Flying start for De Groene Vlieg thanks to BESS

De Groene Vlieg praises ELINEX Power Solutions for their excellent cooperation, open communication and expertise, stressing that everyone is satisfied with the result.

The Netherlands has many lesser-known companies doing important work. De Groene Vlieg is one such company. Here, insects are bred to help protect crops naturally in agriculture. Thanks to the work of De Groene Vlieg and the smart use of ‘insects as a tailor-made solution’, the agricultural sector can do with no or less chemical pesticides. By optimally controlling diseases and pests in a biological way, De Groene Vlieg contributes to a more sustainable, healthy agriculture together with the sector. It goes without saying that organic products from the Groene Vlieg are increasingly in demand. Reason enough for the company to expand its activities. The first branch in Nieuwe Tonge will now be joined by a brand new second site in Dronten. The biggest challenge in construction? The power supply. Fortunately, project managers Kasper Hissink and Gert-Jan Meijlink found a solution, together with ELINEX Power Solutions.

Complete new building in existing premises

Kasper Hissink and Gert-Jan Meijlink were involved in the construction of the new facility as freelance project leaders. Kasper is an expert in electrical installations, while Gert-Jan is a mechanical engineer with a specialisation in plant design. ‘De Groene Vlieg asked us to join the installation project team together. This also included Van Dorp Installations and Equans. Our goal: to set up the new insect farm in Dronten in an optimised likeness of Nieuwe Tonge. We are talking about an existing building in Dronten, in which a complete new construction has taken place. A box within a box, so to speak.’

‘Turn in 2029’

A new Large Consumption Connection was requested for Dronten. This could be physically installed, however, not supply power until 2029. ‘Absolutely unworkable,’ outlines Gert-Jan. ‘So another solution had to be found. The challenge became how to deal with the connections as energy-efficiently as possible and find a solution for absorbing peaks in consumption. In addition, there had to be an emergency power supply. By sitting down with ELINEX, a good solution was found in the form of a BESS.’

Delicate production process

Gert-Jan explains the importance of consistent power supply and emergency power for the production process. ‘We work with live material. The larvae en masse sitting in a breeding tank together produce an enormous amount of heat. Therefore, they need to be cooled back to a non-harmful temperature. De Groene Vlieg can produce year-round, the ‘pupae’ are kept in cold storage from September to March, at exactly the right temperature. Should power supply problems arise, a ‘harvest’ could fail completely. Disastrous for farmers who count on the supply of their crop protective insects, at the time they are needed.’ When we ask Gert-Jan about a practical example of the use of crop protective insects. ‘Looking at onion cultivation, we see that an infestation of onion flies can ruin an entire onion crop. Onion flies lay their eggs near the onion plants and once the larvae hatch, they feast on the onion plants. De Groene Vlieg breeds onion flies and treats the larvae in such a way that they become infertile. So the flies that pupate cannot provide offspring. By letting these flies mate with onion flies in the field, no fertilisation takes place. As traditionally, the onion flies lay their eggs near the onion plants, however, these do not hatch. So the onions can grow without chemical pesticides. This saves more than the onion crop, also other insects and birds that eat these insects do not get the poison.’

BESS system of 200 kWh

Together with ELINEX, we looked at which Battery Energy Storage Solution was suitable for the demand and situation. This turned out to be a BESS of 200 kWh. A Huawei LUNA with PCS 100 kW and ESS 200 kWh was chosen. ‘This was installed in one go, over 10 metres away from the premises,’ says Gert-Jan. ‘100 kW is the power used to charge and discharge. 200 kWh is the capacity. In practice, that means the battery can supply 100 kW for 2 hours. In practice, the BESS is used for peak shaving. We have calculated that the power consumption to capture the peaks will be around 50 kW, so everything is generous. Power from the grid is used first, and when there is a shortfall, the BESS jumps in. It supplies what is currently under-supplied from the grid.’

The battery can be charged by 400 solar panels, the grid and/or a generator. The beating digital heart of the electrical system is the EMS supplied by ELINEX. ‘The EMS is the brain of the setup. The system measures, signals and controls, linked to the Main Distribution Cabinet.’

Good cooperation and top result

Gert-Jan credits ELINEX Power Solutions for the good cooperation. ‘From the very first moment, the contact was good. We especially worked together with Willard from ELINEX. There is open communication, flat organisational structure and a lot of expertise. ELINEX is a pleasant company to work with.’ Everyone is satisfied with the result!