A large majority of Dutch farmers cannot wait to install a battery on their farm. This is evident from research by Energy Shift into farmers' views on profitable sustainability. By using a battery on the farm, the farmer stores the energy generated for when he needs it. This means: no more purchasing expensive energy.
The Netherlands must become more sustainable and desperately needs farmers to do so. Energy Shift believes that our farmers are the solution to our climate problems. To gauge the views of farmers on profitable sustainability, the solar panel specialist conducted research among this target group on this subject. This research shows that sustainability within agricultural companies is a hot topic.
Energy storage
Biogas, heat pumps, hydrogen and batteries: these are concepts that are discussed when you ask the farmer about his idea about the storage of energy. More than the majority of the respondents who already use a solar panel installation say they are very interested in installing a battery in the yard. This applies to both large-scale consumers and net operators. The reasons: cheaper power, use of generated power and sustainability. The faster the battery is in their yard, the better, according to the research.
Peak moments
Farmers sometimes have significant peaks in their power consumption. These peaks do not always coincide with the times when the sun shines the strongest. Batteries are the ideal means of absorbing peaks in sustainable energy yield and preserving them for peak times in power consumption. At the moment, this generated energy is fed back to the grid. That while it is even more interesting to be able to store this energy for your own use. With a battery in the yard, expensive energy no longer needs to be purchased at night (and on less sunny days). Using your own energy also saves a hope cost: transport costs, tax and Renewable Energy Storage (ODE).
Electrification
The increasing electricity consumption on agricultural companies is one of the reasons why the subject of 'energy storage' is a topic among farmers. No less than 70 percent of the respondents indicated that they would consider an electric means of transport or device when purchasing a new one. Electrification is expected to continue to increase in the future. The increase in electrification is a logical explanation for the interest in a battery to store energy. Storage of energy in the yard, becoming independent from the grid and using sustainable energy in such a way that it saves and yields a lot of money; a battery is ideal for that.
Grid capacity
There is another point to consider when placing batteries in the yard. The energy grid has become full in several places in the Netherlands in recent years. Grid operators are investing in expanding the grid capacity, but at the moment more and more agricultural companies are faced with a negative transmission indication when applying for subsidy. If a solar panel installation cannot be connected to the grid because it is already 'full', this often means that the entire plan to investing in solar panels† That must and can be done differently!
Smart Grid
Smart Grid is an ideal solution for this. The term 'smart grid' stands for the smartest possible control of devices for the most efficient possible energy consumption. This intelligently coordinates supply and demand of energy. For example, the farmer will use electric irrigation. Precisely at times when a lot of solar energy is generated with solar panels, this installation consumes the free energy instead of diesel. Or the cold store of a fruit grower works extra hard when a lot of solar energy is generated, so that the cooling consumes little or no power when the sun is gone or the amount of energy stored in the battery is lower. The survey shows that the vast majority is interested in such a smart electricity system.
Stay informed:
Energy Shift continues to move with market demand and has already taken the first steps in applying batteries to agricultural companies. The company is constantly looking for new revenue models based on sustainable techniques. Are you more interested in this topic? Then read here more information about batteries and leave your details to stay informed about the developments in the field of energy storage.