Response from Lifeport Arnhem-Nijmegen Region to
the impending disconnection in the Central Netherlands
The warning that no new power connections may be issued for homes in the central Netherlands from this summer underlines the urgency of the grid congestion problem. In Gelderland, Utrecht and Flevoland, housing projects are at risk of being delayed because the electricity grid has insufficient capacity during peak times.
Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen understands the concerns of municipalities, developers and companies. At the same time, it is important to define the problem precisely: the grid is not structurally "full", but gets overloaded at specific moments. Especially in the morning and between 4pm and 9pm, peak load occurs because households simultaneously use power for heat pumps, electric vehicles and other applications. The peak load is the bottleneck.
Working together on solutions
"Grid congestion is not a lack of electricity, but an issue of peak load. In Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen, we are already working on concrete solutions such as smart control, local storage and price incentives, creating space for housing and economic growth and the necessary energy transition." said Jan van Dellen, director The Economic Board Region Arnhem Nijmegen.
Within Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen, companies, grid managers, knowledge institutes and governments have been working together on structural solutions for some time. Connectr Energy Innovation plays a connecting role here as an innovation platform for electrification and energy systems. The National Grid Congestion Expertise Centre acts as a national expertise centre for smart solutions for companies.
The region sees three solution directions that directly contribute to alleviating grid pressure.
- Behaviour and price incentives: creating space without extra cables
The electricity grid has considerably more capacity outside peak hours than is often used. Shifting usage to off-peak hours can immediately create space.
This requires:
- time-dependent tariffs for households and businesses
- Financial incentives for flexible use;
- clear communication about peak and off-peak times.
Behavioural change is the fastest and most cost-efficient way to free up capacity, without large-scale grid reinforcement.
- Smart control: organising flexibility through technology
Modern software makes it possible to control appliances and installations automatically. Heat pumps, charging stations and cooling systems can be temporarily postponed or shifted to times when the grid has space.
In neighbourhoods and business parks, these solutions are already being applied through Smart Energy Hubs, where supply and demand are matched locally. Through real-time control, the grid can be used more efficiently without loss of comfort for users.
- Local energy storage: dampening peaks, enabling development
Battery storage offers the possibility of temporarily storing energy and delivering it back at a later time. This allows peaks to be smoothed out and housing and sustainability projects to go ahead while grid expansion takes place.
Storage is not a substitute for grid reinforcement, but it is an essential tool to make the transition period manageable.
Realism about security of supply
The energy transition is developing faster than the expansion of infrastructure. The growth of electric mobility and heat pumps has greatly increased demand. This calls for a system that is smarter and more flexible.
Full security of supply at all times is not a given in a highly electrified system. By combining flexibility, storage and smart control, reliability can remain high without bringing economic development to a standstill.
From peak problem to system solution
The looming connection freeze shows that the challenge is not in the lack of electricity, but in dealing with simultaneous use. Combining behaviour, technology and storage can create space for housing, sustainability and economic growth.
Within Lifeport Regio Arnhem Nijmegen, these solutions are developed and applied in practice. The region thus shows that grid congestion does not have to be an end point, but a design task that requires cooperation, innovation and system thinking.
