Pioneering along the A12: Sustainable building and a first with innovative Live Lab

Anyone driving along the A12 near Woerden cannot miss it: the new premises of Elektro Internationaal panel construction & control technology. An impressive example of sustainability. And soon, the next innovation will follow: a Live Lab in which they want to demonstrate the benefits of working with direct current straight from a unique battery solution. The goal? Making innovation tangible. Because seeing is believing!

A SHOWSTOPPER ON THE A12
The new building at Middellandse Zee 14 in Woerden is a well-thought-out showstopper. One with an energy label A+++++, the highest achievable! Although the first construction plans emerged years ago, the realization of the building took a little longer. Changing environmental and nitrogen requirements posed additional challenges. Yet, the delay has paid off twice over: the result has only become better because of it.

BUILDING TOGETHER
'What I like is that we have used the extra time to our advantage,' says General Director Leon van Zelst. 'We consciously chose to involve our entire team in the construction process. Through special brainstorming sessions with all employees, we arrived at the current layout. This way, the interior is truly based on our business operations and the building feels like something that belongs to all of us.'

PROUD OF INNOVATION
'We are a technical company,' adds Commercial Director John Mooij. 'Here, people work on developing energy-efficient solutions for projects in various locations around the world. Down-to-earth people, who usually think: just keep it simple, that's already bold enough. No golden faucets in projects, but we made an exception for our own building. Things are going well here, we are working on remarkable projects worldwide, and we like to stand out when it comes to innovation. We want to convey that to the market, and our employees should also feel at home in the building.'

GROWTH AND AMBITIONS
‘Due to the long lead time of eight years, time has essentially overtaken us,’ John continues. ‘The growth we had anticipated came even faster than expected. Thanks to the market, the energy transition, but also because we do our work well. Meanwhile, we are even cautiously looking at additional locations to accommodate our growth. We are developing at a rapid pace, but that suits us. The market in which we operate is changing rapidly, and we do not just want to keep up, but rather take the lead.’

REVOLUTION IN ENERGY STORAGE
Being at the forefront and promoting innovations is ingrained in Elektro Internationaal. 'As a healthy company, we can of course say that easily,' John nuances, 'but that is indeed how we grew: by taking risks.' Every now and then, an opportunity arises, and Elektro Internationaal eagerly takes advantage of it. Their revolutionary energy solution is a perfect example of this: a technology that allows energy to be stored for later use, but in a way different from the conventional battery container.

'The unique technology addresses the problem of grid congestion,' Leon continues. 'But in the most efficient way. Because no voltage conversion (from direct to alternating current and back again) needs to take place, energy loss is reduced and the consumption of often scarce raw materials is decreased. And that means lower costs and an improved operational return of 8 to 15%. We are proud to have entered early, and as far as we know, we are the only provider offering this in the Dutch market.'

LIVE LAB IN WOERDEN
TNO expects that the volume of so-called DC (direct current) microgrids will increase enormously within the next ten years. At Elektro Internationaal, they share this confidence. 'We can talk about it all day – and we gladly do – but we much prefer to show how it works. That’s why we are opening a Live Lab on our premises, accessible to visitors and business relations,' continues Leon.

On the outdoor site next to the new building, two technology containers have been placed. Each contains a special battery solution, one DC and one AC. Both support the energy supply of the company building, including charging infrastructure for vehicles. 'Clients can monitor our building through special energy monitoring dashboards and see for themselves the advantages of one solution over the other. The Live Lab serves as an innovative test field within our own company building!'

PUSHING BOUNDARIES
Innovation is not only about technology. 'What I like about Elektro Internationaal is that the market pressure forces us to think internationally: not only to find work worldwide but also to bring talent to the Netherlands,' says John. 'We have colleagues from countries like Turkey, Romania, Morocco, Eritrea, Ukraine, Poland, Sudan, China, Syria, and Portugal. So many nationalities together make us unique. People come here with both a degree and the willingness to advance and build a good life. I find that admirable. These positively minded employees are a great addition to our company.''In that sense, we live up to our name: there are no limits or boundaries for technology and our people.'