Kees Koolen establishes clean tech campus “The Green Box” in Hengelo to speed up the energy transition

Hengelo, The Netherlands, 18 December 2020

Dutch entrepreneur and investor Kees Koolen has acquired a large site in Hengelo to establish a new science, technology and enterprise campus dedicated to the development of viable and affordable clean energy solutions.

The campus will be named The Green Box to reflect its role as a new home for a number of startups and research and development groups engaged in the transition to clean energy. Besides regular office and co-working space, there will be an incubator for cleantech startups. 

“Collaboration is an essential ingredient of the energy transition. We aim to foster an entrepreneurial and cooperative spirit here. We will encourage startups and others to work together and learn from each other as we strive towards a shared goal of providing clean energy for everyone, whenever and wherever they need it,” said Koolen, a private investor in clean energy companies and technologies, and Founder and CEO of The Green Box. 

The Green Box will offer its tenants access to facilities ranging from research laboratories to events and conference venues, as well as to services such as business mentoring and advice on legal and regulatory matters pertinent to startups.

Ideal site

Koolen acquired the 183.195 m2 location with 71.490 m2 of existing buildings at Europalaan 202, Hengelo, in the Twente region in the eastern Netherlands, from Eaton Industries Netherlands B.V. Eaton will retain a presence on this site in Hengelo having agreed a 10-year lease with an option to extend.

 “The site has been a hub of electrical engineering and a source of technology that can positively impact climate change for many years. The first SF6-free medium voltage switchgear was created here over 60 years ago. We are glad to be part of this campus that will continue the transition to clean energy in the future,” said Fernando Ceccarelli, SVP and General Manager, Power Distribution Division, Eaton EMEA.

The site is ideally suited for energy research and development, according to Koolen, whose private investment of at least €18 million in the campus project will be supplemented by additional funds and expertise from startups and research and development groups that will have a presence here.

“There are already sophisticated electricity facilities in place that are suitable for complex research, and we hope to find ways to ensure it is entirely powered by clean energy. Coupled with its access to the area’s skilled workforce, we believe we have found a recipe for success,” said Koolen.

Green jobs

Koolen expects many new jobs to be created at The Green Box in ways that will bring benefits both to the local economy as well as to The Netherlands, to Europe, and to the world. 

“The new jobs will be green jobs, which are exactly the kind of jobs that we will need as we embark on a recovery from the Corona crisis. We expect a growing number of skilled employees to be employed by the companies that will move in here in the months and years ahead. This will help attract, retain and develop talent,” said Koolen.

The Green Box will also help facilitate close cooperation between commercial operators and renowned research institutions such as The University of Twente, a public technical university located nearby in Enschede.

Entrepreneurial student teams will be encouraged to participate in competitions, where the winners will be offered free working space on site to develop their ideas.

“Both students and scientists will gain from our presence at The Green Box, as will the companies on the campus. Ultimately the benefits will be universal, in particular with regards to research into clean energy solutions that will help the world deal with challenges such as climate change, air pollution and energy security,” said Victor van der Chijs, president executive board, Twente University.

The Green Box is expected to be a welcome addition to the Twente region’s vibrant academic and business community.

Critical mass

The site will begin to fill up immediately. Initial tenants, along with Eaton, will include companies that are part of the Hengelo-based clean energy conglomerate Koolen Industries.

Lithium battery company Super B, green ammonia technology company Proton Ventures and hydrogen-bromide energy storage system company Elestor will continue to work closely together with Smart Grid to develop and produce containerized clean energy storage solutions on campus. Moreover, Floading is already using the high-power test facilities at the location, storing the electric vehicles of its customers and using the location for its R&D activities. 

Other Koolen Industries companies that will be represented on the campus include:

• Hardt Hyperloop, which is developing zero emissions transport systems for vehicles traveling through airless tubes at more than 1,000 km/h,
• Koolen Industries Solar, which installs solar panels, both commercial and residential,
• GreenBattery, which offers mobile battery and solar charging solutions,
• Skoon, a software platform for mobile clean energy, including an online marketplace and other software tools for commercial management of batteries and hydrogen generators,
• Kraftblock, which uses nanotechnology to develop new ways to store and transport energy as heat and
• Aziobot, an artificial intelligence and robotics company, whose autonomous robots will be used to keep the site clean.

Most of these companies will retain their present headquarters elsewhere in The Netherlands or Germany.

“With so many specialist companies having a presence at the campus from the very start, The Green Box will hit the ground running in the race to become an internationally prominent clean energy hub where innovation will thrive,” said Koolen.

“The transition to clean energy is in the same phase as the internet was in back in the ‘90s. Even then, we already knew that everything would be digitised eventually, but it took 30 years. The same will happen with the energy transition. We know what to do and we know how to do it. We even know why we have to do it, so we know it’s going to happen. What’s needed now is sharp focus and hard work.”

Photo 1: Kees Koolen, Founder and CEO of The Green Box, at Europalaan 202 in Hengelo, The Netherlands.

Photo 2: Matty Hummelink (Sales Director Benelux, Eaton Industries), Willemien Dekkers (The Green Box) and Jan Hölscher (notary) signing the deed on December 15.

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