The largest European energy storage system in a commercial building was inaugurated in Amsterdam at the city’s Johan Cruijff ArenA by industry giants Nissan, Eaton, BAM, The Mobility House and the Johan Cruijff ArenA, supported by the Amsterdam Climate and Energy Fund (AKEF) and Interreg.
More than two million people visit the arena on an annual basis to attend concerts, dance events and business meetings and is home of the AFC Ajax and the Dutch national team. The stadium and neighboring area will constitute a living lab to test innovations.
The 3 megawatt storage system will generate energy supply for the stadium, its visitors, neighbors and the Dutch energy grid, in addition to providing back-up power, reducing the use of diesel generators, and providing relief to the energy grid by flattening the peaks that occur during concerts. What is set to enable a more sustainable energy system will also create a circular economy for electric vehicle batteries.
“Thanks to this energy storage system, the stadium will be able to use its own sustainable energy more intelligently and, as Amsterdam Energy ArenA BV, it can trade in the batteries’ available storage capacity,” says Henk van Raan, director of innovation at the Johan Cruijff ArenA.
“The ArenA is assured of a considerable amount of power, even during an outage. As a result, the stadium will contribute to a stable Dutch energy grid. The Johan Cruijff ArenA is one of the most sustainable stadiums in the world and leads the way in introducing smart innovations like this unique energy storage system.”
