BIOBTX AND BUSINESS ASSOCIATION WEST

Entrance – Centre of Expertise Energy contributes to a robust, sustainable energy supply by being a learning, practice-oriented knowledge community. The proving ground is part of Hanze University of Applied Sciences Groningen, and its doors are (almost) always open. A glimpse into the world of open innovation where the unusual is common. Working together for change.

“It doesn’t get more current than this moment,” acknowledges Marcel Koenis, Director of Business Development at Entrance. “The necessity of the energy transition is becoming palpable for many. We see clear signs of a system that isn’t rapidly becoming sustainable, is getting stuck, and painfully reveals that many citizens and business alike, are not in control. With our ever-growing network of students, lecturers, businesses and governments, we at Entrance examine the energy transition from all sorts of angles. And although at first glance, even here, it might seem highly technical, this transition to non-fossil energy, other energy carriers and storage possibilities is primary a social, economic and legal transition. How can you and I contribute to this transition, what rules and laws need to be changed, what is its impact on our job market and on our lives and the economy? We must learn to think from the perspective of end-users, and for that, the unusual must become common. We are so accustomed to thinking within the prevailing system that we seem barely capable of thinking and acting differently. Precisely new ways of thinking and unusual questions and insights are needed to ultimately enable users to gain control over the sustainability of our energy, its generation, consumption, storage, supply and sale.”

We’ll tour the buildings, past various fascinating test and research facilities and discover why Hydrogen Street lives up to its name. “We are a unique living lab in the energy sector, not least because we’ve had essential safety permits from day one. Anyone who wants to research or test here can do so. That creates unique opportunities for companies and institutions and saves a lot of money and time,” explains Marcel Koenis.

PRIZE FOR PIONEERS

His assertion is affirmed by Niels Schenk of BioBTX. As a start-up, BioBTX hit the jackpot years ago and has been an Entrance partner ever since. “It was exactly what we needed when we wanted to scale up from the laboratory. Not just space for our pilot plant, but also all the necessary and time-consuming permits, which allowed us to get started very quickly. Over time, you discover the value of a powerful network that comes together here. We owe a lot to it, including the very good you and creative people we’ve met here who are a driving force for our company.” BioBTX can call itself a leader in renewable and circular aromatics. Thanks to its technology, end-of-life plastics and biomass can be converted into circular building blocks for the chemical industry worldwide. “With that, we contribute significantly to improving the world. For Groningen, it could mean gaining a fundamental manufacturing industry in a sustainable way. Our next step is the construction of the factory in Delfzijl, which we are fully preparing for. Truly, what we do is awesome.” With this, BioBTX won the ENTRANCE Award last summer, the prize for pioneers in the energy transition. “A tremendous recognition,” states Niels Schenk. “With those 100,000 euros, we can make our work and our company visible to a broad audience.”

The Entrance Award is one of the tools Entrance uses to accelerate the energy transition, explains Laura van der Velde, Marketing and communications advisor at Entrance. “Everyone is welcome here; we are the prime location for energy transition and innovation. And a meeting place, because in addition to all the research we do and the technical facilities we offer, we organize inspiring gatherings like our monthly Barn Talks and our annual festival, the New Energy Forum. We create buzz around the energy transition, linking content with social interaction.”

ADMINISTRATIVE COURAGE

Marcel Koenis sees seeking more administrative courage in the energy transition to really innovate and with greater social professionality, as an important task for Entrance. How does Klaas Holtman from the Business Association West view this? “I often say we are a frequent partner of Entrance. As part of the Zernike business parks; because we support the Energy Barn, promote their Barn Talks among our members, and because we are a knowledge partner in discussions to solve grid congestion on business parks. I experience Entrance as part of a powerful network and would like the connection with official and administrative Groningen to become even stronger. Ensure you’re at the table more often: you have to knowledge to be a connector to a partly unknown future. In the increased buzz of recent years, I sometimes miss the wider public and the casual aspect: the energy transition can also just be fun. At the same time, I think what’s happening is wonderful; Entrance is a fundamental partner in the innovation surrounding the energy transition.

INSPIRE

To investigate that further socially, Entrance has started with a Lifelines-like study called Energysense. An underlying question is how to involve people facing energy poverty in the transition. For now, 1600 households are participating. Marcel Koenis states: “We monitor usage and behavior and learn what happens daily in people’s homes. The next step is to extend that inquiry to business parks. ‘Including the world around you’, means collaborating as concretely as possible with very diverse partners and inspiring them to change through research.”

PEOPLE AND SUSTAINABLE DILEMMAS

Anna Pek from Witteveen+Bos, an energy transition advisor, works daily at Entrance. The initial contact came after the engineering and consultancy firm was asked to analyze the Entrance hydrogen installation. The experts at Witteveen+Bos became so enthusiastic that they decided to also set up an office at this inspiring location. “What we really like here is the exchange of knowledge with companies and educational institutions. Especially combined with the technical testing environment, which we use extensively, and the Energy Barn, where we can hold symposiums. For instance, with Entrance, we are now investigating how to optimally design the participation process in the heat transition. To involve even more parties in the energy transition, we are organizing the ‘Sustainable Dilemmas’ symposium on November 15th. This is also because you could say the energy transition has only just begun. I hope Entrance gains more significance and can train many new people in this fascinating field. These professionals will be greatly needed in the near future.”

Proving ground, knowledge center, inspiration theater, research facility, location for startups, creative energy hotspot, social meeting place for change: Entrance– Centre of Expertise Energy. Power to all people.