Hedin Automotive puts solar roof panels and farm’s wind energy to good use.

Groendus and its Energy Marketplace offers Hedin Automotive (formerly Stern) a helping hand with this innovative approach to sustainable energy consumption. Both parties have been working together on this sustainability issue for the last 16 years and all the pieces of the puzzle are finally falling into place.

How it all began: insights and savings

Sixteen years ago, sustainability was not the hot topic it is today. As such, that was not the pressing reason for Stern to come knocking at CT Energy’s door (Groendus’s predecessor). Stern’s request was “Can you help us sort out our bewildering energy usage, additional costs and invoices? The answer, of course, was a resounding “Yes!”.

We began by installing smart meters and gaining precise, real-time insights. We achieved the first significant savings thanks to accurate invoicing and a cutting-edge Waste Alert. The first sustainable steps followed soon after on what turned out to be a comprehensive and far-reaching sustainability journey.

Know where your energy comes from

Once Hedin Automotive took its energy in hand, there was an increasing focus on sustainability. Consequently, they wanted to know where their energy came from. Generating their own energy with solar panels turned out to be the perfect solution for this car business. To make the most of this energy, Hedin Automotive deployed the Groendus Energy Marketplace. This platform enables them to distribute their own self-generated solar power across their network of branches, making Hedin Automotive its own green energy supplier.

Bastiaan Geurts – Chief Marketing Officer at Hedin Automotive:

“We are strong advocates of using energy at the specific time it is generated. Generating and consuming our energy simultaneously was a strong first step. But there was one key issue - as soon as the sun didn’t shine, we lost access to our local, sustainable energy. We wanted to do something about this. Groendus has come up with an innovative and commercially viable solution to this with Groendus Energy Marketplace. It’s helping us increasingly move towards entirely green and simultaneous energy consumption.”

A healthy mix of sun and wind

Adding wind to the energy mix could provide Hedin Automotive with a more balanced renewable energy supply. Solar and wind energy are, after all, complementary sources of energy. During the day and in summer, there is more sun, while at night and in winter, there’s more wind. A move such as this could increase Hedin’s simultaneity score substantially – from 25% to 65%. Setting the Energy Marketplace to work, a search was launched for a supplier offering a sound pricing agreement who could enrich Hedin Automotive’s energy profile.

Hedin Automotive found the perfect match when the Energy Marketplace came up with two farmers who had decided to invest in their own wind turbines back in 2003. These two wind turbines are set in a vast meadow in Lelystad and provide Hedin with an additional 2,600-megawatt hours of renewable energy annually. This is equivalent to the energy consumption of around 900 households every year.

Wind power from the farm

Jan van Bavel grows potatoes, onions, beets, wheat and chicory, and a wide range of other foods on his large plot. Sustainability carries great importance for Mr Van Bavel, and he already grows half his crops organically. His processes run almost entirely on 100% self-generated energy thanks to the 1,300 solar panels installed on roofs around his farm. He also has a windmill on his grounds.

Jan generates so much energy with this wind turbine that he is in the position of having a surplus of green electricity. Any energy he can’t use himself, he sells on the Energy Marketplace to Hedin Automotive and others.

The journey to 100% simultaneity

Jan van Bavel’s arable farm is pretty unique due to its ability to operate almost entirely on clean, self-generated energy. This is exactly the goal Hedin Automotive is striving for. Hedin hopes to convert the remaining 35% of the energy that they do not simultaneously use, into green energy. They are currently preparing subsidy applications with Groendus’s help to install solar panels on a further 21 sites. They are also investigating battery storage and energy control to manage their self-generated clean energy more flexibly.

You Jong Chow – Key Account Manager at Groendus:

“It’s brilliant that Hedin Automotive and Jan van Bavel were matched on the Energy Marketplace. This is a perfect example of how our platform works. Jan can sell his green energy at a profit, while Hedin Automotive is achieving a huge sustainable step forward thanks to this partnership. I’m looking forward to achieving even more sustainable progress together. Let’s keep working towards 100% simultaneity!