Innovative Grid Connections

Parties involved: Solar Proactive en Emmett Green

For the Innovative Grid Connections Project (i.e., Avermieden B.V.), a private electricity system—also known as a Closed Distribution System (GDS)—is being developed. The GDS for Avermieden will ultimately provide 650 MW of connection capacity. A GDS is a system of projects directly connected to the national high-voltage grid operated by TenneT or to the regional grid operator. In this way, the owner of the GDS can, as it were, function as a grid operator on the network.

The project is a collaboration between Novar and Solar Proactive, which develop the solar parks, and Emmett Green, which develops the private network. The network will include storage in the form of several mega-batteries and will also be controllable as a smart grid.

How does this contribute to the energy transition?

Because the regional grid is overloaded in many places, no new renewable energy installations could be built in those locations. This problem is avoided by connecting directly to TenneT’s high-voltage grid. Without this option, it would not be useful to build additional renewable energy projects at such a site, simply because the electricity could not be delivered. The private electricity system in cooperation with Avermieden thus makes it possible to develop solar parks, whether or not in combination with energy storage systems.

Solar Proactive develops solar parks but experiences congestion on the electricity grid, which led to the Innovative Grid Connections Project. A project manager and a project engineer from Emmett Green support the project with creativity and technical expertise to realize innovative solutions. Ultimately, this accelerates the energy transition and builds internal knowledge about grid services and technical expertise in innovative sustainable solutions. This initiative is co-funded by EFRO (the European Regional Development Fund).

Announcement of secondment: Solar Proactive KEI Project Leader
Announcement of secondment: Solar Proactive KEI Project Engineer