Netherlands : SPIE in charge of the 'Charging on Sun' programme

Breda, 17 December 2021 – SPIE Nederland, the Dutch subsidiary of SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, is starting the installation of 400 charging stations, 77 energy management systems and more than 3,000 solar panels at the locations of Rijkswaterstaat (Department of Public Works), under the heading 'Charging on Sun'. This realisation is an important step in Rijkswaterstaat's ambition to be fully energy-neutral in 2030.

The "Charging on Sun" programme combines Flexicharge charging stations, Dutch Solar Projects' solar panels and the Maxem energy management system into one cohesive ecosystem. Thanks to its integrated artificial intelligence, the energy management system is able, for example, to monitor the production of solar power and, based on that, controls the timing of electric car charging.

“By comparing the energy demand of the electric fleet, and the solar energy production from the buildings of Rijkswaterstaat, the power is fed directly into the vehicles. This reduces the need to reinforce the grid connections of Rijkswaterstaat charging stations, and we can advise them on possible alternatives” explains Erwin den Haak, Operations Manager at SPIE Nederland. This project is an important step towards zero-emission mobility: in 2022, 50% of the fleet must be electric and in 2028 all vehicles of Rijkswaterstaat must be zero-emission.

SPIE and Rijkswaterstaat have been working together for a long time. ″SPIE understands the world of the Department of Public Works, with its regional organizational units with their own identities. We also see added value in the use of a central project team that provides one overarching integral project management that connects with the national RWS organization," says Bas Nagtegaal of Rijkswaterstaat. ″The initiative to organize a cooperation day in order to arrive at a shared ambition, objectives, expectations and interests shows that SPIE also has an eye for the soft side of cooperation. ″