Handbook smart connection

On February 5, 2025 Holland Solar and NedZero organized a study afternoon on grid congestion. In cooperation with Energy Storage NL, the information from this study afternoon has been set out in this handbook on bypassing grid congestion, in order to review the various options for bypassing grid congestion and their relevance.

The case study

A developer is looking for a site to develop a solar farm/wind farm/BESS (Battery Energy Storage System). A business park with many customers would like to become more sustainable/expand and initial discussions are starting. The region is struggling with input and off-take congestion.

In the discussions with the companies, the project developer has to look for alternatives to a regular connection, with a big focus on own consumption by the companies. So in this case we assume that the emphasis is on own consumption and flexibility (the creation of an energy hub). There is room in the case study, however, to draw a (small) part of the off-take capacity from the public electricity grid outside peak hours, for example for battery storage.

The companies are asking the project developer and the grid operator what the options are for getting this done. There are several possibilities, explained further below, namely:

• Direct line;
• Cable pooling;
• Closed Distribution System;
• Group contracts.

Designed for anyone involved in the project development of solar, wind and battery projects, this handbook provides an overview of options for avoiding grid congestion and connecting smarter to the power grid together.