Welcome to the latest update from The Green Box Cleantech Campus, where we proudly share our progress. Our mission is to accelerate the energy transition. We are determined to increase our impact as pioneers in the cleantech industry.
The campus is buzzing with developments, which is why we take you through three main themes:
- Team, tenants, green
- Our own local sustainable energy system
- Connecting and sharing knowledge
Team, tenants, green
Over the past few months, several new colleagues and a tenant have joined The Green Box. In addition, there has been hard work on the green appearance of our campus.
Full steam ahead with three new team members: Ynte, Rien, and Gerard
We are proud to introduce our newest additions! The team at The Green Box has doubled with the arrival of Ynte de Vries and Rien Veldsink from Koolen Industries. As CEO, Ynte has been tasked with taking our cleantech campus to the next level. Rien is our Business Development Manager and focuses on further developing our energy network into a fully sustainable and smart controllable system, as well as developing large solar parks and charging stations. Gerard Nijsse has hit the ground running, improving campus accessibility and strengthening internal and external collaborations. Together, we continue to refine our strategic plan.
The current team at The Green Box now consists of Annemarie van Loo, Ivo Keizer, Eva Velt, Ynte de Vries, Rien Veldsink, and Gerard Nijsse.
New tenant & rapid growth
We are happy to welcome Beeliners as new tenants to our cleantech campus.
Beeliners helps customers accelerate product innovation by quickly turning ideas into prototypes that are closely aligned with the end product, saving customers valuable time in subsequent stages. The team at Beeliners consists of experienced project developers with expertise in hardware, firmware, software, and industrial design. Beeliners' clients range from medical, health, defense, industrial, and home devices, as well as energy solutions.
We deliberately chose to connect with The Green Box. Here are companies with the ambition to play a significant role in the energy transition. 'Here, we can be of added value,' said Commercial Director/Co-Owner Dennis Wissink.
The established companies on The Green Box campus are growing rapidly. End products find their way directly to satisfied customers, and the demand for new employees continues to increase. Companies on our cleantech campus are not only important players in the development of sustainable technologies, but also great employers in the region.
Biodiversity at The Green Box
We value a pleasant green working environment where there is a good balance between humans and nature. We achieve this, for example, by creating a winding walking path around our pond and stimulating biodiversity. We have placed five duck nests around the pond and birdhouses. In addition to our pond, we have also created brushwood piles where insects, small mammals, and birds can take shelter.
All of this can be viewed from our platforms with picnic tables. Not only can you enjoy your lunch there, but you can also admire the view of the pond.
Many birds return to The Green Box to nest
Breeding coots, lapwings, wood pigeons and moorhens have already been discovered at The Green Box. The family of grebes, who raised 4 young last year, are also back.
But our inner gardens are also popular. Currently, an oystercatcher is incubating four eggs in our large inner garden. In a smaller inner garden, a duck is currently raising 8 young. Because there is little food and no access to the pond, companies on the campus have joined forces. KPI Maintenance (Klein Poelhuis), for example, has installed a special pool. And staff from Solmax and Eaton feed the ducklings with special waterfowl food and vegetables. This gives the chicks the best possible start.
Our own local sustainable energy system
On our campus, we use east/west oriented solar panels that are connected to our own energy system, providing clean energy to our campus and our charging stations. This encourages clean mobility, an important part of the energy transition. The Dutch government rewards charging infrastructure at companies through so-called HBE certificates, which stands for "Hernieuwbare brandstof eenheden" (Renewable Energy Units). These certificates encourage a sustainable future by rewarding companies that are committed to clean mobility. The Green Box uses these HBE certificates.
Sustainable power supply with 18,000 solar panels and smart orientation
At The Green Box Cleantech Campus, we have 18,000 solar panels, of which 15,772 are installed on our roofs. All our solar panels have a total power output of nearly 7 MWp. What makes our rooftop installation unique is the east/west orientation of the panels, which spreads the generated power throughout the day and not just during noon hours. This helps to limit network congestion in the region. The solar energy we generate is used to power the offices, production halls, and electric vehicles on campus.
Charging electric vehicles with solar power generates additional income through HBEs.
In 2022, we started administering HBEs on our campus. These certificates can be obtained by supplying electricity to transportation and have a market price. By selling them, depending on the circumstances, up to 1500 euros per double AC charging station can be earned per year. With our 15 double AC charging stations that are powered by solar electricity, we generated a total of 500 HBEs in 2022.
By installing your own charging infrastructure as a company or business park, you can not only generate additional income, but also make an active contribution to the sustainability of your business and the world.
Connecting and sharing knowledge
At The Green Box, companies collaborate on innovative and sustainable developments in the field of energy transition. A successful example of collaboration between companies is the development of the mobile medium-voltage station E-house. We also organize events to connect and share knowledge among tenants. In addition, we collaborate with knowledge institutions such as the University of Twente and Saxion to discover new value domains and increase the societal impact of our campus.
Synergy
Collaboration between Eaton and NieuweWeme group results in E-house
The key to innovation and sustainable development is collaboration. At The Green Box, two companies, Eaton and NieuweWeme group, have joined forces to develop the E-house. This mobile medium-voltage station provides additional grid capacity to businesses and industries. It is an interesting solution for companies that require additional grid capacity at locations such as events, construction projects, or in areas where the energy grid is overloaded. Due to the flexibility and mobility of the E-house, businesses can quickly and efficiently create additional grid capacity at any desired location.
The E-house also offers opportunities for companies that want to make their energy supply more sustainable. This makes it possible to generate and use green energy on locations where it was previously not possible. This is not only more sustainable, but can also be cost-effective for companies. The properties of the E-house make it interesting not only for companies, but also for grid operators and other market parties involved in the energy transition.
Successful events
On our campus, more than 40 successful events have been organized in the past few months, with over 600 visitors in total. Below you can read about some of the most notable events.
CEO event and "gluren-bij-de-buren" (peeking-at-neighbours): a successful connection between tenants
At The Green Box, we understand that connection is crucial for developing innovative ideas and new products. That's why we recently organized a CEO event, where business leaders had the opportunity to meet each other. Following this event, we held the first edition of "gluren-bij-de-buren," a recurring event where tenants on the campus get a glimpse into each other's workplaces.
During the last edition of "gluren-bij-de-buren," Eugén Ranft and Hank Elferink provided a tour for a group of 25 people through Eaton's production halls. Participants were able to observe the assembly work and the technology used in switch and distribution systems. Special attention was given to circularity: the processing of parts and the refurbishment of installations, which is both sustainable and cost-effective.
This successful event shows how we promote synergy and collaboration at The Green Box. Therefore, we will be organizing more events focused on connection in the coming months.
CDA faction specialist on Climate & Energy, Henri Bontenbal, visiting The Green Box
Henri Bontenbal has been committed to the energy transition for years in his role in the Dutch parliament for the CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal). During his visit, he had an inspiring session with founder Kees Koolen and CEO Ynte de Vries. They talked about trends and developments in the field of energy supply and the role of Dutch entrepreneurship in the energy transition. Bontenbal emphasized the importance of shared responsibility and the need to encourage companies that actually contribute to the green energy transition.
Collaborating with young talent
Cleantech technology plays a crucial role in addressing the most urgent environmental challenges of this century. At The Green Box, we believe it's important for students to learn about the energy transition, from generation and transportation to storage and mobility. This way, we inspire the next generation to contribute to accelerating the transition towards a world with sustainable energy, and hopefully, they become more aware of their own impact.
Collaborating with the "Shaping Responsible Futures" Master's program at the University of Twente
At our cleantech campus, we strive to collaborate with young talent to accelerate the energy transition. That's why we have partnered with the award-winning master's program "Shaping Responsible Futures" from the University of Twente. In 10 weeks, students from various disciplines researched how The Green Box can be designed as an energy hub, with the aim of discovering new value areas and maximizing their potential. It was a challenging mission that required a deep dive into the (cleantech) energy world.
Collaborating with Saxion to further investigate the societal impact of our campus
To increase our impact on society, we collaborate with the School of Finance and International Business students from Saxion University of Applied Sciences. They are researching further societal opportunities for The Green Box, such as providing locally generated solar power for charging stations and expanding connections between campus businesses and local policymakers. This way, we contribute together to a sustainable future.
Are you inspired and motivated to contribute?
If you would like to know more about our sustainability efforts, please feel free to contact us. We would be happy to tell you more.
