The Challenge: A Rooftop Full of Solar, a Grid That Can't Keep Up
Their roof is covered in solar panels. So many that they produce three times what the factory needs during daylight hours.
But without storage, every evening meant the same thing: switching back to grid power. Every cloudy day meant buying energy instead of using their own. Their 150 kW grid connection was enough for base loads, but the solar surplus went to waste the moment the sun went down.
“We produce three times more than we needed, but we would like to store the energy so that we become independent from other sources,” says Simon Zijlstra, co-owner. “Now we store the energy for night time, for when there is no sun. And also when we lose power for some reason, we can still use our machines.”
The Solution: 500 kWh of LFP Storage
Together with system integrator Pieter Klimp (Off-Grid Factory) and project manager Gerke Draaisma, Mannen van Staal installed a high-voltage MG Energy Systems battery setup in a Denios container outside the factory for the load shifting process
System highlights:
- 500 kWh LFP battery capacity across 4 parallel banks
- 200 kW inverter power (4x 50 kW hybrid inverters)
- Master HV & SmartLink MX for intelligent control and remote monitoring
- Denios container with 2-hour fire resistance, active ventilation, and CO/H2 sensors
Here’s how it works: solar panels feed the factory during the day, the surplus charges the batteries, and when the sun goes down, the factory runs on stored energy. Plans are already in place for a Solar Carpark that will feed even more renewable energy into the system for load shifting.
Where the Battery Earns Its Keep
This isn’t a peak-shaving story. It’s a time-shifting story. Solar energy produced at 2 PM runs the factory at 2 AM. The battery doesn’t manage spikes, it moves megawatt-hours from day to night.
“We use about 300,000 kilowatt-hours per year,” says Gerke Draaisma, project manager at Mannen van Staal. “With this battery system, we are able to make it through the evening and the night. We don’t have to withdraw kilowatt-hours from the grid.”
The impact is clear. Before the battery, half of their energy came from the grid. Now, grid draw is down to a maximum of 20%, and that’s only during extended periods of bad weather. On a normal day, the factory runs entirely on stored solar.
And when the grid does drop, the system takes over seamlessly. “You don’t have a moment that you think there is no power. It happens within a blink.” That matters: last year, a single day of unplanned downtime due to a power outage cost the company dearly in delayed projects.
Built for Continuous Operation
The Denios container provides two hours of fire resistance from both inside and outside. It’s climate-controlled with air conditioning, active ventilation, and sensors for CO and H2 detection.
“The LFP batteries give a low total cost of ownership,” says Pieter Klimp, system integrator at Off-Grid Factory. “It’s a very stable system, very safe. There is no propagation of cells in case of a failure. The system is completely isolated, so the temperature stays very stable.”
The MG Master HV manages cell-level monitoring, while the SmartLink MX provides a clear view of system power and state of charge. Everything is accessible remotely via the MG portal.
Beyond the Factory Floor
Energy independence extends beyond production. Mannen van Staal’s entire vehicle fleet is electric, charged from the same solar panels and battery. “If the days grow shorter, they also take kilowatt-hours from the battery,” notes Gerke Draaisma.
The system can be doubled to 1 MWh, and the modular rack architecture makes expansion straightforward.
The Numbers
Compared to a solar-only setup without storage, the battery saves 75,000 kWh per year, energy that previously went to waste now powers the factory after dark.
Grid dependency dropped from 50% to 20%. Before the battery, half of all energy came from the grid. Now the grid is only needed during extreme weather, and even then it tops off rather than carries the load.
30 tonnes of CO2 saved annually by maximizing self-consumption of renewable energy instead of pulling from the grid.
Backup that buys you a full day. At full production capacity, the battery provides 5 hours of runtime. With smart load management, temporarily scaling down non-critical machines, that stretches to a full working day. Enough to ride out almost any grid outage.
And with energy transport costs rising fast, every kilowatt-hour kept on-site becomes more valuable over time.
The Foundation: Trust
“When you see it, it’s a nice black box, the same as our building. Design-wise it’s also a good thing. But the strongest aspect is that we use it without pushing a button.”
Gerke Draaisma, project manager, puts the decision in simple terms: “The most important thing is trust. We know MG Energy Systems, we know the people behind it. If they say it works, make it work.”
The result: a factory that produces its own energy, stores its own energy, and is completely independent after dark. No complex time-of-use schemes. Just solar energy, available around the clock.
Key System Specifications
| Location | Leeuwarden, Netherlands |
|---|---|
| Total Battery Capacity | 500 kWh (upgradeable to 1 MWh) |
| Battery Configuration | 64x MG LFP 304 SLP (4 parallel banks of 16 in series) |
| System Voltage | 400 Vdc (High Voltage) |
| Inverter Power | 200 kW (4x 50 kW hybrid inverters) |
| Grid Connection | 150 kW |
| BMS | MG Master HV (19″ Rackmount) |
| Communication | MG SmartLink MX + Monitor |
| Enclosure | Denios container (2-hour fire rated, climate controlled) |
| System Integrator | Pieter Klimp (Off-Grid Factory) |
| Annual Consumption | ~300,000 kWh |
| Grid Draw Before Battery | 50% |
| Grid Draw After Battery | max 20% (only extreme weather) |
| Yearly Savings vs Solar-Only | 75,000 kWh |
| CO2 Saved | ~30 tonnes/year |
| Backup Runtime | 5 hours full load, full day with load management |
| Primary Use Case | Solar time-shifting (day to night) |
| Status | 100% energy neutral |
Frequently Asked Questions
- How does solar time-shifting work for an industrial factory?
- Solar panels generate power during the day. The factory uses what it needs, and the surplus charges the battery. After sunset, the battery discharges, running the factory on stored solar energy instead of grid power.
- Can a 150 kW grid connection really run a factory with heavy metal fabrication equipment?
- With load shifting it can when paired with a battery. Before installation, half of the factory’s energy came from the grid. Now grid draw is down to 20% maximum, only during extended bad weather. The 200 kW inverter system covers peak machinery loads, and the battery provides seamless backup if the grid drops.
- What happens during a grid failure?
- The system switches to battery power instantly. The entire factory is connected to the backup side of the inverters, so production continues without interruption. Users report zero noticeable transition time. At full load the battery provides 5 hours of runtime, extendable to a full day with smart load management, enough to avoid costly production stops.
- Is LFP battery technology safe for industrial environments?
- Yes. LFP (Lithium Iron Phosphate) chemistry is inherently more stable than other lithium-ion chemistries. It does not propagate thermal runaway between cells. Combined with the Denios container’s 2-hour fire rating, active ventilation, and gas sensors, the system meets high industrial safety standards.
- Can the system be expanded later?
- Yes. The architecture supports doubling capacity from 500 kWh to 1 MWh. The 19-inch rack format and modular MG components make scaling straightforward, and the SmartLink MX can integrate additional battery banks seamlessly.
- How does this system prepare for a Solar Carpark?
- The MG SmartLink MX and Master HV are designed to handle multiple energy sources. Adding solar carport generation is a matter of connecting the panels to the existing inverter infrastructure, with the battery absorbing the additional production.
Keywords: MG Energy Systems, Mannen van Staal, Netcongestie, Grid Congestion Solution, Solar Self-Consumption, Load Shifting, Solar Time-Shifting, 500 kWh Battery, LFP Battery, Industrial Battery Storage, Master HV, SmartLink MX, Denios Container, Energy Independence, Off-Grid Factory, Pieter Klimp, Gerke Draaisma, High Voltage Energy Storage, Industrial Solar, Leeuwarden.
Interested in energy independence for your facility? Contact MG Energy Systems for a grid congestion analysis.
Off-Grid Factory system integrator
Mannen van Staal metal fabrication, Leeuwarden
