In the horticulture industry, combined heat and power systems (CHPs) are a familiar sight. Outside the sector, however, they're still relatively uncommon. Most businesses simply draw their electricity from the public grid. But as grid congestion becomes a growing issue, many companies are now running into serious limitations, something that is pushing them to look for temporary alternative power sources. MvO Energy Services is responding to this demand by offering CHP installations for rent.

"We're getting more and more inquiries from regions affected by grid congestion," says Marcel van Oudheusden, founder and director of the company. MvO Energy Services specializes in maintaining and installing combined heat and power systems, as well as other flexible energy solutions.

Anyone looking at a map showing grid congestion in the Netherlands will notice that almost the entire country is now marked in red. "Last month, we attended the Industrial Heat & Power trade fair, where we presented the 'NO Capacity Map of the Netherlands.' It clearly shows that the Westland region is one of the very few areas without major capacity problems. That's largely thanks to the large number of CHP systems already in place there," Marcel explains.

As a result, inquiries to MvO are now coming from nearly every part of the country. "We've been getting questions about this for quite some time, but we've now decided to really act on it by building a CHP installation specifically for rental," says Marcel. "The response has been very positive."

Demand from industry
The first CHP unit has already been rented out. It's a 180 kWe system housed in a 20-foot soundproof container. "This particular client operates in the industrial sector," Marcel explains.

According to him, most of the inquiries MvO receives are from industrial companies. "These businesses can no longer get a new power connection, so when they start looking for a temporary solution, they often end up choosing a CHP. It's a practical way to bridge the gap until the public electricity grid is upgraded."

Electricity main focus
Growers use CHP systems not only to generate electricity, but also to make full use of the heat and CO₂ produced during combustion. For companies now showing interest in renting a CHP, the situation is usually quite different, Marcel notes. "In most cases, it's an urgent shortage of electricity that drives them to install a CHP."

To keep the CHP running smoothly even when there's no demand for heat at the client's site, the system can be equipped with an emergency cooler, Marcel explains. "Our first rental installation includes such a cooler. The customer also has the option to recover heat from the system if needed."

Fuel and control
Even though MvO Energy Services is tapping into a new market with its rental service, the company's main focus remains firmly on the agricultural and horticultural sectors. "I'm actually surprised that outside of horticulture, CHPs are still used so little," says Marcel. "They're incredibly efficient and profitable systems."

For rental purposes, MvO Energy Services expects to build CHP installations ranging from 100 kWe up to 1 MW. "We supply both new and pre-owned combined heat and power units," Marcel explains. At the moment, natural gas is still the most common fuel, though biogas is increasingly being used as well. Thanks to advanced control technology, MvO can remotely monitor and manage the systems, improving uptime and reliability.
 

Source: www.floraldaily.com