Hotel owner creates own local energy grid as sustainable solution to grid congestion

Companies across Europe are switching to electricity to reduce their CO2 emissions. In doing so, they are increasingly running into the limitations of the electricity grid. So other solutions are needed. With Buildings as a Grid, the solution from power management company Eaton, a Dutch entrepreneur even managed to turn the lack of an adequate grid connection into an advantage for his hotel near Schiphol Airport.

The electricity grid is outdated and often full, which means that grid operators can sometimes no longer offer their customers a grid connection. This is especially true for commercial, industrial and residential applications. In several parts of Europe, notably Germany, Italy, Poland, Denmark, the UK, Ireland and the Netherlands, grid limitations are already putting a brake on further electrification. Only Finland still has a truly open and available electricity grid^*).

The limits of the power grid

The owner of hotel The Florian in Hoofddorp was also running up against the limits of the grid and partnered with international power management company Eaton to ensure his hotel always has enough electricity, at low cost and with a small carbon footprint. By choosing Buildings as a Grid, Eaton's energy transition solution, the entrepreneur was able to transform a former office building near Schiphol Airport into a lively and hip hotel that makes full use of renewable energy, despite the capacity problems of the power grid

Energy strategy

Eaton has developed an energy strategy for The Florian, with a rooftop solar panel installation (30kWp) and the Eaton xStorage battery energy storage system (40kW power and 50kWh capacity), creating an optimal mix of generated solar energy and the electricity available within the grid connection. A 'peak shaving' system ensures that energy from the batteries is used during peak electricity demand times in the hotel. This keeps the total electricity use at these times neatly within the limits agreed with the energy supplier, while also saving a lot of money.

The Buildings as a Grid solution is scalable. An expandable system of EV chargers was installed at the hotel and integrated into the energy management system via Eaton's in-house developed Buildings Energy Management Software (BEMS). Thanks to advanced algorithms in the software, power is made instantly available where it is needed most for charging electric vehicles and other electric applications in the hotel. At the same time, the xStorage battery is kept charged to replace power from the grid when needed.

Energy management software

BEMS continuously analyses trends in current and previous energy use of the hotel and even monitors weather forecasts to ensure that always the cheaper and more sustainable energy from the solar panels is maximised to reduce both energy bills and the hotel's carbon footprint.

The hotel owner, who prefers to be addressed by his first name - Tony - is enthusiastic about the results. "Our Buildings as a Grid approach at The Florian is achieving excellent results. By 2022, we have been able to keep our energy costs under control, despite huge energy price increases. At the same time, we were able to reduce our CO2 emissions by over 15 tonnes, if you compare that to the average for a building of this size. And, very importantly, we have stayed within the limits of our grid connection. Had that not been achieved, we might have had to close."

Richard ter Horst, Product Manager Buildings as a Grid at Eaton: "The application of Eaton's Buildings as a Grid concept at hotel The Florian shows that it pays for entrepreneurs to look at solutions other than heavier connections to the existing energy grid. We are happy to contribute to the energy transition in this way and can support many more entrepreneurs with this sustainable solution."

*) The comment on grid availability in the article is based on figures from REA's Energy Transition Readiness Index, which has been supported by Eaton since its inception. The index reflects the level of progress in energy transformation of specific European countries from a business and investment perspective. A report is available with the results of the survey. REA - the Association for Renewable Energy and Clean Technology - is a not-for-profit organisation founded in 2001. 

The latest report can be found here. The 2023 report will be released on 8 November presented in London.