The energy transition poses major challenges for entrepreneurs. Grid congestion, fluctuating energy rates and restrictions in return supply make it necessary to more actively manage energy consumption and generation. That this is a concern among entrepreneurs was evident from the high turnout at the knowledge session Smart Energy Management at Wit Flowerbulbs in 't Veld. Some 60 participants from various sectors delved into the possibilities of energy sharing, storage and collaboration.
Where energy management used to require little attention, it has now become a strategic point of attention. The agricultural sector plays a key role in this as both a major consumer and generator of energy. Due to the overload of the electricity grid, feeding back is no longer a given. This forces entrepreneurs to work smarter: storing locally, spreading use and working together.
“It’s all about smarter energy management and we can’t do that alone,” Wouter Veefkind, project leader Fieldlab Hydrogen in Agri, emphasized during his opening. This call for cooperation was the common thread throughout the meeting.
Robin Bäcker of Development Company Noord-Holland Noord explained how business parks can take steps together via energy hubs: collective systems to generate, store and share energy. This relieves the electricity grid and increases the resilience of companies.
Agricultural entrepreneurs on the edges of industrial estates can also benefit from this – precisely because they often have a surplus of sustainable energy. In order to stimulate cooperation on industrial estates, the website NHN Business Parks introduced. Here, entrepreneurs can find plenty of information and also register for (free) support in organizing various forms of cooperation. According to Jeroen Noot (Greenport Noord-Holland Noord), entrepreneurs who are not located near a site would also do well to explore cooperation. Local initiatives and energy cooperatives increasingly offer opportunities.
A promising development, certainly for agricultural entrepreneurs, is the conversion of energy into (green) hydrogen. An example is H2 Hollandia in Nieuw-Buinen. Jeroen Jansen (Repowered) presented this hydrogen project that uses sustainable energy from a nearby solar park. The 115 MW solar park cannot supply all the power due to a limited connection. Part of that solar power is converted into hydrogen. Although the technology is not yet competitive with fossil fuels, work is being done on a commercially scalable model. The key here is to have arranged the sales of the hydrogen in advance, so that investors have certainty.
Although battery storage is technically more advanced than hydrogen, nuance is also needed here. “A battery is not a miracle cure,” stated Eloy de Kort of Customized Energy Systems. Only in combination with behavioral change and a smart Energy Management System (EMS) will battery storage become truly profitable. Innovations follow each other in rapid succession: batteries are becoming more powerful and affordable, which increases the possibilities. .Wit Flowerbulbs uses the battery for peak shaving during periods when the bulbs are drying and during the rest of the year to balance the power grid.
The session took place at Wit Flowerbulbs, a progressive bulb grower that has already invested heavily in smart energy solutions. Their roofs are equipped with 5,400 solar panels. Excess power is stored in two batteries of 1.1 MWh each. They use direct current fans, a double roof construction that preheats the air, ammonia cooling with which they can cool and heat simultaneously and a hot water buffer that collects residual heat. During the tour, entrepreneur Peter Wit gave a look behind the scenes.
The meeting underlined: the energy transition is not only a technological task, but also an organizational one. The future requires new forms of cooperation. Not every company needs to reinvent the wheel. By sharing knowledge, capacity and infrastructure, new opportunities arise – for farmers and entrepreneurs on industrial estates.
