The energy transition is the shift to an energy supply based on sustainable sources. The government views the energy transition as the means to achieve a sustainable, safe, and reliable energy system. Additionally, the energy consumer market is proving to be increasingly critical of the energy services offered, with consumers demanding higher levels of comfort. New services and concepts are being developed to meet these demands.
These developments present an enormous challenge for the energy sector. They create new opportunities, perspectives, and possibilities. Technical, economic, organizational, and legal insights will need to converge to arrive at new solutions. This will also lead to new jobs where creativity and new competencies are essential.
‘Green hydrogen’ can play a significant role in the energy transition. Hydrogen, produced with renewable electricity, can serve as an energy carrier to store electricity or as a clean fuel for cars, trucks, and buses. Hydrogen can also be a feedstock for industry and be used for producing heat. The Energy Transition lectorate, led by Lector of Hydrogen Applications Jan-Jaap Aué, is involved in various studies on the applications of green hydrogen in a sustainable energy supply.
Marten van der Laan (1964) has been the Lector of System Integration in the Energy Transition since 2020, which is one of the research specializations within the Energy Transition lectorate. In various projects, research is conducted into the optimal design of a sustainable energy system comprising different energy sources and carriers (gases, electricity, heat). Besides technical aspects, system integration also considers economic, organizational, legal, spatial, and social aspects in its assessment.
Martien Visser (1958) has been an emeritus lector (professor) since May 2025 and focuses on the role of networks in the energy transition. During his installation as Lector of Energy & Networks, Martien delivered an inaugural address with the core message: through an integrated vision of energy infrastructure, I want to contribute to a reliable and affordable, and therefore socially acceptable energy transition.
Martien was responsible for the establishment and development of the website energieopwek.nl, which allows real-time tracking of how much renewable energy the Netherlands produces.
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