Zevij-Necomij tackles grid congestion with smart battery solutions from Boltainer

Zevij-Necomij B.V., the largest purchasing organization of affiliated technical wholesalers in construction and industry in the Benelux, has taken innovative battery solutions into use at two locations to solve problems with grid congestion while at the same time acting actively in the energy market. Zevij-Necomij's implementation of these batteries contributes to cost savings and more efficient energy management.

At the site on Rederijweg, Zevij-Necomij was struggling with insufficient contracted offtake capacity. Due to peak loads - caused by charging stations, electric heaters and computer start-up moments, among other things - the risk of intervention by grid operator Enexis became too great. "The risk of the plug being pulled is real, and there are plenty of such examples," says René van der Pas, facilities manager at Zevij-Necomij.

Smart steering

BOLT-215 batteries are installed at both locations, equipped with AI-driven control of Battery Based Trading (BAT). The systems reserve up to 75% of their capacity to smooth peak consumption (peak shaving) and are also used for automated trading in the imbalance market. Kevin from Boltainer said, "This case perfectly demonstrates how battery storage, combined with intelligent control, can be directly deployed in grid congestion problems. Our BOLT-215 systems not only provide peak shaving capacity, but also make optimal use of imbalance trading via automated algorithms. This project shows that flexibility behind the meter is essential in the energy transition."

First positive results

The systems have been operational for two weeks, and initial results have been positive. "Within three days we already made significant progress," Van der Pas said. "We expect to recoup the investment in less than five years. That makes this solution not only necessary because of grid congestion, but also financially attractive." The battery on Rederijweg mainly captures peak consumption, while the system on Touwslagerijweg is now mainly used for energy trading. "Although there is no grid congestion at this location yet, we want to proactively anticipate possible future problems."

Partners involved

For the implementation, Zevij-Necomij worked with several specialized partners. Boltainer supplied the battery storage systems, Battery Based Trading (BBT) provided the smart AI-driven control behind the meter, and Vossestein Installations was responsible for the technical installation at both locations.