Two years ago, Mopabloem asked Grid Services to think of ways to reduce gas consumption and make the energy system more flexible. The direct reason was the very high energy bill resulting from the war in Ukraine.
More reasons were at play: the possible increase in energy tax for growers, a possible CO2 tax and CO2’s serious contribution to global warming.
Managing energy costs
At Mopabloem they have always focused on managing energy costs — primarily by using a Combined Heat and Power unit (CHP) combined with a 500m³ heat storage system. The basic idea of the 1.5 MW CHP is that it converts 1 m³ of gas into approximately 3.5 kWh electrical and 6 kWh heat. They sell the surplus electricity on the energy market, aiming to get a price that makes the heat effectively “free”.
3 methods for less gas use
After investigating possibilities, we devised 3 methods to reduce gas consumption:
Air dryers — With Installatieburo Eval we applied specially developed air dryers in the greenhouses to remove moisture from tulip forcing, without opening roof windows and losing heat.
Solar panels — Around 3,500 panels were installed on the roofs and walls of the business premises, good for a peak capacity of 1 MW.
E-boilers and batteries — 2.2 MW of e-boilers, heat storage expanded to 850m³, and a battery of over 1 MW (1.1 MWh).
Result
In the first calendar year they consumed around 300,000 m³ less gas than before — the target remains a reduction of 400,000 m³. The battery and the entire system pay back in six to seven years.