For technical managers, facility managers and installation managers, grid congestion is a daily reality that paralyses projects. You want to increase sustainability or start a new production line, but the grid is 'full'. Yet in practice, the grid operator's hard limit is often not the limit of your technical capabilities.
Our years of experience and hundreds of measurements at industries, hospitals and data centres reveal an important fact: hardly any installation uses its capacity 100% efficiently.
Active power vs. Apparent power (kW vs. kVA) Your connection (and the grid operator's bill) is often based on kVA (apparent power). This is the sum of the useful power (kW) running your machines, and the 'lost' power (kVAR) due to reactive current and harmonic contamination.
When your Power Quality is sub-optimal, you 'fill' your cables and transformers with this unusable power. As a result, you reach your contract limit, when in reality you could be running many more machines. This is a waste of your investment and inhibits your operations unnecessarily.
HyTEPS analyses this balance in detail. We ensure certainty in every kilowatt. By removing contamination, we literally create space on your existing cable.
Before installing hardware or recommending expensive modifications, we want to know exactly what is going on in your installation. Our engineers use a proven methodology to eliminate risks and guarantee maximum results.
Measuring is knowing. We install advanced Power Quality meters that map your entire installation, or specific descending fields. We don't just look at peak consumption, but analyse waveforms in depth. We bring harmonic pollution, voltage dips, imbalance and reactive current into razor-sharp focus. This answers the question: how much 'air' is left in your current connection?
Data without context is worthless. Our Engineers analyse measurement data and, if necessary, build a digital model of your installation. In this secure simulation environment, we test scenarios:
Based on the facts and simulations, we implement the solution. This ranges from active filters that free up capacity to an EMS that switches smartly during peaks. The result: you stay within your contract capacity, avoid penalties and your installation runs more safely and efficiently.
How exactly do we create that extra space? Depending on the diagnosis from our measurement, we deploy specific technologies to 'unload' your installation.
Active filtering:
Modern, energy-efficient equipment such as LED lighting, EV chargers and AC drives cause harmonic pollution. These non-linear loads distort the sinusoidal form of the current. This causes additional heat generation (losses) and increases the so-called RMS current (the effective current value).
Cos Phi Improvement:
Many inductive loads, such as motors and transformers, consume reactive current to build up magnetic fields. This stresses your infrastructure, but does not provide labour. A poor power factor (cosine phi < 0.85) means a significant portion of your contracted kVA space is lost.
Sometimes average consumption is low, but peaks are too high for the connection. Grid congestion is often a problem of specific moments.
In some cases, capacity is limited because the load is unevenly distributed among the three phases (L1, L2, L3). The most heavily loaded phase sets the limit and trips the main protection, while the other phases still have room.
The market is currently flooded with battery system providers (BESS) as the solution to grid congestion. "Install a battery and you are rid of the problem," is the common promise. While energy storage is a powerful tool, it is often a costly and sometimes even risky step as a starting point.
Why? Because you connect a battery to your existing installation. If that installation is internally contaminated by harmonics or struggling with voltage dips, you are introducing expensive power electronics into a 'sick' environment. This can lead to:
At HyTEPS, therefore, the rule always applies: First optimise, then invest. We ensure that the basis - the Power Quality - is perfect. It often turns out after optimisation that a battery can be much smaller, or even not needed at all, to realise your expansion plans.
Nijsen was struggling with high costs and lack of capacity due to reactive power. Our active capacitor banks eliminated the penalties and immediately created 550 amps of extra space on the transformers.
To prevent downtime at the new 5MW plant, HyTEPS preventively implemented two Active Harmonic Filters. This assures ARN Recycling of a stable energy network and maximum business continuity.
Despite own generation, SNB was struggling with high costs due to reactive power. HyTEPS optimised the installation with capacitor banks. The result: 1.75MW less grid load and a payback time within one year.
By tackling unexplained outages with high-end monitoring, HyTEPS ensured continuity at Nyrstar. Real-time insight into Power Quality now prevents unnecessary downtime.
Harmonic contamination threatened the continuity of Schiphol's security lanes. HyTEPS analysed the risks and installed seven active filters to restore grid quality. The result is a stable installation and guaranteed operational security for millions of passengers.
HyTEPS restored installation capacity at Xella by targeting reactive power with capacitor banks. The solution offers Xella an immediate cost reduction and sustainable security in every kilowatt.
HyTEPS increased installation capacity at Naber Plastics by targeting reactive power. With a 400kVAr capacitor bank, our engineers immediately created space for additional machinery. This results in optimum power utilisation and maximum operational reliability.
HyTEPS ensures the operational reliability of Zentrys through targeted arc scanning and selectivity testing. With digital simulations, we eliminate invisible risks for maximum continuity and a safe working environment.
HyTEPS eliminated years of cable insulation damage on the Bumblebee due to a hidden ground loop in the complex offshore installation through a focused Power Quality. This proactive approach restores operational continuity and provides Allseas with the maximum reliability their operation requires.
Sappi Maastricht eliminated costly production downtime by targeting harmful harmonics with a Power Quality diagnosis and active filtering. This investment fully restored operational reliability and paid for itself within a year due to the guaranteed continuity.
In an environment where tens of thousands of spectators count on continuity, downtime is not an option. HyTEPS secures Power Quality at Stadion Feijenoord, so that the transition to LED lighting leads directly to guaranteed performance without invisible risks.
Through targeted measurements and active filtering, HyTEPS eliminated grid contamination and blind current penalties at Mauser Packaging Solutions . This immediately provided 500 amps of extra capacity, allowing production to scale up safely without investing in a heavier grid connection .
HyTEPS integrated 4 MW of solar panels at KLM Schiphol without risk. By eliminating grid pollution with Active Harmonic Filters, we ensure maximum operational reliability and a stable installation in Hangar 14.
By deploying a 300 kVA capacitor bank, HyTEPS stopped monthly reactive power penalties at VDL Parree. This intervention increased efficiency and created additional capacity immediately, so the investment paid for itself within a year.
Van Munster Recyclers eliminated the reactive power penalty and immediately created additional capacity with a HyTEPS capacitor bank. Thanks to the immediate cost savings, this solution paid for itself within one year.
HyTEPS ensures continuity at Clondalkin with a system that combines energy insight with automatic HACCP recording. This eliminates risky manual checks and maximises operational reliability.
Hospital Rivierenland ensures safe care by working with HyTEPS to eliminate harmonic contamination in the installation. The deployment of Active Harmonic Filters now guarantees optimum Power Quality and maximum operational reliability.
HyTEPS implemented an advanced monitoring system that gives CurTec real-time grip on energy consumption and Power Quality. This data-driven solution prevents blind power penalties and ensures a stable, climate-neutral future.
HyTEPS identified the risks to the taxiway lighting at Schiphol Airport through accurate measurements. With the subsequent solution, the continuity and safety of this critical installation is fully guaranteed.
Our engineers performed specialist arc simulations to ensure the safety of InMotion's unique battery pack. Thanks to this concrete analysis, the team is now working on ultra-fast charging technology with the right protective equipment and complete certainty.
HyTEPS eliminates harmonic pollution in the Ruhr Tunnel by implementing four active filters. Thanks to 40% spare capacity, technical safety for Rijkswaterstaat is guaranteed under all circumstances.
Our engineers analysed Power Quality with continuous waveform recording to ensure maximum safety. Thanks to continuous monitoring, all risks are now under control and care continuity is guaranteed.
HyTEPS continuously analyses and validates Power Quality data from the entire Dutch power grid. Our customised software transforms this complex data stream into reliable control information for optimal security of supply.
HyTEPS eliminated electromagnetic interference in the Schiphol T2000 network after an integral EMC study. This approach restored system integrity and guaranteed uninterrupted communication for emergency services.
HyTEPS eliminated high-risk harmonic contamination at Nyrstar. Our specialist measurements provided an exact diagnosis and a guaranteed stable production environment.
HyTEPS solved the failure of air compressors at Mannesmann by immediately eliminating harmful harmonic contamination. With active filtering and continuous monitoring, precision tube production is now fully stabilised.
For iwell's battery system, HyTEPS conducted an Arc Flash Compliance study to ensure electrical safety. The new settings reduced shutdown times by 75%, reducing dangerous arc flash energy to safe levels.
Grid congestion, simply put, is congestion on the power grid. At peak times, the demand for power (or the supply in case of feed-in) is greater than the cables and transformers can handle. As a result, grid operators refuse new connections or reinforcements to companies.
Yes, to a certain extent. You cannot solve congestion on the public grid, but you can optimise your own 'vehicle'. By making your internal installation more efficient (improving power quality) and smoothing out peaks, you get more power from your existing connection.
Not as a first step. A battery can handle peaks, but if your base plant is contaminated by harmonics, the battery inverter may fail, resonate or wear out faster. HyTEPS always recommends a measurement and simulation first.
This varies by installation. In industrial environments with many motors and drives, we often see that 10% to 20% of capacity is 'lost' to reactive power and harmonics. Correcting this immediately frees up that space for useful load.
Grid operators bill consumption in kWh, but limit connection capacity to current (A) and thus indirectly to kVA. You use kW as useful power. If the power factor is low (e.g. due to reactive current or harmonics), more kVA is needed for the same kW. As a result, you hit the connection limit faster.
By improving the power factor, you can use more kW within the same connection capacity, without increasing the connection load.
You often do, but you may not be allowed to feed back (feed-in congestion). You must then use or store the generated energy directly yourself. An EMS is crucial here to ensure that you do not accidentally feed back to the grid.
a. Removing contamination such as reactive power and harmonics eliminates the 'polluted' current that unnecessarily loads your cables. This creates physical space on your current connection for more IT equipment.
Yes. Without measurement, you are guessing; you do not know whether your capacity problem is due to actual consumption or pollution. A measurement prevents you from investing in the wrong solutions (such as an overweight battery).
Sure. We are the power quality specialist. We often work together with the customer's regular installer (E-installer) to carry out the measurements and install the solutions.
Waiting for the grid operator is not a strategy. Understanding your own capabilities is. Our engineers are ready to measure your installation and uncover hidden capacity. Avoid unnecessary investments and opt for a fundamental solution.
Start with a measurement and analysis
Contact us for a no-obligation discussion about your situation. We will help you take back control of your energy supply.
