Jorlan Peeters, Managing Director, HyTEPS
Business growth not only brings a boost in energy consumption but can also negatively affect a number of factors related to voltage, current, and compliance. This may lead to operational issues, extra costs and even a loss of productivity. It is, therefore, essential to make timely investments in, for example, energy efficiency measures, smart load management systems and continuous electricity quality monitoring to effectively address these challenges.
Increased load on electrical infrastructure
According to Statistics Netherlands (CBS), there were nearly 12,000 ‘high-growth companies’ in 2023—businesses where the number of employees increased by at least 10% per year for three consecutive years. This kind of growth places increased demands on electrical installations. Rising energy needs driven by additional production equipment, climate control systems, IT infrastructure, EV charging stations, and lighting require a more robust power infrastructure. This can result in a need for higher-capacity grid connections, upgraded cabling, and expansion of transformers and switchgear. Without the right upgrades, issues such as grid congestion and poor Power Quality may arise.
Grid congestion: capacity shortage on the power grid
Grid congestion occurs when demand on the network exceeds its capacity. This leads to limitations on new connections and reduced power supply reliability. As a result, businesses may face delays in expansion and increased costs due to expensive utility measures such as peak shaving and placing temporary infrastructure. One possible solution is to optimize consumption patterns and deploy distributed energy storage to reduce peak loads.
Power Quality: stability and reliability
Power Quality determines the efficiency and reliability of electrical infrastructure. Voltage dips, spikes, harmonic distortion, and phase imbalance can lead to equipment damage and production process disruptions. Monitoring and corrective measures such as active filtering, voltage optimization and harmonic compensation are key to preventing disturbances and increasing efficiency.
Preventive investments in electrical capacity
Companies looking to scale up need to invest in a stable and future-proof electricity supply early on. Continuous monitoring and optimization of the existing infrastructure can unlock additional capacity and help mitigate the impact of grid congestion and Power Quality (PQ) issues. Smart energy management solutions and Power Quality analysis contribute to reliable and cost-effective growth.
What do you need to watch out for?
As electrical installations expand, it’s crucial to ensure their reliability and safety. The installation has to comply with applicable laws and regulations, such as NEN 1010 and NEN 3140, to avoid fines and safety risks. Complete and up-to-date installation documentation is essential, as are regular inspections by certified agencies. Ideally, the power supply should be continuously monitored and optimized through the use of power quality analyzers, harmonic filters, and power factor correction systems.
To prevent overload and component aging, it’s wise to take preventive measures and effectively manage voltage spikes and dips. Modern equipment such as LED lighting and variable speed drives can cause harmonic distortion, which reduces the efficiency of the power grid and may lead to damage. Using filters and correction systems helps minimize this issue.
To protect business operations from power outages, reliable UPS systems and backup generators are essential. It’s also important that protective devices such as fuses, ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCIs), and surge protectors are properly installed and fully functional. A solid risk management protocol for faults and accidents ensures quick and effective response.
Preventive maintenance by qualified personnel helps prevent malfunctions and extends the lifespan of installations. Energy audits assist in evaluating current and future energy needs and determine whether transformers, cables, and protection systems have sufficient capacity to safely support growth.
Spreading out peaks in energy consumption and creating energy plans can lead to greater efficiency. Finally, optimizing the use of the existing installation—which we refer to as ‘inspansion’—can offer a way to increase capacity and efficiency without physical expansion, for example by improving power quality. With these measures, electrical infrastructure remains reliable and ready for the future.