The ambition of the Climate Agreement is for 70% of all electricity to come from renewable sources by 2030. To achieve this, we, as a society must swiftly transition to a clean and affordable energy supply. This requires a few ingredients, including motivation, innovation and knowledge sharing. How do we accelerate the energy transition with these ingredients? The answer of the north: Entrance | Centre of Expertise Energy in Groningen.
At Entrance, researchers, students, businesses, governments and societal organizations work together. The goal: sharing knowledge and innovate for the energy transition. And with its own workshop in this knowledge center, GroenLeven is now also in the “eye of the energy transition storm.”
Tjerk Jansma is program and plant manager at Entrance. Here, he coordinates activities and facilities where clients, students and entrepreneurs jointly examine the energy transition from various perspectives. Jansma states: “Entrance is part of the Hanze University of Applied Sciences in Groningen, which has been involved in establishing knowledge centers for various societal issues over the past 10 years. Entrance is one such environment specifically focused on the energy transition.”
“Here, through applied research, we answer important questions from practice and develop solutions and ideas necessary for accelerating the energy transition. Experiments are actually conducted, and setups are realized that are used for research or serve as demonstrators.”
The so-called energy living lab at Entrance plays a central role in this. Here, entrepreneurs, governments, researchers, students and lecturers can further develop promising ideas into practical solutions. Jansma explains: “Creating connections and sharing knowledge are crucial conditions for realizing the energy transition. Our living lab fosters a large network of relevant partners who can jointly accelerate the energy transition. Not only by innovating and solving existing challenges but also by identifying new issues and opportunities that may arise from them. This truly brings things to life.”
The knowledge center also offered GroenLeven, a market leader in large-scale solar rooftops and solar parks, a great opportunity in its search for additional workspaces in Groningen. Willem de Vries, project manager at GroenLeven and contact person at Entrance, is enthusiastic about the collaboration. “Opening an office at Entrance makes a long-cherished wish come true for GroenLeven. We see an opportunity here to connect with current research and attract talent. This will allow us to collectively enhance our role in the energy transition even further.”
To investigate that further socially, Entrance has started 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 question to business parks. Including the world around you means collaborating as concretely as possible with very diverse partners and inspiring the to change through research.”
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