- Netherlands
The effects of climate change are already impacting people’s quality of life worldwide. Evidence highlights the urgency in action to counteract this on-going process. Europe aims at fostering the green transition becoming climate neutral... more
The effects of climate change are already impacting people’s quality of life worldwide. Evidence highlights the urgency in action to counteract this on-going process. Europe aims at fostering the green transition becoming climate neutral by 2050. The envisioned pathway encompasses an overhaul of the energy system including an increase in renewable energy production and end-user energy efficiency. The EU further recognizes the fundamental role of citizens and communities in addressing an effective transition. Within this framework, energy communities (EC) and peer-to-peer (P2P) energy trading are emerging as new opportunities for boosting green technologies in renewable energy and the smart grid sector, and for rising citizens’ awareness of the theme. However, the implementation of P2P ECs in Europe entails complex legal challenges that cannot be solved only through sector-specific regulation. This open letter critically presents the experience gained in the H2020 NRG2peers project a...
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This chapter investigates how the institutional context influences the business models for community energy projects, which often intend to enable community members to gain some level of influence, control and ownership over the energy... more
This chapter investigates how the institutional context influences the business models for community energy projects, which often intend to enable community members to gain some level of influence, control and ownership over the energy system. We analyse the viability of these projects, by investigating the concrete opportunities for community-based Virtual Power Plant projects in two countries (the Netherlands and Ireland) and how these are shaped by incumbent institutional arrangements at EU, national and local levels. The analysis is structured using the constitutive elements of a business model can-vas as a heuristic. The results show that in order to survive in the energy services market (which is necessary for economic viability on the longer term) community energy initia-tives are forced to partially abandon their community logic-based business model. We discuss how current institutional arrangements are not conducive to a more inclusive en-ergy system and how this could be improved.
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Energy communities organise collective and citizen-driven energy actions that will help pave the way for a clean energy transition, while moving citizens to the forefront. The energy market is rapidly transforming and so is the role of... more
Energy communities organise collective and citizen-driven energy actions that will help pave the way for a clean energy transition, while moving citizens to the forefront. The energy market is rapidly transforming and so is the role of the consumer. Yesterday’s passive consumers become central actors in today’s energy markets. Today, as prosumers, citizens can benefit from their generation, consumption, and storage capabilities. Moreover, by supporting social engagement and citizen participation, energy communities can help provide flexibility to the electricity system through demand response, storage, and peer-to-peer energy exchange. Based on the collective debate from nine H2020 running projects (Renaissance, COMETS, Sender, eCREW, Lightness, ReDream, HESTIA, UP-STAIRS and NRG2peers), several challenges and key lessons learned can be identified for just social engagement. These challenges and lessons are relevant for the present and future development of EU energy communities.
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This work is part of the DR BOB Project. The DR-BOB Collaborative Project (Grant Agreement No. 696114) is co-funded by the European Commission, Information Society and Media Directorate-General, under the Horizon 2020 Programme (H2020).
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In the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 European Social Platform project, a diverse group of societal stakeholders from business, research policy and civil society participated in the development of a vision for sustainable lifestyles... more
In the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 European Social Platform project, a diverse group of societal stakeholders from business, research policy and civil society participated in the development of a vision for sustainable lifestyles in Europe by 2050. The Research Agenda is a key deliverable of the SPREAD Sustainable Lifestyles 2050 project.
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Executive summary WP2 of the NearCO2 project sought to investigate the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of CCS by residents in five European Union member states (Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Poland and Spain), comparing the... more
Executive summary WP2 of the NearCO2 project sought to investigate the opinions, attitudes and perceptions of CCS by residents in five European Union member states (Germany, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Poland and Spain), comparing the views of those who live close to planned projects, a national sample and a selection of (local and regional) stakeholders and opinion shapers.
This paper discussed the demonstration experiences from an EU funded H2020 project called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BOB). The project developed a Demand Response solution and demonstrated that solution at four... more
This paper discussed the demonstration experiences from an EU funded H2020 project called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BOB). The project developed a Demand Response solution and demonstrated that solution at four blocks-of-buildings sites. Based on a comparative analysis of qualitative results from four pilot sites at which the DR BOB solution was demonstrated, we present key lessons that are relevant to consider when initiating demand response at the level of blocks-of-buildings. What has become clear is that organisational (including user-related) conditions are highly relevant—but understudied—for successful DR at a BOB. In order to reflect this finding, we present a framework to assess three key readiness levels of blocks-of-buildings (BOB) for demand Response (DR) in which organisational readiness is included—next to physical, technological and market readiness.
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Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten... more
Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten weten. Bij een gegronde klacht zal de Universiteitsbibliotheek het materiaal ontoegankelijk maken en/of van de website verwijderen, dan wel samen met u bekijken hoe op een andere manier aan uw klacht tegemoet kan worden gekomen. Stuurt u hiervoor een e-mail naar: dare@uva.nl, of een brief naar: Bibliotheek van de Universiteit ...
Research Interests: Business and Wind Power
Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten... more
Disclaimer/Klachtenregeling Meent u dat de digitale beschikbaarstelling van bepaald materiaal inbreuk maakt op enig recht dat u toekomt of uw (privacy)belangen schaadt, dan kunt u dit onderbouwd aan de Universiteitsbibliotheek laten weten. Bij een gegronde klacht zal de Universiteitsbibliotheek het materiaal ontoegankelijk maken en/of van de website verwijderen, dan wel samen met u bekijken hoe op een andere manier aan uw klacht tegemoet kan worden gekomen. Stuurt u hiervoor een e-mail naar: dare@uva.nl, of een brief naar: Bibliotheek van de Universiteit ...
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If the designers of technologies intended to reduce or shift energy consumption are not sensitive to how people live and work in buildings, a gap occurs between the expected and actual performance of those technologies. This paper... more
If the designers of technologies intended to reduce or shift energy consumption are not sensitive to how people live and work in buildings, a gap occurs between the expected and actual performance of those technologies. This paper explores this problem using the concepts of ‘design logic’ (designers’ ideas, values, intentions and user representations) and the ‘user logic’ (related in this case to how building occupants currently live and work in a building). The research presented unpacks the ‘design logic’ embedded in DR approaches planned for implementation at four blocks of buildings in a Horizon 2020 funded project, called “Demand Response in Blocks of Buildings” (DR-BoB). It discusses how the ‘user logic’ may differ from the ‘design logic’ and the potential impact of this on the performance of the technologies being implemented to reduce or shift energy consumption. The data analysed includes technical working documents describing the implementation scenarios of DR at four pilo...
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Abstract Peer-to-peer approaches refer to a participatory style of teaching and learning, which increasingly gain popularity as inclusive and participatory interventions to encourage changes towards more sustainable energy practices.... more
Abstract Peer-to-peer approaches refer to a participatory style of teaching and learning, which increasingly gain popularity as inclusive and participatory interventions to encourage changes towards more sustainable energy practices. However, this prominence has not been matched by evidence on the effectiveness of such approaches. By investigating the design and implementation of the peer-to-peer project useITsmartly, which centred on the topic of energy efficient and sustainable ICT use, this paper focuses on the effectiveness of this peer-to-peer approach as inclusive participatory intervention. Drawing on the environmental justice literature, it addresses particularly the second-level effectiveness, that is the impact peer-to-peer exercises have on the peer educators themselves in terms of capacity building and empowerment. The paper evaluates the preparation, recruitment, training and multiplication phases of the approach and concludes that it is essential to invest enough time and resources to truly recognize the peer educators and their lifestyles and practices, and enable them to participate in the peer education on their own terms. If not, lack of motivation and skills of the peer educators as well as too much focus on quantitative targets may compromise the actual purpose of the peer-to-peer approach and turn it into a top-down exercise.
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Based on a European project entitled “Community-based Virtual Power Plants’ (Interreg 2017–2010) this paper discusses opportunities for community energy projects—focusing on the example of community-based virtual power plants. Using a... more
Based on a European project entitled “Community-based Virtual Power Plants’ (Interreg 2017–2010) this paper discusses opportunities for community energy projects—focusing on the example of community-based virtual power plants. Using a business model canvas as heuristic and the Dutch demonstration case as an example, we show how a business model following a community logic is unfeasible in practice. The current institutional context compels community based cVPP initiatives to partially abandon such community-based values, in order to be able to survive in the energy services market. It is concluded that more attention is needed for institutional change since the current institutional bias that hinders cVPP projects is also hindering a more inclusive energy transition.
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... Sanne, my love, has been supportive throughout the process and encouraged me to have confidence in myself. ... 1 Wind power in perspective: background and literature review 1.1 Introduction and background on renewables 1.1.1 Renewable... more
... Sanne, my love, has been supportive throughout the process and encouraged me to have confidence in myself. ... 1 Wind power in perspective: background and literature review 1.1 Introduction and background on renewables 1.1.1 Renewable energy sources Renewable energy ...
In order to understand diverging achievements in wind power implementation, the Netherlands, England, and the German state of North Rhine Westphalia are compared in a multiple cases study. The comparison addresses the extent to which wind... more
In order to understand diverging achievements in wind power implementation, the Netherlands, England, and the German state of North Rhine Westphalia are compared in a multiple cases study. The comparison addresses the extent to which wind power, as a new energy technology, has become embedded in existing routines and practices of society. The concept of institutional capacity building is adopted to qualify the trajectories followed, taking into account the interdependent and changing political, economic, environmental and ...
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This paper analyses patterns in beliefs about the implementation of wind power as part of a geographical comparison of onshore wind power developments in the Netherlands, North-Rhine Westphalia and England. Q methodology is applied, in... more
This paper analyses patterns in beliefs about the implementation of wind power as part of a geographical comparison of onshore wind power developments in the Netherlands, North-Rhine Westphalia and England. Q methodology is applied, in order to systematically compare the patterns in stakeholder views on the institutional conditions and changes in the domains of energy policy, spatial planning and environmental policy. Three factors represent support for wind power implementation from fundamentally different perspectives. The fourth perspective is critical opposed to wind power developments as well as critical to the manner in which wind projects are proposed, planned and implemented. These four perspectives exist across the geographical cases; however, some perspectives are prominent in one case and marginal in another. This relates to different legacies and varying implementation achievements in the three cases. The analysis shows that an approach that focuses on implementing as much wind power as possible, relying on technocratic reasoning and hierarchical policies is in practice the least successful, whereas collaborative perspectives with more emphasis on local issues and less on the interests of the conventional energy sector were particularly dominant in the most successful case, North-Rhine Westphalia.
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The research question of this paper is how institutional conditions affected policy and planning processes for wind energy implementation. This is studied from the perspective of building institutional capacity in order to start policy... more
The research question of this paper is how institutional conditions affected policy and planning processes for wind energy implementation. This is studied from the perspective of building institutional capacity in order to start policy learning. Implementation in the Netherlands has been ponderous, due to an emphasis on centralised policy-making, and an underestimation of issues of spatial and environmental planning and problems of local acceptance. Over time, little support has been mobilised for wind power developments, and resistance has increased. Nevertheless, as an unintended consequence of liberalisation, locally owned wind projects have accelerated implementation achievements in recent years.
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Storytelling as a research and collaboration tool is grounded in several social science disciplines, including Anthropology and Sociology. The storytelling methodology that SHAPE ENERGY will use is developed and coordinated by our project... more
Storytelling as a research and collaboration tool is grounded in several social science disciplines, including Anthropology and Sociology. The storytelling methodology that SHAPE ENERGY will use is developed and coordinated by our project partner Duneworks, and will facilitate productive working in several SHAPE ENERGY activities and within our own communication approaches. This report details the guidelines for facilitators of the 18 SHAPE ENERGY multi-stakeholder workshops and the four Horizon 2020 sandpits with H2020/FP7 project partners. However, these guidelines are also designed to enable wider use by others aiming to facilitate interdisciplinary and/or multi-stakeholder collaboration.
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This paper aims to understand different outcomes of implementation of wind power deployment programmes. Geographical variables such as quantity of wind resources are in themselves insufficient to explain patterns of implementation of wind... more
This paper aims to understand different outcomes of implementation of wind power deployment programmes. Geographical variables such as quantity of wind resources are in themselves insufficient to explain patterns of implementation of wind power. To enhance the review of the factors ...
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This paper analyses patterns in beliefs about the implementation of wind power as part of a geographical comparison of onshore wind power developments in the Netherlands, North-Rhine Westphalia and England. Q methodology is applied, in... more
This paper analyses patterns in beliefs about the implementation of wind power as part of a geographical comparison of onshore wind power developments in the Netherlands, North-Rhine Westphalia and England. Q methodology is applied, in order to systematically compare the patterns in stakeholder views on the institutional conditions and changes in the domains of energy policy, spatial planning and environmental policy. Three factors represent support for wind power implementation from fundamentally different ...
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Abstract The research question of this paper is how institutional conditions affected policy and planning processes for wind energy implementation. This is studied from the perspective of building institutional capacity in order to start... more
Abstract The research question of this paper is how institutional conditions affected policy and planning processes for wind energy implementation. This is studied from the perspective of building institutional capacity in order to start policy learning. Implementation in the Netherlands has been ponderous, due to an emphasis on centralised policy-making, and an underestimation of issues of spatial and environmental planning and problems of local acceptance. Over time, little support has been mobilised for wind power ...
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In order to understand diverging achievements in wind power implementation, the Netherlands, England, and the German state of North Rhine Westphalia are compared in a multiple cases study. The comparison addresses the extent to which wind... more
In order to understand diverging achievements in wind power implementation, the Netherlands, England, and the German state of North Rhine Westphalia are compared in a multiple cases study. The comparison addresses the extent to which wind power, as a new energy technology, has become embedded in existing routines and practices of society. The concept of institutional capacity building is adopted to qualify the trajectories followed, taking into account the interdependent and changing political, economic, environmental and ...