The cooperation with Intercel is really open. It is the essence of how partners should work together.
‘It’s a great vibe, the cooperation is good, it is open, it’s a team really, but of different companies.’ Those are the words of Bert van Dam, Business Development Manager of Siemens Nederland N.V. Siemens sees many opportunities in the energy transition. Opportunities to reduce CO2 emissions, to work with new energy sources and for storing this sustainable energy for it to be available at the times it is required. Electrification is an important element of the energy transition: converting or producing electrical alternatives for machines that were previously driven by fossil fuels, and by diesel in particular. The partners VSE Industrial Automation and Intercel have also seen a strong growth in demand in this area, where they operate in the vanguard.
VSE is a system integrator and an expert in the area of industrial automation and motion. With high-end engineering they create solutions that were never devised before. That makes working with high-end products and the right sparring partners absolutely essential. Radboud says: “It happens all the time in electrification; it doesn’t exist yet and at that point you need the right partners in the right places.” That is why they like to work together with Siemens. In their search for the best battery, VSE ended up with Intercel.
The government, private individuals and increasing numbers of businesses have a growing awareness that sustainability is not a luxury and that we need to reduce CO2 emissions together. Sustainability receives extra attention in the construction sector. The construction sector is estimated to be responsible for 10% of global CO2 emissions. You notice that in tenders from local authorities, where the lowest possible CO2 emissions are a prerequisite.
CO2 emissions are reduced dramatically by working with electrical machines. That is good for the environment, much healthier for the people who have to work with the equipment, and it is more comfortable for people who live in the surrounding area. An additional benefit is that electrical equipment is much less noisy, which is a distinct benefit in urban and densely populated areas. Logically, there is a rising demand for electrical equipment.
It started with small tools and light machinery, but now heavy-duty and powerful machinery is electrified too. Radboud van Dusseldorp, Commercial Manager of VSE says: ‘In our work at VSE we notice that electrification of heavy-duty construction and industrial machinery is part of the sustainability process.’
Generators can provide electricity on a building site or for an event. However, having a generator run continuously produces emissions and is not sustainable. This has produced a demand for ever larger ESS (electricity storage systems) and hybrid generators. Hybrid generators can save more than 90% on the CO2 emissions of conventional generators.
For its current project, VSE is working on a 300 KVA hybrid generator that needs to be built into a sea container. That produces a number of challenges. High power with high capacity produces issues of overheating. Specifically for this project, Intercel solved the issue by producing customised water cooling for the supplied batteries.
The limited space in combination with the required capacity also proved to be a challenge. However, Intercel is able to work 100% customised and is fully flexible. Not the usual, standard connected blocks – Intercel produces one customised large battery that makes optimum use of the available space and produces a more efficient system. Intercel uses construction methods from the automotive industry, which makes the battery tough and resistant to vibrations. Most companies build batteries for a stationary solution, but the Intercel energy-storage systems can be moved without any difficulties when required.
There are so many new developments in the area of electrification and energy-storage systems that you can only be successful if you work with the right partners. Bert van Dam of Siemens comments: ‘The cooperation with Intercel is really open. It is the essence of how partners should work together. We have had that type of cooperation with VSE for many years. By sharing knowledge and experiences, we produce a shared success factor in this energy transition.’
At Intercel we speak the language of our clients. When you call us, you will be talking to an employee who speaks our language, who is service-led, and an expert in the area of batteries. Intercel employs experienced engineers, who always consider the issues together with the client to arrive at a customised solution together.
Would you like to know how Intercel can contribute to your ESS or another project – even if the solution doesn’t exist yet? Please contact one of our battery experts without obligation.
