Innovation to accelerate progress

Alliander's challenges are huge. Among other things, we are facing extreme increases in decentralised generation, electricity usage, the integration of new forms of energy within the system, the need for exponential acceleration of infrastructure construction, market facilitation and customer channelisation. And we are having to cope with all of this in a very tight labour market. Through innovation, we address issues for which there is no solution as yet, or issues where normal solutions do not have sufficient impact. We have started a pilot project with a chip manufacturer to investigate the effect of alternative transmission rights. The aim of this arrangement is to help industrial customers grow and/or become more sustainable with only modest additional transmission capacity. We further investigated options for a ‘pluggable’ medium-voltage grid to allow faster and simpler construction and easier connection. In addition, we launched the Powered programme in conjunction with Alliander Next Grid to work even more closely with start-ups and scale-ups. More than 100 innovative companies have applied for the programme.  

Using knowledge: Alliander Next Grid

The transformation of the energy system requires competencies that do not currently exist or for which there is not yet a market. Fortunately, companies around us are innovating at a rapid pace. In the past, we as Alliander invested heavily in our own companies to develop solutions, but now we see that companies outside Alliander – often start-ups or scale-ups – already offer promising solutions. To keep the pace high, it's crucial that we know what's going on and collaborate with them in line with Alliander's strategy. We do this through Alliander Next Grid, which we launched in 2024 as the successor to Alliander New Business.

With Next Grid, we want to invest more in corporate venturing and the ecosystem of start-ups and scale-ups around Alliander. We continue to strengthen Firan and ENTRNCE to maximise their contribution to Alliander's challenges and the energy transition. We see opportunities here to jointly develop valuable products and services for the energy system of the future. We do this in the areas of infrastructure, telecom and digital solutions. One example of our activities in 2024 is the facilitation of municipalities in selecting and contracting companies to build a district heating network. We have also made progress in the area of data exchange and the development of contract forms for local energy hubs. Via ENTRNCE, we helped municipalities make their own assets more sustainable by enabling them to purchase energy from their own, local producers. More than 10% of Dutch municipalities, including those in Friesland and Gelderland, are now using this so-called self-delivery concept. Via Alliander Telecom, we were able to renew the licence for the CDMA network used by our smart meters, thereby ensuring continuation of our service.