Solar Park De Zonnewilg Put into Operation

Stan Reinders, construction supervisor at GreenTrust, is closely involved with the project. He previously supervised the construction of Wind Park Den Tol. “It’s great to now help realize the solar park as well,” he says. “Because I know the project well, we can act quickly and make smart choices.”

GreenTrust supports Windunie and the involved farmers in this progressive initiative, including in tendering and construction supervision. The construction is almost complete – the solar park is about to enter the testing phase.

Efficient and Future-Oriented

Cable pooling is a smart way to get more sustainable energy on the grid while putting less strain on the electricity network than if each production installation had its own grid connection. Sun and wind complement each other well: it often blows when the sun isn’t shining, and vice versa. By using the existing cables of the wind park, the existing capacity is optimally utilized.

“Normally you build either a solar park or a wind park,” says Stan. “But here we’re combining them. That requires good collaboration and technical coordination.”

Customized Energy

Solar Park De Zonnewilg is literally situated between the nine wind turbines of Wind Park Den Tol. To prevent grid overload, an energy management system is necessary. This system ensures that the solar park and wind park “communicate” with each other and adjust their output to what the grid connection can handle.

“Most of the time, both the solar park and the wind park can deliver their maximum available power to the grid connection,” Stan explains. “But during peak moments, you have to scale back. This system regulates that automatically.”

The trial operation of the solar park will start as soon as the energy management system is fully configured. Energy meters have been installed at various locations in the park, connected via fiber optics. If everything works as planned, the 27,000 solar panels can start delivering at full capacity to the grid.

Practical Collaboration

In this project, GreenTrust works closely with Windunie and the landowners, including local farmers. According to Stan, this collaboration is going excellently: “The farmers think practically. If something needs to be done or decided, they’re ready immediately. That makes working together pleasant and efficient.”

The knowledge Stan gained earlier during the construction of the wind park is of great value in setting up the new system. “It’s important that you not only know what is there, but also why certain choices were made. Those insights make the difference in execution.”

Looking Ahead: Hydrogen

The developments in Netterden are not standing still. There are plans to also produce hydrogen at the wind park. The energy management system is already prepared for this next step. “When you develop something, it must be future-proof,” says Stan. “We take that into account from the beginning.”

Wind Park Den Tol and Kuster Energy (gas station operator and fuel supplier in the border region of the Netherlands/Germany) have plans to build a hydrogen installation at the wind park in 2027. This installation will convert locally generated electricity from wind and solar energy into green hydrogen. The produced hydrogen is intended for use in construction, local industry, and regional transport. By producing hydrogen during moments of abundant wind energy, the project contributes to reducing grid congestion and making the region more sustainable. In this broadcast by Regio8, Eelco Bots from Wind Park Den Tol talks about the future plans.

Solar Park De Zonnewilg

Location: Netterden, municipality of Oude IJsselstreek (Gelderland)

Initiators: Windunie and a group of local farmers

Number of solar panels: approx. 27,000

Expected annual yield of solar park: ± 14,000 MWh (enough for ± 5,000 households)

Expected combined yield (solar + wind): ± 90,000 MWh per year

Special features: solar park is connected to Windpark Den Tol via cable pooling