Member news February
Green Deal Circulair Bouwen
Construction companies, local and regional governments and producers in the construction materials industry have partnered up with several organizations with a key goal: to make circular building a sustainable reality in Flanders.
And the winner of the Febeliec Energy Award is…
For the fourth year running, Febeliec awards the company that has best contributed to solving the most pressing energy challenges with its very own Energy Award. This year, Smappee took home the trophy. Read the article to find out why!
Cleantech City (21st March): the bi-annual gathering of ambitious energy innovators
Energy is always on the move. That’s why the latest edition of the bi-annual Cleantech City conference is all about mobility. What alternatives do we have, how do we implement them, and how can you make the transition to sustainable mobility alternatives? Find out and enrol today!
How will you be using the Mobile Green Energy System (MGES)?
The Mobile Green Energy System is a fast-loading mobile battery system that can be used modularly in urban environments. Noisy, polluting and diesel-guzzling generators are finally a thing of the past. Project partner Bart Meersman from S²ENSO walks you through the ins and outs of the system in our first of five articles about pilot projects changing our cities, developed by Stadslab2050.
11th energy congress: "energy transition in the building sector"
The 11th edition of the Energy Congress focuses on the energy transition that Flanders is facing now. As well as to make the existing building park energy-efficient, and to guarantee and streamline the energy supply for buildings in a sustainable manner. That is why the conference is once again focusing on forerunners in Energy-efficient, innovative (re)building & comfortable living.
Interreg North-West Europe: ninth call for projects
If you just know your transnational cooperation initiative could turn one of the Interreg North-West Europe programme objectives into reality, submit your project proposal. Learn all about the programme on their website and get ready to bring your proposal to life today!
Vito + your consultant skills = success?
Vito is looking for a consultant to strengthen their energy market team within their R&D and Engineering department. Sounds like the right challenge for you?
Green Deal Circulair Bouwen
- let’s build the future of building
Construction companies, local and regional governments and producers in the construction materials industry have partnered up with several organizations with a key goal: to make circular building a sustainable reality in Flanders.
Get ready to build a greener future! On 22 February 2019, our Flemish Minister for Environment, Nature and Agriculture, Koen Van den Heuvel, will launch the Green Deal Circulair Bouwen – an initiative by Vlaanderen Circulair, Ovam and the Vlaamse Confederatie Bouw.
This joint initiative will ensure that construction companies, building material companies, local and regional governments, private builders, researchers and other organizations work closely together to make circular building a reality in Flanders.
What is this Green Deal all about?
The Green Deal is about learning and doing together. All participants will carry out experiments and share their knowledge in a learning network. We’ll test tools, methods and new forms of chain cooperation.
A research group will also support participants with the legal, financial and other prerequisites we’ll encounter along the way. Data and experiment outcomes will form the basis of the research. Together, we’ll achieve productive solutions.
Engaging all participants
To take part in the Green Deal Cirulair Bouwen, you have to…
- … execute at least one pilot project over the course of the Green Deal, for instance carrying out a building project or research, offering circular products or services, developing circular resources, facilitating circular construction projects, etc.
- … actively be a part of the learning network, sharing knowledge and experience with other participants.
- … agree to Circulair Bouwen researchers having access to all relevant data, results and key learnings from pilot projects and to taking the necessary steps to structurally integrate the circular building principles into your own organization.
Want to become a part of this exciting Green Deal project?
And the winner of the Febeliec Energy Award is…
For the fourth year running, Febeliec awards the company that has best contributed to solving the most pressing energy challenges with its very own Energy Award. This year, Smappee took home the trophy.
The great energy challenges of today are the reason this award was created. Febeliec, the organization of industrial energy users, sought out a project, concept or idea that could contribute to solving the energy problems of the Belgian industry.
Creative encouragement
We organized the Febeliec Energy Award to stimulate creativity and innovation in addressing the energy challenges we face.
“To face the energy challenges of today, we need innovative solutions and out-of-the-box thinking. These challenges won’t be solved by applying current technology. Hence our call for creative and innovative projects to improve energy efficiency in Belgium, by increasing certainty in energy distribution or improving competitive pricing”, says Peter Claes, General Manager of Febeliec.
And the winner is…
Three finalists were selected to pitch their project to a jury of top Belgian industrialists and academics. The jury ultimately chose “Smappee Infinity – Meet the next revolution in energy management” as the winner. Hans Delabie, COO of Smappee, received the Febeliec Energy Award on behalf of the company.
“It wasn’t an easy task”, explained Wim Van Gerven, the chairman of the jury. “We had three strong competitors, each with its own strengths. In the end, we made the final call based on the combination of project possibilities. It’s a project that uses existing technology to look to the future in a client-centred way.”
With this award, the jury wishes to emphasize the importance of sensible energy usage: knowing what is used and when contributes to a more rational and cheaper use of energy. This allows end users to respond flexibly to pricing signals and thus save considerably on their utility bills.
Contact: Thérèse van Bellinghen (Op de Beeck & Partners) – Tel. 0475 47 82 33 – therese@opdebeeck-partners.be
Members of the jury: Wim van Gerven (CEO Business Division, North ArcelorMittal – Flat Products – chairman of the jury), Christiane Malcorps (Globad Head of Facility Excellence & Country Manager, Belgium Solvay), William D’Haeseleer (Professor, KULeuven), André Bouffioux (CEO, Siemens Belgium-Luxembourg – assigned countries: North & West-Central Africa), Daniel Dobbeni (President, KIC InnoEnergy Benelux), Jean-Claude Maun (Professor, ULB), Luc Huysmans (Journalist, Trends), Christine Scharff (Journalist, L’Echo), and Luc Sterckx (President, Febeliec).
Take part in Cleantech City, the event that puts the future of mobility in the spotlight
The bi-annual gathering of ambitious energy innovators (26 March)
Energy is always on the move. That’s why the latest edition of the bi-annual Cleantech City conference in Flemish Brabant is all about mobility. What alternatives do we have, how do we implement them, and how can you make the transition to sustainable mobility alternatives? Find out and enrol today!
Be inspired by speakers such as:
- Piet Vandendriessche (CEO, Deloitte)
- Sven Maerivoet (Transport & Mobility Leuven)
- Edwin Mermans (Noord-Brabant)
- Bernd Kappenstein (Metropolregion Rhein-Neckar)
Visit our Cleantech Café and discover the latest mobility trends on our marketplace. Choose the ideal Mobility as a Service solution (MaaS) on our city square and don’t forget to recharge on our parking grounds! Relax during an autonomous car ride in our driver’s lounge or receive useful and practical support for transitioning towards alternative mobility in our garage.
Finally, learn all about the approach to mobility in our focus regions, Rhein-Neckar and North-Brabant. Network, get to know interesting people and taste our exquisite selection of Flemish tapas and lovely regional beers.
How will you be using the Mobile Green Energy System (MGES)?
The Mobile Green Energy System is a fast-loading mobile battery system that can be used modularly in urban environments.
“However, batteries have countless shortcomings as well. That’s why we joined a feasibility study at Flux50, through our partners at the Agentschap Innoveren en Ondernemen of the Flemish Government. This study was focused on the Mobile Green Energy System or a mobile battery tailored to multidisciplinary urban usage.”
Noisy, polluting and diesel-guzzling generators are finally a thing of the past. Project partner Bart Meersman from S²ENSO walks you through the ins and outs of the system in our first of five articles about pilot projects changing our cities, developed by Stadslab2050.
Finding partners, a quest of its own
An MGES doesn’t physically exist just yet. Because it can be deployed for many purposes, it’s a challenge to convince several parties to get on board, so they created a dedicated consortium.
“Development, integration, mechanics, finance… It all has to be handled by different partners.”, says Bart Meersman. “We’ve found those partners. A company that tailors company vehicles has shown interest, since electric propulsion is becoming increasingly important for them. KBC has agreed to look at financing options. Then there’s the technical partners for monitoring and control. The consortium consists of several organizations and companies, including the UGent. It’s a good way to launch a system that can be deployed across as many locations as possible, to stimulate an urban energy transition.”
Investigating user potential
From the outset, it seemed quite clear what the mobile battery’s end use would be. But an MGES isn’t useful in every situation. “The use as an alternative to diesel generators for events was a given to us. But for gatherings like the Sinksenfoor, there’s just not enough energy supply because of the large demand. In that case, a mobile battery isn’t enough to compensate.”
But why not? Well, here’s where it gets technical.
“There’s a difference between an energy problem and a capacity problem. We were thinking about funfair rides as an interesting application for the system. Their energy usage varies, and they require great amounts of energy at certain times. It was potentially very fit for the MGES, because the system creates a buffer that can temporarily increase the power supply and make up the shortfall with power from the distribution network. This technique is called peak shaving. However, because 99% of fairground attractions run on electricity, the total usage amounts to over 5,500 amperes. So diesel generators are indispensable for this amount of energy usage. You simply can’t beat the price. A hydrogen-driven generator would be a possible solution, but they’re up to 40% more expensive than diesel generators.”
Expanding our horizon
“What we did discover,” continues Bart, “are the possibilities on construction sites. Cranes temporarily need energy, but don’t operate in a peak environment like a fairground. We already have construction partners who are genuinely interested.”
What else is possible?
“Another option is to use locally produced solar power on another location than where it was generated. Sustainable energy storage across different locations. An MGES can be part of a smart grid as well. The distributors can become important clients for us. Using inverters with connected batteries, you can add power to the grid in order to stabilize it.”
The most obvious and profitable way to put this system to good use seems to be with charging stations for a company vehicle fleet. How many electric vehicles can be charged through an MGES?
“For buses, that’s one to one. For a passenger car, three to four charging cycles should be possible. It depends on the strength of the distribution network connection. With mobile solar panels (a PV installation), it will take longer. You need a bigger surface to generate that kind of power. And hydrogen requires enhanced safety measures.”
Costs and benefits
Since the MGES is so dependent on the distribution network, we’re looking for applications where grid supporting and enhancing services can provide real added value. Filtering, flattening, etc.: technologically speaking, there are no limits. The challenge is identifying the solutions clients are willing to pay for, and giving them the opportunity to stimulate the energy transition in the city by using the MGES directly.
What will the MGES look like when it comes to measurements, transportability and modular building possibilities?
“Think one container, 2,5-metres wide, 2-metres deep and one-metre high. It consists of several modules you can connect and mix and match to your own liking. Look at the big battery box that was created by the Dutch company Bredenoord, and you’ll have a pretty good idea. But even that one can’t meet the energy needs of a medium-sized event. When it comes to energy storage, we’re aiming for 200 to 500 kWh, for an output ranging between 200 and 400 kW. With a smaller buffer, it’s quite possible the battery will run dry within an hour. The exact profitability hasn’t been established yet.”
Estimated pricing, energy efficiency and maintenance costs still need to be mapped out as well.
Is the system scalable?
Research into the legal framework and talks with the network distributors are still ongoing for an MGES in Antwerp.
“I’m hoping we can wind up the business case in March 2019. After that, we can look at the technical and economic prerequisites.”
Which long-term objectives will the MGES have to meet?
“We want to raise awareness among consumers about what their energy needs are at a given time. The demand is higher than what’s actually needed, leading to excess CO2 pollution from energy usage. There are cases where 300 amperes are demanded when 100 would be enough. With an MGES, we can evolve towards a more sustainable energy supply through existing network infrastructure by enhancing and stabilizing it. In cities, within companies, and definitely in construction with its temporary energy connections, we can detect interesting cases for energy storage supporting renewable energy solutions. They will become more and more affordable and socially accepted as the pricing improves. The energy sector is quite conservative, so we need to create more trust to lay the foundations for a meaningful energy transition.”
The 11th edition of the Energy Congress focuses on the energy transition that Flanders is facing now.
Innovation hides in integration of peel and energy supply
In addition to technical delights, attention is also paid to affordability; legal necessities; and organizational structures that can play a role in a construction project from drawing board to maintenance.
3 FOCUS CORNERS
- Optimization of the building envelope
- Optimization within the building
- Optimization between buildings
Innovative materials and techniques that make the difference for the customer are central. The synergy between installations & building materials enable progressive and above all inspiring construction projects that shape the 11th energy conference. This initiative is a forum for all stakeholders in the construction industry to approach the added value of new materials and systems from their own perspective. During the networking moments in the exhibitor area, the participants can not only meet various professionals, but also get to know various building materials and systems better.
