New consortium secures breakthrough to make business parks more sustainable

Growing network congestion poses a challenge to business parks in the Netherlands. Currently, businesses in business parks cannot be connected to the grid because there is no room for new connections. In addition, there is often no possibility to connect solar panels or other sustainable solutions to the grid. Smart Business Parks make it possible to sustainably connect business parks to the network. A new consortium, consisting of Kuijpers, Brink, VNO-NCW Co-creation and Essent, has all the expertise to create a local collective sustainable energy system with, for example, heating and cooling applications, solar panels, batteries and charging infrastructure, controlled by an intelligent digital layer. This week, a letter of intent was signed by the stakeholders of this consortium: Smart Business Parks. In this agreement, the parties have expressed their intention to jointly make the business parks of the provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland more sustainable in the coming period.

Joining forces has resulted in a breakthrough to make industrial areas more sustainable. The consortium is supported by network operators, including Enexis. In addition to sustainability, one of the objectives of the consortium is to work with grid operators on a local collective energy system to maintain the balance of business parks. For more efficient use and management of the energy network.

A successful combination

Stephan Segbers, COO at Essent: “It is essential that the companies present on the site form a collective to make business parks in the Netherlands more sustainable. Previous efforts to decarbonize these areas have been hampered by several factors, such as historically low gas and electricity prices, less stringent legislation or the inability to cooperate. In this consortium, all available knowledge is brought together to make sustainability possible: a successful combination.

The consortium has developed a step-by-step approach to making these business parks more sustainable. VNO-NCW Co-creatie acts as an independent party. It explores the collaboration needed for promising solutions at an early stage. The mission of VNO-NCW Co-creation is to achieve a sustainable economy in business parks. Good cooperation on collective solutions is the key. Rob Bogman, director of VNO-NCW Co-creation: “A local collective energy network is essential in many business parks. The consortium with Essent, Kuijpers and Brink also makes this solution possible!

Brink then specializes in the development of the business case within a complex field of actors and in the design of the appropriate cooperation mechanisms. Kuijpers and Essent Energy Infrastructure Solutions (EIS) have energy knowledge and are able to develop, build and operate an entirely local sustainable energy system.

Focus on the provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland

In the coming period, the focus will be on the provinces of North Brabant and Zeeland. This consortium offers lessons and experiences to expand the collaboration to other business parks in the Netherlands. Segbers: “We are now mainly focusing on this specific area, so that we can then share our knowledge with other partners and together take a big step forward in making industrial areas in the Netherlands more sustainable.