Working through despite grid congestion

In a country with natural gas as the dominant energy source, the power grid was not a priority. As the Netherlands goes off the gas and electrification accelerates, this grid is getting a hard time. Especially at peak times, it bogs down. Expansion is going to take years.

Business case not feasible

Due to grid congestion, new connections have limited capacity. The available power is limited, as are the times when power is available. Back delivery of generated energy is often not possible.

The Green Team regularly advises on the expected energy consumption of new construction projects. Sometimes the business case turns out not to be feasible. For example, if insufficient power is available for charging electric trucks.

Eye for multiples

To reduce the effects of grid congestion, making buildings and facilities more energy efficient is the first step. By analyzing current consumption, the Green Team almost always finds areas for improvement. Lights burn unnecessarily, installations are not properly adjusted. With LED lighting, sensors, smart circuits and energy management, substantial savings are possible. In doing so, there is a keen eye for multiples. When lighting is not on needlessly, the building heats up less and cooling costs less energy. The lifespan of lamps also increases.

Key role for batteries

Next step is smart utilization of available grid capacity. Batteries play a key role in this. For storage of self-generated energy that can be used later. But also to charge during the night hours – when the connection offers enough space – and to use this power during the day, when grid draw is limited. This also bridges periods without sunshine.

Managing integrally

For existing buildings, consumption data are known or can be provided by the Green Team. Based on this, they determine the optimal composition of the energy system. In addition to the grid connection, this consists of a combination of components controlled integrally through smart energy management. This includes a lot of attention to reducing peak consumption. This keeps users within available power.

Energiehubs

At the area level, energy hubs or energy islands act as a collective integrated energy system. Here, grid connections are virtually shared and combined with batteries, solar or wind generation, gas turbines and a generator as backup. Thus, companies together mitigate the effects of grid congestion.

Substantial savings

The Netherlands will continue to struggle with the effects of grid congestion in the coming years. Yet almost all users can continue to work as usual. But then they have to take action by saving energy and making the most of their connection. Many are already doing this and could do with substantially less energy. This results in substantial savings year after year.

Note the connection

When a building is sold or a tenant leaves, the existing energy contract is usually terminated. It used to be no problem. Now the successor often gets no new facility or only minimal connection. For the owner, this may cause the building to lose its value. The other way around also happens: with a great connection, an aging property becomes substantially more valuable. Therefore, when buying or renting, pay close attention to the status of the energy contract.

Oplossingen