The energy transition: how did we get here?
by Menno Stijl
The early years: hope and success (10-15 years ago)
When the energy transition was just beginning, everyone was optimistic. Thanks to international agreements (such as the Paris Agreement), it seemed obvious that wind and solar energy would replace fossil fuels. Many projects were successful and made money. But in recent years, the focus on sustainability seems to be waning.
The times, they are changing...
The war in Ukraine caused a shock: suddenly we all became aware of how dependent we are on energy. In 2022, wind turbine owners made a lot of money, but that was short-lived. Now, with the tensions around Iran, energy security is all over again.
In addition, the power grid is becoming increasingly vulnerable. Cyber attacks and sabotage (such as the drone attack in Latvia, attacks on the power grid in Ukraine and the 24-hour power grid outages across Spain and Portugal) showed us in recent years how important it is to organise our energy system securely and locally.
Inevitable: crowds on the fragile grid
In recent years, we have also noticed in the Netherlands that our energy grid can no longer cope. Although a lot of sustainable energy is coming in, the grid is not built to handle it all. This leads to overloading and imbalances. This so-called imbalance is bad for residents and the economy. Solutions, such as rigorous expansion of our power grid, are going to cost us many hundreds of billions of euros. Energy bills will therefore go up sharply.
Can it be done differently? Certainly it can. In fact, renewable energy has two interesting properties that affect grid structure:
- It depends on the weather: sun and wind are not always available.
- It can be made anywhere: even close to home, reducing the need for transport.
The future: energy communities as key to success
An energy community is a group of people working together to produce their own energy. They use solar, wind, batteries and seasonal storage to meet their energy needs themselves as much as possible. If there is too much energy, it can be sold at a smart time.
In a local energy community (in a village, a neighbourhood, with your neighbours), everyone feels involved and owns the energy. This ensures an affordable, reliable and sustainable future for everyone. The beauty of this is, for example, that residents can proudly say, “Look, those wind turbines are turning for us!”
Glanskern vision: strong together with local energy
Our vision is: energy for and by the community. At Glanskern, we believe in a future where the community itself is in control of its energy. That means: smart and economical use of energy in homes, businesses and public buildings. Our Energy Coaches help residents and entrepreneurs to do this. They give advice on how to waste less energy and be more conscious of what you use.
Energy nearby: solar, wind and storage
We believe that energy should be made as close to home as possible. Solar panels and wind turbines are the main sources here. If there is too much energy for a while, we store it in batteries or seasonal storage (e.g. storing heat for the winter). This is very different from how things used to be: back then, decisions on how many wind turbines to put up were often made from The Hague, without local residents really having a say.
How do we pay for this?
An energy community can raise money for wind turbines, solar panels, batteries and other energy projects in various ways:
- Investing together: residents, businesses or local investors borrow money or participate in the project.
- Joint purchasing: the community jointly buys wind energy.
The goal? Energy that is affordable, sustainable and reliable for everyone in the community. See here To join our Gloss Core pilots.
Menno Stijl is a board member of Regional Energy Transition at Energiek Alphen aan den Rijn.
Would you like to respond? Please email Menno.Stijl@energiekalphen.nl
Read also:
