We had the pleasure of talking to Jacob, one of our stabilisation partners, about his experience of becoming part of Scangrid's virtual power plant. Jacob owns and runs Søegaard Gartneri in Roskilde, which produces 1,100,000 cucumbers and 100,000 cucumber nursery plants, as well as various tomato plants for the hobby market.
Jacob's journey is a perfect example of how our flexible solutions can benefit both small and large businesses.
A simple, hassle-free start
Jacob describes getting started as a stabilisation partner in the virtual power plant as relatively simple and uncomplicated:
“It went fine. I mostly dealt with the technicians, who were skilled and competent. I didn't have to do much, just show them where the equipment was.”
He has installed fan heaters that draw the power, which has been a cost-effective solution: “The investment wasn't that big, so it was a chance worth taking,” he says, adding that the financials have lived up to his expectations.
Overcoming challenges
Jacob's journey actually began somewhere other than Scangrid. He had heard that businesses with electrical equipment could take part in the market for balancing services, but he also ran into a challenge:
“I was actually very interested in this and was in contact with a provider other than Scangrid, who wouldn't continue because my business had less than 500 kW available. Fortunately, that wasn't a problem for Scangrid,” explains Jacob.
Flexibility for every business
At Scangrid we can include both small and large businesses in our network. In fact, we have several stabilisation partners with 50–100 kW, while also working with large companies such as NCC and Danfoss, which have many thousands of kW available.
Financial benefits
Jacob is very pleased with the financial benefits of being part of the virtual power plant:
“The money is there, so why not pick it up? I'm very happy with how the numbers add up.”
He stresses that it is a matter of trust, and that working with Scangrid has been extremely positive, even for a business with relatively low capacity like his own.
An easy solution
Jacob also appreciates how easy it has been to work with Scangrid: “It's been wonderfully easy. I've hardly had to do anything — I've just had to listen. They manage it, so it runs like clockwork.”
At Scangrid, our goal is to make the virtual power plant accessible to everyone. Whether your business has 50 kW or several thousand kW, you can become part of our innovative and sustainable energy solution.
