The Dutch grid needs a major upgrade in order to solve problems around grid congestion, as more solar and wind will be connected. Moreover, it needs to be used smarter and more flexible. A long queue of companies is waiting for connection to the grid (all references in Dutch). What can we do? There are three possible avenues: constructing faster, use the grid in smarter ways, and getting a better insight through IT and data management.
Why do we need a bigger grid?
In the Netherlands, the share of solar and wind energies in the electricity mix is on the rise. At the same time, total electricity demand is growing:
- more buildings and private homes use electrically powered heat pumps instead of natural gas
- electric transport is growing, to the detriment of fossil fuels
- it is expected that industry will use more electricity, in order to render production processes more sustainable.
Expectations are that demand will grow from 115 TWh in 2023 to 190 TWh in 2035. Moreover, there is the problem of a growing imbalance between production and demand: because of the growing production of solar and wind electricity. And peak demand will rise at uncomfortable moments – for instance because a growing number of people will start charging their electric vehicle between 19.00 and 20.00 h on arriving home on the evening. How can we solve this problem?
Electricity connections fall short of demand
The number of new small business connections to the grid has remained fairly constant since 2021, at about just a bit over 100.000 yearly. These are connections for new homes, small businesses, charging stations and public lighting. But this situation is completely different for major businesses. Most dramatic is the situation for businesses that apply for a connection to regional suppliers. The number of such applications has risen from 700 (2022) to over 14,000 now.
Why do we need a larger capacity grid?
Rendering Dutch energy use more sustainable will imply a rising supply of solar and wind energy in the electricity mix. At the same time, total electricity demand grows, because more buildings and homes will use electric heat pumps instead of natural gas; and because electricity-propelled transport will grow at the expense of fossil fuels. Moreover, expectations are that industry will make more use of electricity in order to render production processes more sustainable. According to national grid owner Tennet, the so-called inflexible demand for electric current – that doesn’t react easily to more or less supply – will grow from 115 TWh in 2023 to 190 TWh in 2035.
On top of that, imbalance between supply and demand will grow, because of major fluctuations in the short term. That is because variable solar and wind energy will have a larger share in supply, in combination with new forms of peak demand. For instance, Tennet expects a peak in demand between 19.00 and 20.00, as a growing number of Dutchmen will own electric cars, that they will connect to the charging station as they come home in the evening. How can we solve this problem?
Admission to the grid may be a problem
Consequences of grid congestion are largest for the major electricity users. We can witness this for instance in the difference between the development of new connections for small users (3 x 80 ampere max) and the situation for major businesses. Grid companies can fairly well connect small users to the grid. But for major businesses, the situation is completely different.
The situation is most dramatic for businesses that buy electricity from regional grid companies. The number of applications has risen from 700 in 2022 to over 14,000 at present. The situation now is so dramatic that older applications are being retracted. Moreover, there is a waiting queue for businesses that apply for supplying electricity to the grid; for instance solar park owners, or parties that supply battery storage.
Build, build, build
Against this backdrop, it is interesting to have a look at the goals for extension of the national grid in the coming twenty-five years, and how these compare to recent realizations. For the period until 2050, grid owners have set the following goals:
- yearly at least 27 new high and middle voltage power stations, much more than in the recent past
- more than 2,000 new transformer houses per year, a tempo that has been met fairly well in the recent past.
Space will be scarce
The battle for space will be an important item in the extension of the national grid. Everyone in the Netherlands is looking for an ample supply of electricity, but few people have a wish to live next to a high-tension pylon or a transformer house. This is one of the reasons why planning a new transformer house lasts for about ten years, at present. According to the national planning agency, a transformer house will usually need a space of fifteen football pitches. That is about 100,000 square metres, or an average area of 317 metres by 317 metres.
Last year, Tennet had 251 enlargement projects; 71 were actually constructed. It will require a genuine effort to realise the other 180 at a reasonable speed. Shortening the permit procedure might be an important part of the solution. Furthermore, there is an opportunity to draw up contracts with companies that promise to reduce their demand if general demand is high – flexibilization of demand. Another possibility consists of asking companies to have spare capacity available (at a renumeration) if demand is high. This solution is being practiced in Belgium already, but in the Netherlands it is still in discussion.
Decentral problems
Dutch companies with a growth strategy increasingly run up against a wall, simply because they cannot get a(n) (extra) connection to the grid. The problem of grid congestion asks for a strengthening of the national grid; but in addition to that, decentralized alternatives increasingly get recognized as part of the solution. In recognition of that, electricity suppliers started the stimulation program energy hubs, to which it will supply 166 million Euros.
Such a decentralized approach will help companies if they run into grid congestion. That has to do with the specific requirements of individual companies. Bottlenecks may come up in the following forms.
- The level of grid congestion. There is a huge difference between the company that applies for a connection to the high-voltage grid, overseen by national administrator Tennet; or for a connection to middle and lower tensions, overseen by the regional administrators.
- Solve grid congestion individually or through a group solution? Extra battery capacity may shorten waiting time for a new connection.
- What is the role of grid managers in decentralized solutions? At present, the main blockage is with regional administrators. Eve though they could implement connections that are the property of private parties.
- Problem of grid connection, or anticipate the sustainable transition? It may become a problem for sustainable solutions if less green current is being drawn from the national grid. Then, decentralized heat pumps may alleviate demand on the national grid.
Decentralized solutions
But there are decentralized solutions to these problems.
#1 Batteries and generators for companies in the waiting queue. Sometimes, an extra battery or generator can alleviate the problem, at least temporarily. Such a mobile battery could also be provided with electricity of its own, and thereby function as a kind of microgrid.
#2 Private network for connection to the national grid. Construction of a short private network, that takes care of the connection to the national grid.
#3 Private network that allows other companies to participate. Like the Smart Grid Flevoland. At the moment, this has a connection to TenneT’s national high-tension grid. But its aim is to connect local generation of renewable energy to energy demand of companies in the region, through the smart grid. At present, this waits for approval by the authorities (in casu ACM).
#4 Energy hub for decentralized delivery of electric current. Such a hub can be all-electric (just electricity) or muti-commodity (together with other forms of energy, like heat and hydrogen). Talks are still going on about details.
#5 Multi-commodity energy hub: electricity, hydrogen and heat. Comparable to the former project, but now with better integration of energy forms. An example is the business park De Mars in Zutphen (the Netherlands). This should be started in 2027. A large copper smelter with a wish for better sustainability is willing to enter a heavy connection to the grid. Moreover, wind park IJsselwijd has three turbines in development that could be connected to the energy hub. But this awaits the definitive permit. Hydrogen is also being produced on the property, for the time being with a connection of its own. A major obstacle is the lack of clarity about the liabilities involved. What to do, for instance, if one of the participating companies goes broke? This solution requires more elaboration.
#6 Customization solutions for industrial heat. In dealing with heat demand of industrial companies, grid congestion may be an important obstacle. One solution is to supply high temperature heat with solar mirrors that concentrate light. As the sun doesn’t always shine, such a solution often combines with a semi-permanent heat reservoir, for instance a heat pump with natural as a back-up. This may deliver a stable heat supply that limits it’s demand on the grid.
Decentralized solutions are much experimented with. A necessary prerequisite for a new and sustainable energy system!
Interesting? Then also read:
Local network required against grid congestion
Energy hubs: less grid congestion, less CO2 emissions
Disruption of the energy system