Beuningen Solar Park to adopt real-time adjusting of solar production

By Team IO

Green power company Vandebron’s energy platform starts to control Beuningen Solar Park, optimizing the solar plant’s energy production. When the grid is overloaded, the software can scale down and even temporarily shut down the panels. With this new software, Vandebron, in cooperation with the Climate Fund Netherlands and Ecorus, helps keep the electricity grid in balance and the solar farm profitable, now and in the future.

Flexibility becomes increasingly important

More renewable electricity was generated in 2023 than ever before. Almost half of the total power generation in the Netherlands was green. However, because renewable power is usually generated at the same time when the sun is shining fully, or the wind is blowing, a surplus on the electricity grid is being created. In addition to the imbalance on the grid, this is increasingly causing low, or even negative, electricity prices. In the case of negative prices, green power producers have to pay consumers to purchase energy instead of vice versa. The ability to steer along with supply and demand is therefore crucial.

Arno van den Berg, CTO Vandebron: “We need to move to 100 percent green energy production in the Netherlands as quickly as possible. With this smart technology, solar panel production can be scaled back at ‘peak’ times or even stopped altogether. As crazy as that sounds, this helps the energy transition by keeping the power grid balanced and green energy profitable and available.”

The Beuningen solar farm generates an average of 18 million kWh of electricity on an annual basis, which can supply around 4.000 households with green power.

Tight planning, a financial horizon until 2050 and active throughout the chain: this is how Voltgoed tackles grid congestion

Grid congestion – meaning the power grid is so full that congestion occurs – hits every new industrial park, every desired business expansion and even housing projects are at risk. The consequences are felt on two sides: no electricity is available at the times you need it, but a feed-in of self-generated energy is no longer possible.

Room for other green sources

Grid operators encourage the use of intelligent balancing technology – such as Vandebron’s software. By reducing production slightly at those times when prices are very low, and power lines are full of green power, various solar farms and wind farms can continue to supply. Instead of having one full-on and another completely off. This equal distribution is vital for the survival of green producers. Also, the power grid can process the supply of green power better when it is balanced/gradually supplied. Producers receive compensation for this from the grid operators. Thus, the intelligent and flexible control of solar farm Beuningen helps the electricity grid and solar farm revenues and the energy transition as a whole.