What an unforgettable day it was! Last week, the first edition of the Koolen Industries Summer Event took place at the cleantech campus The Green Box in Hengelo. Nearly 450 enthusiastic entrepreneurs, advisors, and clean energy professionals came together to exchange knowledge and foster innovation. It was a day filled with enthusiasm, where one message rang crystal clear: the energy transition presents unprecedented opportunities!
And because we want to keep this momentum going, we have already reserved June 12, 2024, for the next edition of the Summer Event. Be quick and reserve your spot now for a day full of inspiration and valuable insights. Click here to go to the registration form.
Whether you were able to attend the event and want to delve deeper, or if you couldn't make it but still wish to benefit from the valuable knowledge and experiences gained, this article is for you. We’ll summarize the highlights of the keynotes and the top 4 breakout sessions, share valuable tips from the speakers, and directly connect you with the right people who can help you get started with your own clean energy system.
The Keynotes
Get inspired by unique perspectives on the energy transition from technology companies, customers, and financiers.
Kees Koolen on his vision of the energy transition and the opportunities for Dutch businesses
As an experienced entrepreneur, pioneer in the battery sector, and investor in over 25 cleantech companies, Kees offers a unique insight and brings together various perspectives. From the possibility of making electric trucks cheaper to operate than diesel trucks through the smart use of Renewable Fuel Units (HBEs) to the megatrends that will greatly accelerate and lower the cost of sustainable energy generation. He also draws a compelling parallel between the internet transition in the 1990s and the energy transition today.
"The tipping point in the energy transition has been reached! The technologies are reliable and getting better. Clean energy is now cheaper than fossil fuels, making investing in sustainable solutions and electrification even more attractive. This will lead to better techniques and lower prices, further accelerating the energy transition," – Kees Koolen
Kees' top tips:
- Don't wait, start now!
Starting now with clean energy often gives you a competitive advantage, such as in sustainable transportation. If you approach it smartly, you can already be financially better off than with a fossil fuel alternative.
- Don't go from 0 to 100 at once
Learn what works for your company and optimize from there. Think carefully about how you approach it to ensure that your energy system is scalable for the future.
If you want to seize the opportunities for your company, contact the Koolen Industries team now!
Paul Dijkstra from CTP on the role of the energy system in the business case of Amsterdam's most sustainable logistics center
Thanks to the collaboration with Koolen Industries, CTP has been able to realize an impressive energy system with 12,000 solar panels, 200 charging stations, and a state-of-the-art, customized Energy Management System (EMS). For CTP, the key to success was fully integrating energy into the business case, turning it into a source of income rather than just a cost.
Paul's top tips:
- You have control over the payback period of your energy investments. Through energy trading, selling your own generated power, HBEs, and many other possibilities, you become a provider instead of a consumer.
- Seek good advice, but also educate yourself! Acquiring, implementing, and running a clean energy system is a completely new topic for many parties. Therefore, seek good advice, but make sure you truly understand what it's all about.
Want to know more about the integrated energy system of CTPark Amsterdam City? Contact Robert Koole from Koolen Industries.
Max ter Linden from ABN AMRO on the impact of ESG objectives on energy project financing
Max provided us with the banks' perspective on the energy transition. Legally established sustainability obligations affect companies in all sectors. The more sustainable your company or project is, the more financing is available at lower interest rates and with greater involvement from banks.
Max's top tips:
- Sustainable business practices offer a competitive advantage.
Sustainability leaders save money because interest rates for sustainable projects are lower.
- Focus on measurable sustainability KPIs.
Demonstrate the actual impact to gain financing benefits.
The top 4 breakouts
Sharing knowledge about opportunities and possibilities in the field of clean energy was the goal of the breakout sessions. We accomplished that through 2 rounds of 10 interactive workshops. Here are the key takeaways from 4 of the workshop experts.
Help! My grid operator doesn't provide sufficient capacity. What now?
What options are available when the grid operator doesn't offer enough connected power or transport capacity? Ynte de Vries, CEO at The Green Box, explained the link between grid challenges and solutions that the various companies within the Koolen Industries group have already implemented in practice. Ynte’s top tips: - There are more possibilities than you think. Whether you're not allowed to feed back electricity to the grid, don't receive a larger connection, or temporarily need to consume less electricity, our group of companies has a solution ready for almost every scenario. - Think not only about the present but also about tomorrow. Ensure flexibility in your energy system so that you can respond to new developments in energy prices, availability, and grid limitations using smart software. Facing a grid limitation? Contact our one-stop-shop team to assess your options together!
Earning money with Renewable Fuel Units
The Netherlands needs approximately 1.6 million additional charging points by 2030, and those who act quickly can build a business model around investments in charging infrastructure using Renewable Fuel Units (HBEs). Koolen Industries' HBE expert Woytek Bode provided the group with a crash course on Renewable Fuel Units during this breakout session, covering the functioning of the HBE market mechanism and concrete steps to earn thousands of euros annually by selling HBEs with a DC charger. Woytek’s top tips: - The right metering and software are crucial. You only receive HBEs for clean energy that has actually been supplied to transportation. With smart software like GRID's, you can easily demonstrate this. - Own electricity generation multiplies the potential with HBEs. If you use electricity from the grid to charge, you can only book HBEs for the renewable part (set at 30.4% for 2023). However, if you install own generation capacity with partners like Koolen Solar Projects, you can book all the electricity supplied depending on usage patterns.
Ready to get started with HBEs? Calculate your earning potential with this free tool or contact Woytek directly!
Government contributions: What subsidy opportunities are available for you?
Our subsidy expert Niels Boomkamp knows the subsidy landscape and the most important dos and don'ts like no other. An important starting point if you want to start a project is to identify the various levels of subsidy providers for your intended project (from local to European) and go for a subsidy that aligns with the actual objectives of your project, such as whether it is an innovation or investment trajectory. Niels’ top tips: - Be realistic about the time investment for a subsidy application. A subsidy is not free money. Therefore, the application must be well-documented in detail and include business case calculations, objectives to measure the impact, and budgets. - Costs incurred before submitting the subsidy application are usually not eligible for funding. Often, only costs incurred after the subsidy has been granted can be subsidized. Therefore, start the application process in a timely manner and pay attention, for example, to the moment of signing quotations. Want to learn more about the subsidy opportunities for your energy project? Get in contact with Niels.
Get started with your own business case!
Whether you are seeking financing, applying for a subsidy, or pitching an energy project internally, a strong business case is essential to gain the necessary support for your project. During this session, Sjoerd Hendriksen, Koolen Industries' financial and technical expert, delved into the drivers of a strong business case with the group. He discussed key metrics such as cash flows, returns, working capital, and valuations, and provided an example business case for purchasing charging infrastructure, solar panels, and storage. Sjoerd's top tips: - Don't just focus on content, but also on the presentation. The purpose of a business case is to get everyone on board. Therefore, consider the knowledge level of your audience in your presentation and adapt your language and level of detail accordingly. - Involve partners who can provide the right figures. Often, you may not know immediately how many HBEs you can generate with a DC charger or what the actual annual costs of a new battery system are. Therefore, work with reliable sources and partners who have access to this kind of data and can refine your calculations. Need help with the business case for your energy project? Contact our team.
Do you want to discover all the tips and insights from the other breakout sessions as well? Follow us on LinkedIn and subscribe to our newsletter. In the coming months, we will share all the details extensively! |
The Essence
"No one can do the energy transition alone, not us at Koolen Industries, nor you with your company. So let's collaborate and make clean energy available to everyone," said Kees Koolen to conclude the event. And that's the way it is! Therefore, we are organizing another Summer Event next year on June 12, 2024. This is where entrepreneurs, advisors, and professionals involved in clean energy come together to be inspired and exchange knowledge and experiences.
Register now for next year's Summer Event and secure your spot! Click here to access the registration form.
Get in touch
If you have any questions, suggestions, or want to learn more about how Koolen Industries can assist you in realizing a clean energy system, please don't hesitate to contact our team. We're here to help!
Together we're working towards a future with clean energy!