Electric boilers: a steadily growing group of growers are using them within their companies. The boilers allow them to convert electricity into hot water at times of excess supply. That water is buffered in existing hot water tanks. If they need the heat for their crops, the growers can use it. This way, the growers contribute to the sustainable use and deployment of energy, and it also gives them something extra.
OSH has been supplying the e-boilers to growers for a while now. It does so in cooperation with BKC (Boeters Ketel Constructie). Mark Welle, commercial manager at OSH: "We usually deploy e-boilers within the built environment, for example as a back-up for CHPs (heat and cold storage). The boilers build up their power slowly and therefore do not operate as quickly. You can compare them to a kettle; e-boilers heat water using electricity. When I was called last year by a grower who wanted to use an e-boiler within his company, a new world opened up for us. We are now happily supplying more and more e-boilers for horticulture in the Benelux."
Capturing overcapacity
Why? In the Netherlands, on certain days and times, much more sustainable electricity is generated by windmills and solar panels than can be consumed on the electricity grid. Overcapacity of electricity, in other words. Mark: "More and more growers are using the e-boiler to store this overcapacity as heat in a buffer. The heat from that buffer can be used by growers at times when they need it, and when the rate for energy through other means is high. Win-win, you could say."
Greening
"Or actually: win-win-win," says grower Rob Varekamp of Varekamp de Zeeuw in De Lier. Because in addition to the fact that he and the grid operator benefit from the deployment of e-boilers, the world also ultimately benefits, he believes. The use of e-boilers reduces the use of fossil fuels.
Rob: "Our company is 40,000 m2 in size. We grow snack tomatoes. In doing so, we deploy a mix of installations and energy sources. We use geothermal heat, cogeneration, the e-boiler and a gas boiler. This allows us to switch between four heat sources and help better balance energy on the grid. We reduce our costs and keep the cost of our product as low as possible for consumers. And we are doing our part to help green the industry and the world."
For more information:
Mark Welle
OSH B.V.
[email protected]
tel. +31 (0) 6 222 35 707
BKC
[email protected]
tel. +31 (0) 174 – 626 081