An ice rink with a grid challenge

Rotterdam faces severe grid congestion: there is virtually no capacity left in the city for new large-consumer connections. Schaatsbaan Rotterdam encountered a different, less visible challenge. The rink uses its heavy grid connection intensively for only four months a year, while the connection itself remains available and therefore partly underutilized for the rest of the year. Director Tijs Nederlof sought a way to make this inactive capacity valuable, rather than just saving on consumption.

The solution: a 1MW battery container with smart control

ChargeBlock supplied the battery container that forms the basis of the solution: a 1-megawatt system placed on the ice rink premises. Eneco controls the container via its Virtual Power Plant platform, which automatically determines when the battery charges and discharges based on market prices, weather forecasts, and grid conditions.

• During the skating season, the battery absorbs peaks, ensuring that the operation of the rink does not place additional strain on the grid

• Outside the season, the freed-up connection capacity is used to purchase electricity at low prices, store energy, and feed it back when demand is high

• The system thus contributes to reducing local grid congestion year-round, even when the ice rink itself is not active
  
  

The results in figures

• 1 MW battery container, supplied by ChargeBlock

• Energy bill reduced from approximately €200,000 per year towards a virtually cost-neutral energy balance

• Investment of approximately €250,000 after subsidy, with an expected payback period of about 2.5 years

• Year-round utilization of a grid connection that was previously largely unused for eight to nine months a year

  
  

What this project demonstrates about resolving grid congestion

Schaatsbaan Rotterdam demonstrates that a battery container not only provides cost savings, but can also serve as a business model, particularly for organizations with a highly seasonal energy profile. By combining storage capacity with smart energy management, an existing grid connection remains productive all year round, instead of lying idle for months on end.

For companies facing the same barrier of grid congestion—whether due to peak loads during part of the year, growing energy consumption, or the desire to become more independent of the grid—this project serves as a concrete example of how a battery container for commercial and industrial applications reduces both energy bills and grid strain.

Interested in what a battery container can do for your organization?
Request a consultation and discover how ChargeBlock can reduce energy costs and grid congestion for your business.


Source: Change.inc, article on Schaatsbaan Rotterdam, in collaboration with Eneco (paraphrased). https://www.change.inc/partner/schaatsbaan-rotterdam-weet-met-slimme-investering-congestie-te-verlichten-en-energie-kostenneutraal-te-worden