At Vandebron, one mission is central: to achieve a fully renewable energy supply in the Netherlands. With nearly 60% of its energy now produced sustainably, Vandebron is well on its way to meeting that ambitious goal. Still, the challenges are significant. How do you ensure that wind and solar energy are actually available at the moments they’re needed? And how do you prevent grid congestion from slowing down the energy transition? Philipp Katzenstein, Head of Product, explains: “Our customers want green — and often cheaper — energy. That’s a challenge we’re fully committed to, so that everyone can be part of the transition.”
Katzenstein is responsible for the producer side of the business: the long-term roadmap, product development, and connecting renewable producers to energy markets.
“We always need to act,” he explains, “because we work exclusively with renewable sources. Our annual production is about one and a half times the total consumption of our customers. That requires smart, scalable solutions to ensure this sustainable energy is actually used.” A key step is the development of a proprietary gateway solution that allows production assets to be controlled remotely. This creates more flexibility—essential for balancing supply and demand.
The energy market has changed rapidly. Where producers used to simply switch on a solar panel or wind turbine and receive a monthly invoice, congestion management now demands active engagement. Vandebron takes responsibility by guiding producers, providing insight, and making complex market dynamics easier to understand. Katzenstein explains: “We support producers with clear dashboards, automated billing, and access to various markets. This helps them respond more easily to congestion issues.”
The CBC contracts for Vandebron’s customers are now processed through the GOPACS platform. Redispatch is in preparation and is being developed in close cooperation with GOPACS staff. “GOPACS plays an important role for Vandebron by bringing different grid operators together and addressing congestion collectively. In the past, discussions were fragmented—now there is more coordination and structure,” says Katzenstein. Vandebron expects to be operational with redispatch via the platform in the third quarter. He emphasizes why this matters: “When renewable producers can’t feed electricity back into the grid, valuable green power is lost. That puts pressure on their business case—and on our mission.”
Despite progress, standardization remains a key issue. Vandebron uses a single pricing model for all customers to ensure simplicity and scalability. Still, they notice that other parties sometimes offer higher prices, which makes it difficult to retain producers long-term. “We don’t engage in cowboy deals,” says Katzenstein. “We pass most of the earnings through to the customer, but the company also needs to remain profitable. We believe sustainable business should be truly sustainable.”
To move closer to its 100% renewable goal, Vandebron is investing in both home batteries and storage at the production side. Flexibility is becoming one of the core components of tomorrow’s sustainable energy system. The ambitions are high, but Vandebron knows that without coordination and collaboration, the energy transition won’t succeed. Katzenstein concludes: “The technical and market complexity is significant, but that’s exactly why translating knowledge into simplicity for customers and producers is so important. GOPACS helps by providing direction and structure.”
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