Connecting Two Neighbouring Sites into One Local Energy System
The Europe Inland Logistics Campus 21 in Ham shows that the real value of solar energy lies not in how much is produced, but in where and how it is used.
Heylen Warehouses and Heylen Energy partnered with the Nike European Logistics Campus next door to deliver solar power from one site to the other through a direct line. Instead of being exported to the public grid, the energy is consumed where it is needed.
Virtually all production is used on site. The project avoids 4.2 MW of grid injection capacity and supplies 100% local, renewable electricity under a PPA.
Project Overview
Project: Inland Logistics Campus
Location: Ham, Belgium
Building Type: Logistics warehouses with a shared local energy system
Status: Completed
BGBC Members Involved: Heylen Warehouses and Heylen Energy
Project Milestones
- Solar capacity: around 6 MWp
- Annual production: around 5.5 GWh, roughly the yearly consumption of 1,500 households
- Connection: direct line into the medium-voltage loop of the neighbouring site
- Local use: virtually 100% of production consumed on site
- Grid capacity avoided: 4.2 MW
- Commercial model: PPA
The Challenge
Building a large solar roof was never the hard part; the technology is proven. The challenge was making locally produced energy deliver maximum value locally.
In the classic model, a site optimises its own consumption behind the meter and exports the surplus to the grid. That model is increasingly hitting its limits:
- Large rooftop installations often produce more than the host building can use.
- Exported surplus loses much of its value.
- Grid congestion makes large-scale export harder to connect and less predictable.
The partners set out to break with that logic and treat production and consumption at Ham as one single system, without unnecessary detours or loss of value..
"The solution is not found within a single company, but between companies."
The Smart Electrification Approach
The Inland Logistics Campus follows the Smart Electrification Framework, structured around four pillars: Efficiency First, Smart Electrification, Renewable Energy and Grid Readiness. Its main contribution lies in the last two.
1. Efficiency First
- The Concept: Use every locally produced kilowatt-hour where it creates the most value, before anything leaves the site.
- Technical Execution: The solar installation feeds directly into the medium-voltage loop of the neighbouring site. Virtually all production is consumed locally, with no detour via the public grid.
2. Smart Electrification
- The Concept: Design an energy system, not just a solar installation.
- Technical Execution: Production and consumption across both sites operate as one integrated system. Energy management is handled at the consuming site, where the energy flows arrive.
3. Renewable Energy
- The Concept: Supply green electricity generated right next door.
- The Data: A solar installation of around 6 MWp generates around 5.5 GWh per year, equivalent to the annual consumption of about 1,500 households.
- Policy & Future Value: The electricity is 100% local and 100% renewable, contracted through a PPA between the partners.
4. Grid Readiness and Resilience
- The Concept: Keep energy local to relieve pressure on the public grid.
- Technical Execution: Because production matches on-site demand, the project avoids 4.2 MW of grid injection capacity.
- Policy & Future Value: With near-full self-consumption, battery storage is not needed today. If shifting production in time becomes useful later, storage can be added at the consuming site, where the direct line delivers the energy.
Beyond Electrification: Energy Partnerships Between Neighbours
The Europe Inland Logistics Campus 21 shows that the next step in the energy transition happens between companies, not within one.
The project brings together:
- A real estate developer (Heylen Warehouses) bringing the logistics buildings.
- An energy company (Heylen Energy) designing the energy system.
- A neighbouring logistics site (Nike ELC) taking the energy through a direct line.
- Installation partners who turned the concept into a working system.
A PPA sets the commercial terms between producer and consumer.
Two buildings with complementary production and consumption profiles become one ecosystem in which logistics, real estate and energy production merge.
Results and Impact
Large-Scale Local Production
The completed installation of around 6 MWp produces around 5.5 GWh per year, comparable to the annual consumption of 1,500 households.
Virtually 100% Local Use
Through the direct line, virtually all solar production is consumed on the neighbouring site. The electricity is 100% local and 100% renewable.
4.2 MW of Grid Capacity Avoided
Because the energy does not need to be exported, the project avoids 4.2 MW of injection capacity on the public grid, freeing room for other users.
Economic Value
The partners stress that the real value does not lie in the production figures, but in how the energy is used. Combined with a PPA, keeping it local makes the model future-proof and economically sound for all parties.
Key Lessons for the Sector
1. Look Beyond the Meter:
The classic behind-the-meter model leaves value on the table. Linking neighbouring sites with complementary profiles turns surplus into local supply.
2. Design a System, Not an Installation:
Production and consumption need to be planned together from the start. When they match closely, a direct line delivers nearly all energy locally, and storage becomes an option rather than a necessity.
3. Collaboration Is the Key Technology:
Technically, a lot is possible. Success depends on courage, trust and understanding each partner's ambitions, then translating them into a concrete project.
Why This Matters
The Europe Inland Logistics Campus 21 demonstrates that smart electrification is not only about generating more renewable energy. It is about using that energy where it is produced, sharing it between neighbours, and relieving a grid under pressure. In a rapidly changing energy landscape, connecting complementary buildings creates not just efficiency, but structural impact for Belgium's logistics and industrial sites.
Heylen Energy is your partner for on-site sustainable energy solutions for businesses and property owners. As an independent company within the Heylen Group, we develop, finance, operate and maintain green energy projects, from rooftop solar and battery storage to EV and truck charging infrastructure and virtual power plants. As a one-stop shop, we often carry the initial investment ourselves and build long-term partnerships with our clients.
Heylen Warehouses is your creative partner for the development and leasing of high-quality logistics and semi-industrial real estate. We offer flexible and sustainable solutions for logistics accommodation by offering built-to-suit developments along with the leasing of existing premises.