PV + storage + block power. Despite significant congestion challenges, a wonderful sustainable business case has been built on the beautiful Landgoed de Zandleij estate in Cromvoirt: 125 recreational homes running entirely on electricity (gas-free cooking & equipped with heat pumps) on a connection with a contracted capacity of only 41 kW. De Zandleij is therefore a fantastic example of how grid congestion problems in residential construction can be solved with own generation, block power, and smart control. Through smart control of all generation—all bungalows have PV (18 modules per home), an 833 kWp solar park has been built, and storage is provided by a 2 MWh battery—it has even been possible to create an energy-positive recreational park. In summer, the PV provides more than enough energy to charge the battery with its own green electricity, which can also be traded for extra returns. The challenge therefore lay in the darker months. Due to grid congestion, the park can only obtain sufficient power to charge the battery through a block power contract (full power only between midnight and 6 a.m.). That sounds fairly simple. But doing this in a cost-efficient way involves more than that. With Covolt's intelligent control system, the charging and discharging process is designed in such a way that the KwMax (the charging peak) and therefore also the costs remain as low as possible. Earn money in the summer, save money in the winter.
