Industry accounts for at least 50% of Dutch energy consumption. Energy-intensive companies in particular are keen to control energy costs. The growing importance of electrification and being able to better align consumption with available production is often clear to these companies. If one wants to convert this theory into practice, knowledge and systems are needed that have not yet penetrated as far in industry as in greenhouse horticulture. Enova took the first step in industry in 2014 and has already come so far that now, four years later, several dozen energy-intensive companies with flexibility are using our possibilities to convert this flexibility into lower costs.

Sustainable energy has become increasingly popular in recent years, but energy generation from wind started decades ago. This is evident from the fact that many wind farms no longer receive subsidies, while they did receive them during the first 15 years of their existence. Due to a market price that is often only a quarter of the subsidy price and maintenance costs that simply continue, continuing without subsidies is becoming a challenge for many wind farm managers. With a multitude of smart innovations, Enova believes that it should be possible to guarantee a profitable business model, even without a subsidy regime. If we want to prevent the energy bill of the citizen from only continuing to rise, this is a must for the future.

Solar energy has also been on the agenda since 2016, but it is developing very quickly. For example, it seems that 2,000 MW of capacity will be added in the next two years alone. Large-scale power generation in this way often takes place on the roofs of industrial companies. This is, just like with wind turbines, compensated on the basis of the electricity produced. The company will not always be able to consume this solar power itself, such as outside working hours. Optimization for these companies is therefore necessary, especially when it is considered that energy tax and other costs must always be paid on imported power. This does not apply to self-generated power, so that is a good reason to look at how consumption and generation can be flexibly coordinated.