As a leading System Integrator, Hoppenbrouwers sees daily the impact of grid congestion on its end customers. Jop van Hasselt (project leader) explains:
“We see it with almost all of our clients: expansion plans are stalled due to a shortage of grid capacity. In some cases, projects are even cancelled completely because there is no suitable connection available.”
Jop van Hasselt, Project Manager of Hoppenbrouwers
An urgent problem arose for a customer for whom Hoppenbrouwers has already completed several solar parks. Due to expansions on the site, business operations were in jeopardy. There was simply not enough room on the power grid to accommodate peaks in energy demand or production. Mainly in the winter, the grid congestion problem began to arise.
The search for a suitable solution
Hoppenbrouwers set out to find a way to solve the grid congestion problems. To do so, they analyzed the current situation and it showed that batteries combined with an EMS (energy management system) are the right solution. This way, peaks in power usage can be absorbed without overloading the grid, and the energy generated by the solar farms can be used more efficiently.
In the search for a supplier, they were looking for more than just a supplier of standard products. Hoppenbrouwers was looking for a real cooperation partner, someone who could think along with them about customized solutions. Technical expertise was important, but at least as important was having the total picture: from system integration to maintenance.
Because Hoppenbrouwers itself often offers service and maintenance contracts to customers, it was important that a supplier could support them in this.
After discussions with several parties, Intercel emerged as the best partner. Jop explains:
“The short lines of communication, flexibility and the Dutch character of Intercel were the deciding factors for us. Together we looked for a solution that was not only technically sound, but also future-proof.”
Jop van Hasselt, Project Manager of Hoppenbrouwers
A customized smart battery storage system
To solve the challenges of the power grid, an energy storage system connected directly to the solar panels was chosen. This allows the power generated to be stored and used later when needed. This helps deal with peaks in power consumption and ensures that the business can always keep running.
A conscious decision was made not to choose a “standard solution,” but a customized system. As Jop explains, “There were no specifications or set of requirements from the customer. They said, ‘We have a challenge with grid capacity, how can we solve this?’ We then determined the required battery capacity ourselves and drew up an appropriate business case.”
A lot of attention was also paid to the origin of components and raw materials, because the customer wanted to know where everything came from. This openness was important for trust and the end result.
Results & future prospects
The system is now active and functioning well. Although the grid congestion problem has not yet fully occurred since installation, it usually does not occur until winter, the system is prepared for the challenges ahead.
Hoppenbrouwers expects these types of systems to become increasingly important. A customized solution was realized for the customer, which can serve as a basis for similar applications at other end customers.
Advice to other companies
Hoppenbrouwers advises other companies thinking about energy storage to work well with an expert party. It’s not a ready-made product that you just buy and install. There are rules, technical requirements and sometimes long delivery times. By working with a party like Intercel, you can develop a good, safe and future-proof solution.
Mutual trust
From Intercel’s point of view, we also find it a fine cooperation. Markus Buuk (account manager Intercel) says: “Hoppenbrouwers really knows their stuff, they, like Intercel, have decades of experience. Also the high degree of involvement, not only during the project but also in aftercare and maintenance, are strong core values that we recognize at Hoppenbrouwers and that strengthen the cooperation.”
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