Smart Energy Takes Flight at Pelkmans-Vervoort Poultry Farm
Just meters from the Dutch border, the Pelkmans-Vervoort farm in Belgium is turning energy innovation into income. With help from Octave, Yuso, and Ecotechnics, the farm now uses solar, battery storage, and smart control to cut costs—and earn from the grid.
In Turnhout, Belgium, the Pelkmans-Vervoort family operates a forward-thinking poultry farm housing 195,000 chicks. While technology has long been integral to their operations, a major leap in energy innovation came in late 2023—through a partnership with Octave, Yuso, and Ecotechnics.
The farm had already installed 230 kWp of solar panels in 2022, later expanded by an additional 168 kWp in 2023. But the real game-changer was the installation of an energy storage system from Octave, combined with smart control software from Yuso. This setup allows the farm to maximize self-consumption, sell surplus energy on the imbalance market, and avoid losses from low or negative grid prices.
Thanks to Yuso’s battery control, Pelkmans-Vervoort now earns up to €230/MWh for electricity sold during imbalance peaks. In parallel, Octave’s Solar Curtailment control prevents excess solar production from being injected into the grid when prices are negative—temporarily scaling down production to match the farm’s energy needs.
This dual system not only avoids unnecessary costs but also generates significant new income. Beginning of March 2025, Octave and Yuso also implemented smart Solar Curtailment on the Imbalance market that is expected to deliver around €5,000 in additional annual revenue. The decision to invest in smart energy systems has clearly paid off: Pelkmans is no longer just saving on energy—but also earning from it.
Read the whole story by Yuso here.
