SPIE offers innovative solution for grid congestion in retail in the Netherlands

Scherpenzeel, 30 April 2025 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has developed a pioneering solution for retail businesses looking to expand but hampered by grid congestion in the Netherlands. The high-tech energy hub, devised by SPIE Nederland and Switch Solutions, allowed a Jumbo entrepreneur in Scherpenzeel to open his new supermarket despite a limited energy supply.

Intelligent management of limited grid capacity

With increasing pressure on the power grid, more and more companies are facing grid congestion: a situation in which an existing power grid lacks the capacity needed to meet demand. This problem was also experienced by Mark Mudde, who was allocated only a third of the required power from his energy supplier. Thanks to the cooperation between SPIE, Switch Solutions and Van der Sijs Techniek en Automatisering, the required power was made available.

An innovative energy hub as a solution

“We were able to accommodate the additional power demand through an energy hub,” explains Adriaan Eveleens, operations manager at SPIE Nederland. “More importantly, this energy optimisation system allows us to guarantee operational reliability,” adds Tim Meuwsen, project manager at Switch Solutions. “Even at peak loads during busy shopping times, for example, the energy supply remains stable”.

Operational reliability and innovative technology

A key advantage of the power hub is the parallel-connected storage system, which ensures business continuity. “If one component fails, the rest keeps running,” Meuwsen explains. The technical aspects of implementation also called for an innovative approach. “The control cabinet in which everything was placed had to be specially designed. Normally, a cabinet has one or two power supplies, but this one has four. That made the design very challenging from a technical standpoint,” says Coen Hogendoorn, project manager at Van der Sijs.

Successful implementation and further roll-out

The new Jumbo in Scherpenzeel festively opened its doors in November 2024. During the peak load in the opening week and the busy holiday season, the energy hub proved itself: the shop was able to keep running without any problems. “This successful outcome shows that our solution not only works, but is also widely applicable in the retail sector,” said Eveleens.” SPIE is ready to implement this innovative technology for other customers to provide an answer to the growing problem of grid congestion”.