN? If so, you can become a .nl registrar. Read more about the conditions and how to apply for registrar status on the page becoming a registrar.

More frequently asked questions

Experiment with grid-aware websites to make the internet greener

SIDN Fund supports The Green Web Foundation's open-source toolkit

Reducing CO2-emissions
  • Wednesday 18 December 2024

Every time you load a website, the site's servers and user device consumes electricity, leading to 'invisible' CO2 emissions. And finding a solution isn't easy, because electricity networks are very complex. So The Green Web Foundation is building an open-source toolkit that developers can use to make their websites respond to the grid its drawing power from, making it grid-aware. The Foundation is a non-profit organisation working towards a fossil-fuel-free internet by 2030. "The toolkit enables developers to experiment while also clarifying the impact of grid-aware websites," says the Foundation's Director of Operations Hannah Smith. Hannah talks about her ambitions for the project, plans for 2025 and the support provided by SIDN Fund.

Toolkit for grid-aware websites

Grid-aware

A 'grid-aware' website is one that can react intelligently to the carbon intensity and energy consumption of the electricity grid. Using software that enables two applications to communicate with each other (APIs), information is gathered about the visitor's electricity grid, which can then be used to make eco-friendly adjustments to the site's design.

Web designers currently have relatively little scope for making websites energy-efficient, and the options that do exist aren't easy to implement. The Green Web Foundation's grid-aware websites project therefore aims to help developers out with a practical toolkit. With the tools, a developer can see when changing a website’s design might lead to CO2 reductions without incurring extra costs. The toolkit includes an open-source JavaScript library, documentation and case studies.

An initial version of the open-source code has been undergoing testing and is now ready for use, enabling developers to experiment with making websites grid-aware. "We'll use their experiences and feedback to improve the code," explains Hannah. She emphasises that the code doesn't change the website's design itself, but provides an indication of when it might be effective to do so for a developer to act on. "It’s for a website team to decide what design changes are appropriate for their context. We're also investigating how much grid-aware websites actually cut energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and whether the savings are enough to justify the effort."

Technical advisory group brings experts together

Hannah Smith, Operational Director at The Green Web Foundation
Hannah Smith, Operational Director at TGWF

Earlier this year, The Green Web Foundation set up a 12-person technical advisory group. The group's members include people from the sustainability teams for the main content management systems: WordPress, Drupal, Umbraco and Wagtail. "The advisory group has 3 important roles," Hannah continues. "First, the advisors assess our work, so that we can make sure the toolkit is relevant and useful to developers. Second, they help us raise awareness of the toolkit. Awareness is vital for getting developers using the toolkit and giving us feedback. The third thing they do is share best practices in the field of grid-aware tooling and solutions. So the advisory group is also a vehicle for bringing experts together."

Support from SIDN Fund

SIDN Fund is underwriting the whole project. "The support from SIDN Fund means that developers can experiment with grid-aware websites, which hasn't been possible before," Hannah points out. "I also think that with the toolkit we can make people more aware of the CO2 emissions associated with their electricity grids, and how that's linked to their own internet use." SIDN Fund supports several Green Web Foundation projects, including CO2.js, which can connect to datasets around the world and extract data. "We plan to utilise that CO2.js functionality in the toolkit at a later stage," says Hannah.

Elise van Schaik, Project Coordinator at SIDN Fund: "It is possible to make websites carbon-aware, but it's a very new field. Developers therefore need support, and that's what The Green Web Foundation is providing. The Foundation's toolkit gives developers insight into their sites' energy consumption and CO2 intensity as a basis for adapting the design and cutting emissions. So the toolkit brings a fossil fuel-free internet a step closer."

Elise van Schaik, project coordinator at SIDN Fund

Sharing experiences and designs

In 2025, The Green Web Foundation's focuses will be getting developers involved and gaining experience. "We want to show that grid-awareness doesn't have to be at the expense of design or user experience," says Hannah. "With that in mind, we're planning an open challenge for the UX/UI designer community early next year. We'll be inviting them to share web designs that illustrate how grid-aware websites perform in the real world. The practical examples and designs will then be added to the toolkit so that other developers can make use of them. We'll also be asking developers to record their use of the code – in a manual, case study or video, for example. The code is also going to be implemented in our own online Branch Magazine. The magazine is a prototype whose design changes to reflect the carbon-intensity of the UK electricity grid."

"Ultimately, the goal is to reach as wide an audience as possible, so that everyone that builds a website can make it grid-aware, even if they aren't experts. So we're inviting developers to join our project and help us work towards a fossil fuel-free internet."

Like the idea of experimenting with the code or contributing to the grid-aware websites project? Get in touch at https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/support-form/ or sign up to the newsletter at https://www.thegreenwebfoundation.org/newsletter/.