About FarmPower
The power of agriculture, bundled into energy.
Meet the board
Bruno De Grande, 36 years old, De Haan I am Bruno, formerly a board member, now chairman of our cooperative Farmpower. Together with my wife Steffie and our two children Morris and Norah, we run the Jersey Farm De Haan. Around 100 Jersey dairy cows + accompanying young cattle in the coastal polder. We process part of our milk into farm-made ice cream and desserts (yogurt, custard, rice pudding...) and have our own cheese, Odette, in collaboration with a fellow cheesemaker. I wanted to help with the Farmpower project because there is still much to be gained for us 'farmers' in terms of energy, both regarding the purchase of electricity and the smart management of our batteries. This way, we have more control over it ourselves.
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Berend Beekhuis, 46 years old, Vosselaar I am a co-founder and board member of FarmPower. I started the initiative because there was a need for a cooperative that negotiates on behalf of farmers and provides access to the energy market, without a commercial intermediary layer. My goal is for farmers to be collectively stronger in storage, tariff negotiations, and battery/consumption management. I have two children: Emma and Alexander.
Kristof Verschueren, 40 years old, Mol I am Kristof Verschueren, co-founder and board member of Farmpower. I am a passionate farmer with a heart for my animals and life on the farm. I work with great care on my dairy farm every day and make artisanal farm ice cream from my own milk at the Breykenshoeve. What I do, I do with pride — and you can taste it.
Mien Puts, Ravels.
Jef Verheyen, Zoersel
Kris Ally, 49 Years Old, Aalter I am Kris Ally, a board member of Farmpower. I am the father of Lucas, Astrid, and Daan, and together with my wife Sabine, we run a dairy farm with 140 milking cows and 30 suckler cows. As an active farmer, I am firmly rooted in the practical side of things, but I am also strongly involved in the broader agricultural sector: I advise fellow farmers and am politically active, because I believe that together we can build a future-oriented agriculture. With our company, we focus on sustainability, efficiency, and innovation. That is why sharing and managing energy within a cooperative model aligns perfectly with my vision. I am convinced that cooperation between farmers makes us stronger, both economically and ecologically. I look forward to contributing my part within Farmpower, sharing knowledge, and creating new opportunities together for energy-conscious and efficient agriculture.
Jan Vloemans, 43 years old, Ravels I have been a dairy farmer since 2007. I have 140 cows with 80 head of young cattle on 55 hectares of land (maize, grass, grass-clover, and hay meadows for my own roughage). I am a co-founder and board member of Farmpower because there is still much to be gained from the farmer in terms of energy. My partner, Femke Embrechts, works in the local primary schools and provides coaching and healing sessions (named 'Op't gevoel') here on the farm in her Finnish kota. We have 3 children: Lena, Toon, and Cis.
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Bram Agten , Pelt
FarmPower ambassadors & energy experts
Questions about energy management, batteries, or solar panels? Our ambassadors share their practical knowledge and help agricultural businesses with independent advice and guidance.
Nicolas Soenen
With his years of experience in the energy sector, Nicolas Soenen is a trusted point of contact within FarmPower. As an ambassador, he shares his knowledge and practical experience regarding energy management, solar panels, and battery solutions. He is happy to assist members and interested parties with objective advice and a personal approach.
Email: Nicolas.soenen@farmpower.be
Tel: +32 (0) 478 503 780
FarmPower ambassador
How FarmPower originated
FarmPower originated in 2022 from an idea by Berend Beekhuis, based on his experience in the solar energy sector. He observed the same problem repeatedly at agricultural businesses: farmers invested heavily in sustainable energy but had little control over what their generated energy actually yielded. They remained dependent on energy suppliers, low feed-in tariffs, and highly volatile market prices.
Berend discussed this idea with a group of about fifteen agricultural customers. Together, they explored how farmers could pool their resources and thus gain a stronger position in the energy market. Based on those discussions, FarmPower was jointly founded: a cooperative of and for farmers, built on collaboration and shared interests.
Stronger Together
The Beekhuis farm 1910 Vlagtwedde Groningen.
From collaboration to strong energy collective
What began with a few agricultural businesses joining forces gradually grew into a professional energy network. By combining batteries and energy capacity, FarmPower was able to actively participate in the imbalance market, creating new opportunities for farmers to extract more value from their energy.
Today, FarmPower goes much further than just generating or storing energy. Batteries and flexible consumption are centrally and coordinately managed and deployed at times when the electricity grid requires them. This allows the collective to actively respond to the energy market, and revenues are distributed transparently.
What started with a number of farms has now grown into an operational energy collective with more than 200 farmers and customers — and FarmPower continues to grow.
But the basis has never changed:
. Only farmers can become shareholders.
. No external shareholders or investment funds. The cooperative remains in the hands of the farmers.
. The value created together flows back to the participants.
FarmPower has thereby matured technically and organizationally, without losing the purpose for which it was originally founded:
Making farmers stronger together in the energy market.
Centrica — our strategic partner
FarmPower has a long-term partnership with Centrica for the smart control of our batteries. This choice is deliberate: Centrica is not an energy supplier.
With many market players, both the battery and the energy contract are managed by the same party. As a result, interests can become intertwined. Centrica is completely separate from the energy contract on the meter and has only one mission: to utilize the available flexibility as effectively as possible and extract maximum value from the battery.
No conflicts of interest. No hidden incentives. Full focus on optimal battery performance.
Centrica combines international expertise in the energy market with reliable technology and transparent management. This allows our batteries to be deployed jointly and professionally, while FarmPower keeps the interests of its members central.
FarmPower and Centrica — stronger together.
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Enwyse — our energy partner
For the supply and purchase of energy, FarmPower collaborates with Enwyse , formerly NieuweStroom .
By pooling the energy consumption of farmers and customers, FarmPower can negotiate stronger rates and conditions as a collective. Enwyse supports us in this with its knowledge of the energy market and is currently handling the energy supply.
At the same time, FarmPower continues to negotiate independently and monitor the market. As our collective grows, so does our negotiating power, enabling us to pursue increasingly better terms for our members and customers.
This is how we combine the power of joint energy purchasing with professional support in the energy market.
FarmPower and Enwyse — stronger together.
FarmPower is the energy cooperative of and for farmers.
Together, we combine our energy, knowledge, and strength for better conditions and greater independence.
For and by farmers.
Stronger together.
Quick links
Contact
Address:
Heieinde 51
B-2350 Vosselaar Belgium
Telephone:
+32 472 538 001
E-mail:
VAT number:
BE 0789.575.545
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