PowerField launches PowerField Energy with commissioning of 52 MWh energy storage system 

With this step, PowerField is launching its new business unit, PowerField Energy, which will manage the supply and sale of solar energy to the electricity grid. This marks a new phase in the formation of PowerField’s ‘Virtual Power Plant,’ which combines the generation, storage, and use of solar energy. 

PowerField aims to have over 1 GWp of operational solar parks and 2 GWh of operational energy storage systems in the Dutch electricity grid by 2028. Subsidiary PowerGo is an emerging player in the European (fast) charging industry for electric vehicles (EVs). The charging points are powered by solar energy from PowerField’s solar parks and storage systems. PowerGo has over 1,500 operational charging points and more than 15,000 fast charging points in development. 

Strengthening the sustainable energy chain 

PowerField Energy supplies, sells, and trades energy from PowerField’s solar parks and energy storage systems, ensuring a stable energy flow to the electricity grid. 

Jean-Louis Bertholet, CEO of PowerField: “We aim to optimize our energy streams as much as possible by combining generation, storage, and now the deployment under our own management. We believe we have a responsibility within the balance of the electricity market. PowerField plays an increasingly important role in the generation, storage, management, and delivery of Dutch solar energy.” 

The Dutch government will introduce new regulations for energy storage systems from January 1 2025, to encourage solar projects with energy storage. Jean-Louis Bertholet: “We also recognized the importance of energy storage and didn’t want to wait. We pushed forward with our battery projects and PowerField Energy to realize and optimize the integration of solar parks and storage systems in the Dutch electricity market as quickly as possible. Our project location in Wanneperveen is an example of this. We are implementing solutions here as required by the Dutch government starting next year.” 

First projects with energy storage 

The project in Wanneperveen is one of the first projects where PowerField stores solar energy. The 28 MWp solar park and the 52 MWh storage system together form the largest ‘co-location’ in the Netherlands, combining the generation and storage of sustainable energy. The energy storage system was commissioned at the end of June 2024. PowerField is also currently developing a 12 MWh battery project in Emmen to store energy from the adjacent solar park. 

Grid operator Enexis Netbeheer and PowerField have signed a time-bound contract for the projects in Wanneperveen and Emmen, granting PowerField flexible access to the electricity grid when transport capacity is available. When there is insufficient grid capacity, the batteries store the generated power. The released capacity can be used by Enexis for other sustainable energy projects. 

Dutch solar energy 

PowerField Energy makes solar energy available to the European energy market. Additionally, a significant portion of this sustainable energy is supplied to subsidiary PowerGo to power EV charging stations with renewable energy. PowerField Energy also makes the energy available to large consumers, allowing companies to purchase sustainable electricity from PowerField Energy through Guarantees of Origin (GoO) certificates and Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs). 

“The launch of PowerField Energy and the commissioning of our first battery projects are important milestones in our ambition to realize a Virtual Power Plant, in which we sustainably and balancedly market our own energy production,” said Jean-Louis Bertholet.