Used vehicle batteries power stadium

The recycling of vehicle batteries is set to power Ajax. As the first stadium in the world, the "Johan Cruijff Arena," home of AFC Ajax in the Netherlands, ensures future energy supply through a storage system of new and used electric vehicle batteries. This unique project is being implemented by Eaton, Nissan, BAM, The Mobility House, and the Johan Cruijff Arena, with support from the Amsterdam Climate and Energy Fund (AKEF) and Interreg in Amsterdam.
 
The stadium's 3-megawatt battery storage is expected to ensure a more reliable and efficient energy supply and usage in the stadium. The system consists of bidirectional inverters from Eaton and electric car batteries. A large portion of the batteries were previously used in electric vehicles. The batteries have already reached the end of their CO2 lifecycle and are therefore significantly more sustainable than systems made from new batteries. In total, battery cells with a capacity of 2.8 MWh are installed. This corresponds to the battery capacity of 148 Nissan Leafs. The project demonstrates how energy storage enables more sustainable energy concepts and enhances the economic efficiency of vehicle batteries.

“Thanks to the energy storage system, the stadium can use its self-generated solar power more sustainably and intelligently and market the stored energy as 'Amsterdam Energy ArenA BV' on the energy markets,” says Henk van Raan, Director of Innovation at the Johan Cruijff Arena. “In the event of a power failure, the arena will have a significant amount of energy available thanks to the battery storage. This increases the stadium's supply security and also contributes to the stabilization of the power grid in the Netherlands and Europe. The Johan Cruijff Arena is one of the most innovative and sustainable stadiums in the world and is a pioneer in the introduction of smart technologies such as the unique energy storage system." The energy storage plays a central role and creates the ideal balance of energy supply and demand. With a total output of 3 MW, the storage system can optimally store and use the energy of the 4,200 solar panels on the arena's roof. The energy stored would be enough to supply 7,000 Amsterdam households with electricity for one hour. Especially during major events, the energy storage system provides backup power, reduces the use of diesel generators, and relieves the power grid by preventing the load peaks that occur during concerts.

“Thanks to the energy storage system, the stadium can use its self-generated solar power more sustainably and intelligently and market the stored energy as ‘Amsterdam Energy ArenA BV’ in the energy markets,” says Henk van Raan, Director of Innovation at Johan Cruijff Arena. “In the event of a power outage, the arena will have a considerable amount of energy available thanks to the battery storage. This increases the stadium's supply security and also contributes to the stabilization of the power grid in the Netherlands and Europe. The Johan Cruijff Arena is among the world's most innovative and sustainable stadiums and is a pioneer in the introduction of smart technologies such as the unique energy storage system." The energy storage plays a central role, creating the ideal balance between energy supply and demand. With a total output of 3 MW, the storage system can optimally store and use the energy from the 4,200 solar modules on the arena's roof. The stored energy would be sufficient to power 7,000 Amsterdam households for one hour. Especially during major events, the energy storage system provides backup power, reduces the use of diesel generators, and relieves the power grid by preventing peak loads during concerts.

A novel hardware and software solution from The Mobility House is used for the operation, which intelligently manages the electric vehicle batteries. By providing grid services, grid stability is ensured and the additional acquisition of further expensive diesel generators becomes unnecessary. The necessary interfaces for the arena's energy management system and the Dutch grid operator TenneT were developed and integrated by The Mobility House. In the next step, up to 200 uni- and bidirectional charging stations will be integrated into Johan Cruijff Arena to incorporate electric vehicles into the power grid through Vehicle-to-Grid applications.

What does this mean?

Vehicles and energy supply will move even closer together in the future – even in larger projects, as demonstrated by Johan Cruijff Arena.