At Brainport Industries Campus, grid congestion is no longer a problem

By Team IO

The electricity grid in Brabant is virtually full – as it is in the whole country. In the Brainport region alone, dozens of companies are waiting for a new or stronger connection. At the completely gas-free Brainport Industries Campus (BIC) in Eindhoven, BIC Utility BV, a joint venture between Equans and the Brabantse Ontwikkelings Maatschappij (BOM), is solving this problem of grid congestion itself: behind the meter at its own power plant, so the campus does not have to call on the grid operator for a stronger connection.

“A key part of the solution is ingenious energy management, as we have been using on campus for years to provide tenants with optimal sustainability and guaranteed uptime,” explains Ruud Vleugels on behalf of utility partner Equans.

“However, due to growing electricity demand, we saw that we needed to step up. Reason for us as BIC Utility BV to opt for an expansion of the solar roof and additional storage capacity in the form of a battery in our own power plant.” Equans recently realized the extensions.

A Local Energy Hub as a solid solution to grid congestion in Hapert – and subsequently in the whole of the Netherlands

Picture this: you build a new factory and make it – naturally – as sustainable as possible.

“With this new step, we keep demand and feed-in towards the grid operator as small as possible and do not unnecessarily take up grid capacity. Even with a growing electricity demand, also on campus,” Vleugels explains. “Moreover, this way, we consume as much of our solar energy as possible.”

No one believes what we do here. Such low consumption, such low demand for power, it’s impossible. While the number of companies located on campus is growing and companies are only expanding their production.

Ruud Vleugels, Director of Energy & Utility Partners at Equans

Interest is high

“If all the companies located on the BIC would have applied individually for a connection to the grid operator, they would need ten times more power than what they are asking for together now,” Vleugels calculates. “No one believes what we are doing here. Such a low consumption, such a low demand for power, surely that is not possible while the number of companies established on campus is growing and companies are only expanding their production. We get questions from everyone.”

Cooperation is key in preparation for a local energy hub on business park De Hurk

VNO-NCW Co-creation, an initiative from VNO-NCW Brabant Zeeland, works with companies and governments to achieve a sustainable economy in business parks.

Continuous process

“We look very carefully at a tenant’s specific situation,” Vleugels continued. “For example, we monitor each individual’s consumption and adjust where necessary. A continuous process of scaling up and down which keeps the energy costs for tenants manageable, and we as BIC Utility BV can always use our utilities optimally.”

“We see the energy management and sustainability of the BIC as a showcase for other business parks in the Netherlands.”

Ernst Coolen, Investment Director Renewable Energy at BOM

Showcase

“As co-owner of BIC Utility BV, BOM is proud of what we have achieved here, ” said Ernst Coolen, Investment Director of Renewable Energy at BOM. “We see BIC’s energy management and sustainability as a showcase for untapped opportunities that still exist at many business parks in the Netherlands. Strong collectives, like the ones at the BIC, are important accelerators for utilizing and realizing this potential. We are happy to use the knowledge and experience we gain here to also structure and finance other Brabant projects smartly.”

First, get the data right, then find the room to grow

No new connections, no extensions, no opportunities to deliver your solar energy to the grid, let alone share it with other entrepreneurs.

Part of this strong collective is also Rabobank. Through financing, the bank is facilitating the realization of the energy system at the BIC. “In 2021, we agreed on financing the sustainable energy plant. At the time, financing this so-called Energy Service Company (ESCo) was considered a breakthrough in the energy transition,” says Johan van de Louw, director of cooperative Rabobank. “The BOM and Equans have since shown that a sustainable power plant works, and that gives confidence for new projects. Like now the battery and the expansion of the solar roof.”

Rabobank’s Account Manager for Large Business Industry & Energy, Philine Visser, says, “BIC is showing with this that if you sit around the table with the right parties, you can realize innovative solutions to social issues, in this case, grid congestion. As an account manager, it is, of course, very cool to be involved in this type of realization. These are the developments that can make a difference. It is Rabobank’s ambition to be the banker of the energy transition.”