Nature-inclusive farming and generating energy without harming nature

Jan Rasenberg of Natuurboerderij Zonzeel is very satisfied with ELINEX. ‘We worked together very well and the entire process, from advice to delivery, went completely according to plan.’ ELINEX was approached by the Power Consultancy Group on behalf of Natuurboerderij Zonzeel. PCG developed an integrated plan for the implementation of a BESS in combination with a 900 kWp solar roof.

Natuurboerderij Zonzeel is located in the green polders of Hooge Zwaluwe, on the border between clay and sandy soil. It is a dairy and sheep farm, but whose mission extends beyond milk production alone. Owner Jan Rasenberg and his family have been farming the land for generations, but recently the focus has become more sharply defined: nature-inclusive farming, as a living example that agriculture and nature are not opposites, but can reinforce each other. When the municipality of Drimmelen announced its plans to install solar panels on agricultural land, Jan Rasenberg came up with a better plan. Instead of putting pressure on the agricultural market by covering farmland with solar panels and thus damaging biodiversity, he proposed installing solar panels on the roofs of the buildings on his property. “Opgewekt Drimmelen” agreed, and ELINEX was later brought in to supply and install the battery energy storage systems (BESS).

Contributing to the energy transition

The “Opgwerkt Drimmelen” plan involves a cooperative in which solar panels are installed across a large area, with residents having the opportunity to purchase shares. These are known as “Zondeelen” (solar shares). This gives residents who are unable to install solar panels themselves the opportunity to invest in solar energy and benefit from it. The plan was to install solar panels on agricultural land. For us as a nature-inclusive farm, that was not an option. Our nature farm is land-based, and our land area is directly related to the number of animals we keep. Since we had three farm buildings with empty roofs on our property, we proposed installing the solar panels there. That worked out fine."

Earning extra income by trading in energy

Nature farm Zonzeel joined the cooperative with its own Zondeelen and expanded with additional solar panels on its roofs. ‘In this way, we contribute to the energy transition and, as a nature farm, we take our social responsibility seriously,’ explains Jan. "The next logical step for us was to store our own solar energy and trade it on the imbalance market. The combination of optimised energy procurement, our own solar panels and a BESS makes this possible. It also allows us to optimise our own energy generation and consumption. ELINEX advised us well on this and provided us with a tailor-made solution." This solution consists of two ELINEX POWER CUBE 1000 systems, each with a capacity of 500kW/1,000kWh. The total capacity of this BESS solution is 1 MW inverter & 2 MWh battery. The connected EMS is linked to the BESS installation, but also to the PV installation and the energy trader's gateway for trading on the imbalance market.

The battery containers are robustly constructed. Jan: "These containers were selected by ELINEX and adapted for use on the farm. This solution makes our company completely self-sufficient and also gives us the opportunity to trade, which is another attractive revenue model. The ELINEX POWER CUBE 1000 is a great solution for the traditional agricultural sector, which is coming under increasing pressure. The energy transition is also very important for farmers. For us, this solution fits in very well with the nature conservation work that takes place here."

Finally, we ask Jan Rasenberg what else is being done within the energy transition. He replies: "We are currently in a replacement phase with our company, we are going to make everything as energy efficient as possible. We are currently switching to LED lighting and installing frequency-controlled pumps at our water points and milking machines. Our energy consumption is already fairly low. Thanks to ELINEX's BESS solution, we can be self-sufficient when it comes to energy consumption."

Tekst: Draeckensteijn Media

Video & foto's: LYSmedia