Jelle Stoppelenburg is Product Manager for CSP Services at Repowered. Repowered helps businesses manage their energy systems intelligently and make the most of their flexibility. As an independent CSP, the company makes that flexibility available to system operators. One of its customers is the Vloeivelden Hollandia solar park.
The Vloeivelden Hollandia solar park has a peak capacity of 115 MWp and a 70 MW connection. Novar, Avitec Infra & Milieu and Hoornstra Infrabouw developed the solar park. Its connection to the electricity grid runs through potato processor Avebe’s closed distribution system.
But there is more happening behind that connection. Avebe’s electricity consumption varies with the potato processing season. It uses electricity from the solar park and also generates electricity itself to meet the heat demand of its production processes. The site also has a 5 MW electrolyser that converts renewable electricity into green hydrogen. Repowered manages this electrolyser in its role as BRP.
Managing output without shutting everything down
Together with the owners, Novar, Avitec and Hoornstra, Repowered entered into a capacity steering contract with TenneT for the solar park. When TenneT needs less electricity fed into the grid, Repowered receives an activation the day before delivery. TenneT often asks for the power fed into the electricity grid to drop to zero. But that does not mean losing all of the solar park’s output.
“When TenneT activates the contract, we make sure no electricity flows into the grid, as requested. At the same time, we keep enough electricity available for the electrolyser so it can continue producing green hydrogen,” Jelle explains. Repowered therefore looks beyond the connection to the public grid to what happens behind the meter. “We make the smartest possible use of the capacity behind the meter. Ultimately, we all share the same goal: making better use of the electricity grid.”
Automated from activation to settlement
As an optimiser, Repowered offers services across all market roles: BRP, BSP and CSP. At this site, however, it acts as an independent CSP. Another party fulfils the BRP role and directly controls the solar park. Close coordination is therefore essential. Repowered has set up an automated interface with the BRP. As soon as TenneT issues an activation, the BRP automatically receives the information and can act accordingly.
Working together to find a way forward
The solar park’s CSC has been in place since 2025. The first year in particular involved breaking new ground. The closed distribution system made the situation complex. For example, where do you measure compliance with an activation when TenneT cannot see exactly what happens behind that system?
Repowered, TenneT, Avebe and the solar park’s owners worked together to find a practical solution. “For a long time, closed systems presented a challenge for system operators. But TenneT needed this flexibility and said: let’s work out together how we can make it happen. It was a very positive collaboration.”
The process now runs so smoothly that Jelle hardly needs to monitor it. “The first few times we had to bring the power at the main connection down to zero at seven in the morning, I was still sitting at my laptop, wondering whether everything would work. But those concerns proved unfounded: everything runs fully automatically, and we have a robust, reliable system in place.”
At a glance
Who: Repowered, Vloeivelden Hollandia solar park and Avebe
What: Capacity steering of a solar park through a closed distribution system
Solar park: 115 MW
Connection: 70 MW
Additional flexibility: A 5 MW electrolyser for green hydrogen production
What makes it stand out: Smart use of the available capacity behind the meter, even during an activation
