Grid operators test storing electricity in batteries at homes to relieve energy network

Grid operator Liander and energy company Zonneplan will investigate in the coming months whether the automatic storage of generated electricity in a home battery helps against the problems on the full power grid. The companies are conducting a trial with this in households in Arnhem starting this month.

When a lot of power is used and generated, the grid can become overloaded. Grid operators such as Liander invest billions every year in strengthening the electricity grid to counteract these problems. By temporarily switching off solar panels at these times and storing the power in a home battery, these types of problems should be reduced in the short term.

Solar panel owners can choose not to send power to the grid when the panels are off in exchange for compensation. Liander offers to compensate people if they miss out on income because of this. The stored power can be fed back into the grid at quieter times.

The trial will run until November. After that, Liander and Zonneplan will see if they can introduce this method in other parts of the Netherlands.

Recently, grid operator Stedin announced that it would conduct a similar trial with energy supplier Eneco. These companies allow homeowners in Zeeland to temporarily turn off their solar panels on sunny days for a fee. In response, Alliander, the owner of Liander, announced that it would be investigating various ways to relieve the full electricity grid. Alliander manages the electricity grid in Gelderland, Noord-Holland, Flevoland, among other countries.

Homeowners' interest group Vereniging Eigen Huis (VEH) reported earlier this week that it had also started a pilot with home batteries. The devices will be installed in fourteen homes of members to see how interesting energy storage is for homeowners. According to VEH, the test will last two years.