SPIE installs charging infrastructure for more than 200 electric buses around Amsterdam

Zaandam, 12 June 2023 – SPIE Nederland, the Dutch subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, is developing two completely new bus depots in Purmerend and Zaandam for electric buses of public transport company EBS. At these two locations, SPIE is responsible for the design, engineering, delivery, installation and commissioning of energy supply and distribution systems. The teams will also work on the setup of an associated data network. A great assignment, in which SPIE uses its knowledge and skills to further accelerate the energy transition of Amsterdam

SPIE's expertise in this field was a decisive factor in the award of this contract by EBS. For this contract, SPIE Nederland will partner with EBS, engineering company Van Delft Infra and construction contractor Aan de Stegge. The teams will also be working with Iwell for the supply of battery installations and energy storage systems, Izen for the building of solar carports and Siemens, who will provide the charging stations.

Infrastructure development and power distribution setup

SPIE will start realising supply terminals, which will be connected to the grid operator's electricity network. From there, the cables can be laid that runs to the buses. To convert the power supply from the incoming 10kV to the required 400V, an Energy Distribution Station (EDS) is needed, in which the medium-voltage distributor, transformers and low-voltage distributors will be placed. From there, all cabling will be laid across the entire site; medium-voltage cables to the procurement station and low-voltage cables to (among others) chargers, PV inverters and structures such as the office building and car wash.

An efficient energy management system

DC cabling between chargers, and both fibre-optic cables and UTP1 cabling for the data network also depart from the EDS. A deep basement under the station provides space for all cables. The generated energy from the solar carport is stored in batteries (BESS2 ) and used during charging peaks. All this is monitored by an energy management system, part of the hardware of which is being built by SPIE in the form of a fibre optic network and power coils. The hardware and software together ensure that the energy generated is regulated.

Peter van Leeuwen, Proposal Engineer at SPIE, sees it as a nice, sustainable step, in line with SPIE's ambitions: "Although the development of electric buses and the associated charging infrastructure is still relatively new, its roll-out is moving fast. City and regional transport are being electrified at a rapid pace. A great opportunity for SPIE to use its knowledge and expertise to help accelerate this transition." A meadow in Purmerend and a wasteland in Zaandam will be transformed into two charging plazas in the coming months.

Both locations will be commissioned by the end of this year.