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Smart Collaboration at Ekkersrijt Business Park Tackles Power Shortage
Even in an innovative region like Brainport, companies face a growing challenge: grid congestion. The bottleneck in the electricity grid threatens to hinder the growth and sustainability of businesses. At Ekkersrijt Business Park, however, they are not waiting around. Here, the municipality of Son en Breugel, local companies, and grid operator Enexis have joined forces to address this problem in an innovative way.
Under the banner of "De Grote Oogst Ekkersrijt" (The Great Harvest Ekkersrijt), they are working together on creative solutions to optimize the use of available energy capacity while enabling sustainable growth. This is not a standard approach; it involves smart energy exchange between companies, innovative technologies, and a shared vision of a green future. Through this collaboration, they are taking a step not only towards solving grid congestion but also towards a more sustainable, efficient business park that is ready for tomorrow’s challenges.
Growth and Sustainability
Floris Schoots, sustainability project leader at the municipality of Son en Breugel, is responsible for the project. He explains: "De Grote Oogst is a provincial subsidy scheme in which we collaborate with the water board, companies, and the municipality to make significant progress in making business parks more sustainable. One of the biggest challenges is energy: How do we ensure there is enough energy available so companies can not only grow but also work on their sustainability efforts?"
Creative Solutions
Neways Advanced Applications, led by director Robert Loijen, actively participates in this project. NAA is part of the Neways group and is a leader in the high-tech sector. The organization has big ambitions for growth and sustainability. "We want to double in size within five years. That’s a challenge with the grid congestion we are currently experiencing," says Loijen. The company is considering new construction at Ekkersrijt to have more space, which naturally has consequences for energy consumption. "We want to creatively solve that increased consumption or drastically reduce our energy use. That’s one reason why we are eager to actively participate in the collaboration."
“People sometimes underestimate what they can achieve with new technologies and paying attention.”
- Robert Loijen
"The strength of this collaboration is that as a business park, company, and municipality, you show you are willing to think along with the grid operators. The energy issue is a shared challenge. Together, we try to work towards a solution. Enexis is a partner that understands this and is trying to cooperate," adds Schoots.
Everyone Benefits
Together with Enerzien and Simple Energy, the municipality is exploring how space can be created on the crowded energy grid so companies can realize their growth and sustainability ambitions. "We are creating an overview for each company of their electricity profile, future plans, and the impact of specific measures on energy consumption, both in the short and long term. This also includes potential growth or expansion of the building," explains Schoots. "Companies like Neways gain insight into how they can make their power supply more sustainable. Additionally, we are working with the fifteen participating companies to explore solutions for shared challenges at Ekkersrijt, such as a charging plaza for electric trucks and vans. In September, we will present the findings to all companies so everyone can benefit from the solutions to grid congestion."
Fuel for Adjustment
The hope is that the research will provide organizations such as the Authority for Consumers and Markets and grid operators with the ammunition to adjust the legal framework. "The biggest issue is the transport of energy. You’re not allowed to transport electricity from one company to another because, according to the law, that makes you an energy supplier. These kinds of rules make it impossible to share electricity. In principle, there is enough energy. The exchange of energy within small, closed networks could be a solution."
"We need to rethink the energy system, for example, by using batteries. When there is overcapacity, energy should be stored for use at another time. Perhaps in a system where several companies work together," says Schoots.
Energy Use as a Criterion
Internally, there are many opportunities to manage energy differently as well. "People sometimes underestimate what they can achieve with the use of new technologies and paying attention. For example, we have stabilized our gas consumption. Despite our significant growth, our electricity consumption has remained stable for years. A further reduction could even make our new construction possible. Thanks to the measures we’ve taken, we’ve also seen a huge drop in CO2 emissions. We achieve this by purchasing green electricity. It’s a bit more expensive, but it does reduce your CO2 footprint, and we are happy to do that," says Loijen.
By replacing the cooling system and using new technologies, NAA has saved eighty percent in energy.
"Energy consumption is the key criterion for new investments."
- Robert Loijen
"We also look at peak consumers, measuring from different stations where the major users are so we can take targeted action," Loijen continues. "We actively replace large consumers and move them up on the investment roadmap to act faster. Additionally, we are exploring ways to prevent swings in energy consumption without impacting the production process. By managing this intelligently and tailoring the approach, you can run your factory efficiently and reduce peak consumption. It’s truly possible, not all machines need to be running or started simultaneously when production begins."
Dreams for the Future
The municipality of Son en Breugel envisions Ekkersrijt as a future-oriented work environment with a lot of activity and more greenery—a pleasant place for employees to come to. Parking and transportation will be arranged differently and more efficiently. To achieve this, capacity and space are needed so businesses can grow and develop. Schoots: "To achieve this, we need energy badly. This pilot is funded by contributions from De Grote Oogst. Of course, the business community also contributes. Additionally, we are working with Brainport Development on energy hub managers to transfer the knowledge we gain from this project to other companies. It would be great if we can tackle grid congestion at Ekkersrijt and have other business parks benefit from the knowledge gained."
"All parties in this project must constantly be willing to go a little beyond their comfort zone."
Robert Loijen
Son en Breugel is also researching large-scale generation opportunities on and around the highways, working alongside the Rijkswaterstaat. "The first question is what we want to use the generated energy for. Perhaps Ekkersrijt is a good destination. That’s why it’s so important that we have as much insight as possible into the energy needs of the companies," says Schoots.
Tangible Results
The team agrees that the first effects of the project are already visible. Loijen: "The smooth collaboration between companies and the municipality is the first success I see from this project. We are having constructive, regular conversations about energy profiles and how we think things can improve. The hard results will follow in the coming months."
"This collaboration is already the most tangible and biggest success. The conversation is happening here. Companies are coming up with ideas that stem from the interactions around this energy project. By doing this together, you notice that the grid operator sees us as a partner. Initial steps have already been taken with Enexis, where contracted capacity has been transferred from one building to another," Schoots adds.
From Project to Platform
"All parties in this project must continuously be willing to step out of their comfort zone. That’s going really well, I think. It seems easy and logical. Yet, we will need to keep paying attention to maintain that. The project has become a platform where we talk to each other, and that alone is a success," concludes Loijen with a smile.