| Case study |
Reducing energy costs and boosting resilience while supporting the grid
It takes deep-rooted know-how and a shared vision for sustainability to turn an agri-industry site into a flexible energy powerhouse.
This is exactly what Tomatomasters and Veolia have achieved together - valorising 28 MW across greenhouses in Deinze, Flanders.
Valorized assets Services provided by Flexcity offer Location Start of the partnership |
Customer Challenge
Tomatomasters is a family-owned greenhouse grower producing premium tomatoes since 1966. With 21 hectares of advanced greenhouses and operations built around sustainability and innovation, it is today one of Belgium’s largest and most forward-thinking agricultural producers.
Producing tomatoes at this scale requires significant amounts of energy. Tomatomasters had already invested in CHPs, electric boilers, and intelligent LED systems - but the full potential of these assets remained untapped.
With energy costs rising and grid flexibility becoming increasingly important, the team wanted to do more with their infrastructure. Their goal: generate revenue from flexibility while maintaining uninterrupted, high-quality tomato production.
The site now delivers flexibility to several market mechanisms:
- CHPs are modulated to respond to grid needs while maintaining heat supply
- Electric boilers act as fast, controllable loads
- LED lighting provides additional responsiveness when needed
Veolia's Flexcity offer valorises these assets in:
- aFRR
- mFRR
- Imbalance markets
All activations are automated and integrated via Flexcity’s advanced control platform. Veolia ensures grid participation while protecting the operational integrity of the greenhouses at all times.
Solution
Veolia, through its Flexcity offer, collaborated with Tomatomasters to identify and activate the site's flexibility potential, focusing on secure integration, real-time control, and minimal operational impact.
Tom Vlaemynck |
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- Valorisation of 28 MW of flexibility without impacting operations
- Integration with the most valuable ancillary and imbalance markets
- Secure, seamless setup using Veolia’s control infrastructure
- New long-term revenue streams to strengthen the business model
- Alignment with sustainability goals and preparation for battery storage
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Benefits
Arnout Aertgeerts |
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Working with Veolia
Our Flexcity Offer helps energy-intensive companies turn existing infrastructure into new value - optimizing flexible capacity across ancillary services, imbalance markets, and more. Whether you're in industry, agriculture, or logistics, we make flexibility work without complexity.
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