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From battery storage to charging station
Bosch Beton has long been known as a specialist in precast retaining walls for a wide range of applications. In addition to traditional uses such as earth retention, storage bays, and site boundaries, a new application is currently growing rapidly in popularity: fire-resistant retaining walls. With the rise of battery storage, charging stations, and electric equipment, the demand for safe fire compartmentalization is increasing sharply.
“Compared to two years ago, the number of requests for fire-resistant retaining walls has multiplied,” says Laurens van Dijke of Bosch Beton. “We’re seeing that more and more business owners are considering their own energy storage solutions or making their vehicle fleets more sustainable. This also raises new safety concerns.”
The growing interest in fire-resistant retaining walls is closely linked to the energy transition. Laurens: “Many companies have invested in solar panels in recent years. Now that the net metering program is coming to an end and feeding electricity back into the grid is becoming less attractive, business owners are increasingly looking into options for on-site energy storage.” In addition, the use of electric equipment in the civil engineering sector is on the rise. Electric trucks, construction equipment, cranes, and commercial vehicles require charging facilities and, in some cases, on-site battery storage. This involves not only permits and regulations but also insurers“ requirements. And that is precisely where challenges often arise. ”There are still no clear, uniform regulations for all situations, and insurers often have different requirements,“ Laurens explains. ”Moreover, business owners are already very busy dealing with permits, grid congestion, and the layout of their premises. When insurers’ requirements are added to the mix, it’s helpful to be able to rely on a partner who knows which fire-resistant solution is best suited to the situation.”
One of the first projects in which Bosch Beton used fire-resistant retaining walls was the mega-battery park of Koninklijke Dekker Hout. The project was groundbreaking in several respects. Because clear regulations were still lacking and insurers had varying requirements, a significant portion of the work involved determining the appropriate fire safety measures. For the energy storage system, Bosch Beton supplied prefabricated LA retaining walls 3 meters high, available in various lengths and equipped with corner elements. The retaining walls function as fire-resistant partitions between the battery arrays, thereby contributing to the safe storage of energy. What made this project unique was that, in addition to fire safety, space utilization also played a significant role. Bosch Beton therefore developed a custom solution in which the base of a large portion of the retaining walls was shortened. This eliminated unnecessary empty space and allowed the battery containers to be optimally positioned between the walls.
Interest in fire-resistant retaining walls is also growing in the construction of charging stations for electric vehicles. A recent example is the new charging station built by the recycling company Renewi. For this location, Bosch Beton supplied prefabricated fire-resistant walls designed to prevent a potential fire from spreading between charging points.
According to Laurens, fire-resistant retaining walls are still custom-made. “There is no one-size-fits-all solution for fire safety. Every location has its own risks, available space, and requirements from permitting authorities or insurers. That’s why we assess each project to determine which design best suits the situation and take care of everything for the customer to create the ideal solution.”
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