It's no secret across the EU that the Dutch electricity grid is under pressure - at every level, from the high-voltage transmission grid to the medium- and low-voltage distribution grid. The Netherlands has the most installed solar PV capacity per resident, and is rapidly transitioning to electric vehicles and heat pumps for heating buildings, but that quick pace of transition hasn’t come without problems. In Arnhem, our focus is on the low-voltage grid, where these problems are most visible — and where the opportunities are too.
Why adding more cables and transformers is not a solution?
Our grid operator’s preferred solution for grid congestion is to reinforce the local grid by adding more cables and transformers. We want to avoid that wherever possible. Why? Because this kind of large-scale grid expansion comes at a cost: more visual and physical disruption in public space (think double the number of transformer stations), and higher grid fees passed on to consumers — including those who can least afford it and who benefit least from the energy transition. Left unaddressed, this solution risks deepening energy poverty and making the transition fundamentally unfair.
There is a better way…
We believe there's a better way: one where everyone can participate in the energy transition while grid congestion is tackled at the source, at each neighbourhood. A key part of that solution is simple in principle — make sure the energy generated in a neighbourhood stays in the neighbourhood, rather than flowing back to the national grid. That requires a local energy system. Since overproduction of solar energy is one of the biggest drivers of grid congestion, we're researching and implementing ways to store energy locally and share it among neighbours, allowing people without solar panels to benefit from cheap, locally produced energy.
This takes more than technical equipment — though hardware like a (heat) battery and a local district heating network can be part of it. It also takes a Local Energy Community: the social, legal, and organisational structure that makes local energy sharing possible.
This is exactly what the Interreg NWE project ACCU is about. Across three pilot locations in the Netherlands, Belgium, and France, we're setting up Local Energy Communities and exploring the technical, social, legal, and financial challenges involved — so that other cities and regions can learn from what we discover.
Interested?
- Explore our Results page
- Sign up to our future ACCU Learning Network
- Contact us