No ordinary storage in a battery, but a smart interaction between safe, powerful energy cells and the existing installations that supply the entire site with energy. The brand new system was commissioned in October 2020.

For several years, the Erps-Kwerps site has been producing its own green energy via photovoltaic panels (500 kWp) and a combined heat and power plant that supplies both electricity and heat to the buildings throughout the site. We now are going a step further and we are working with various experts, including Energyville, Sunpower, Intilion, Heliostream and the VUB, on an energy management system that will set an example at various levels.

After extensive research, we ended up with the technology that turned out to be the most profitable and technically ready for the market: the storage of electricity in a made-up battery container.

“ Safety first. That's why D'Ieteren Immo opted for a 'fire protection rack': a concept in which the battery cells are divided into modules so that damage is limited in the event of an unexpected fire. In addition, the flue gases are ventilated to the outside after filtering out harmful substances, in order to safeguard the entire neighbourhood. Finally, the batteries are placed in a watertight tank so that the whole thing can be pumped under water in the event of a possible fire"

In order to make the most efficient use of energy, we opted for an energy management system (EMS - Energy Management System) from Heliostream that takes into account various variables: the expected sunshine and outside temperature, the energy prices of natural gas and electricity - including day and night tariffs - the consumption profiles of the entire site, the efficiency of the installations and the wear and tear of the batteries. The system is 'self-learning' and is adaptable to the evolution of the activities on the site.

In order to make the whole even more efficient, additional photovoltaic panels were installed at the end of 2019. All the panels together provide an impressive capacity of 1,250 kWp.