In the Netherlands, we are becoming more and more sustainable, using renewable electricity instead of fossil fuels. This development increases pressure on the power grid. A key question that often arises here is, “How do we handle this energy transition in times of grid congestion?” In late January, Opcharge organized the seminar Net-Aware Charging – The Future of E-mobility to answer this question. Five experts shared the latest insights on various aspects of E-mobility and grid congestion.
Speakers
As the first speaker, Bram Hendrix (Rai Automotive Industry) shared with the audience his perspective from the automotive industry. There is a major change taking place in the automotive industry where we are moving from gasoline and diesel cars to electric cars. In recent years, there has already been a significant increase in the number of electric cars, and this will continue to rise significantly in the coming years. This growth requires many investments and changes, but according to Bram, we can do it together.
Next, Gert Wagenvoort and Maarten Venselaar of Enexis spoke about the perspective of a grid operator.
They talked about grid congestion and the solutions Enexis is working on, among other things, to combat grid congestion.
For example, they are working on expanding the electricity grid.
Kevin de Bont (OpenToControl) shared his insights on smart energy management in practice. He sees smart charging as a possible solution to grid congestion, but also notes that it is still little used. Freddy van Nispen, co-founder of Opcharge, hooks up: “What you can do with smart charging is move the moment of charging. That’s why charging infrastructure is interesting to make that move toward smart charging and reduce grid congestion.”
Finally, René Peters (TNO) spoke about hydrogen and the role of hydrogen in E-mobility and grid congestion. René explained that hydrogen can be used for many different things within the energy system, but the alternatives are often more attractive. For example, little green hydrogen is still being produced and hydrogen prices are also very high.
Following the presentations by the five speakers, a panel discussion took place.
All attendees could ask their questions about E-mobility and grid congestion.
Opcharge would like to thank all the speakers and attendees for an informative and inspiring afternoon.