Energy Lectures
Lectures facilitate energy research and education
It is one of the biggest challenges for the near future: the transition to a sustainable society, which is based on the use of clean energy sources. On a large scale, new solutions and new approaches are needed. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences, Groningen (Hanze UAS) is the leader in applied research into renewable energy. It is one of the universities of applied sciences where students from various disciplines are trained in energy education and are involved in research into energy matters.
dr. J.M.E. (Annette) Klarenbeek
Annette Klarenbeek was appointed as the Communication & the Sustainable Society Professor at the Hanze University Groningen in 2014. Annette Klarenbeek is combining this work with the professorship Crossmedial Communication in the Public Domain (PubLab) at the Applied University in Utrecht, where she is a senior lecturer and researcher.
The need for communication about, and from, the energy sector is increasing. The Communication & the Sustainable Society professorship is responding to that demand with applied research. The aim is to determine how communication can be used to promote the transition from fossil energy sources to sustainable energy sources.
The professorship investigates suitable methods for communicating more effectively with stakeholders who are involved in the changes to energy extraction. We are developing tools that provide policy and communication professionals with direction and insight when raising public support for wind energy and for the way in which advisers can deal with opponents and advocates of the policy.
mr. E.H. (Bert) de Jonge
Bert de Jonge is a professor at the Research Centre Energy and the School of Law. His professorship includes the legal notions involved in the energy transition. The aim of his research is to support the transition from fossil fuels to sustainable energy by giving insight about desirable legal frameworks to companies, students, researchers and teachers.
The research group is facilitated by his employer Enexis, one of the largest regional energy networks in the Netherlands actively contributing to the reduction of CO2 emissions from fossil fuels.
The Energy & Law professorship deals with the legal aspects of the energy transition. It’s main objective is to shed light on how the energy supply is intertwined with historic frameworks and how law is a manifestation of this. The legal framework and parameters defined by the technical developments are not only an evolution based on status quo, but they give food for thought regarding scenarios for the future, especially if the current investment decisions are focused on the long-term.
C.J. (Carina) Wiekens
The theme ‘Energy and Behaviour’ belongs to the professorship Net Integration. The research leader is Carina Wiekens, who works as professor in Applied Psychology. She combines this position with the design and implementation of research into behaviour during energy transition.
The theme is implemented by behavioural scientists at the School of Social Studies. Their topic of interest is the psychology and sociology involved in stimulating behaviour change to encourage the energy transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy. Several projects are being conducted to formulate answers to the question: ‘how can sustainable behavior be acheived?’
Knowledge of how people process information (cognitive science) and how they are influenced by their social environment (social psychology and sociology) is used in these projects. In smart-grid projects, research is carried out on how people deal with new technologies (information) and how energy consumption of the participants can be influenced. For the projects where we influence the behaviour of groups of people (families, families, neighborhoods or villages), we utilize a system and / or network approach. Thus, we aim to increase consumer’s energy awareness and promote sustainable behaviour by bringing people together to share information or carry out joint activities. By developing behavioral interventions and tests that are not focused on the individual but on a significant group of people, we are convinced that behaviour can be changed permanently.
dr.ir. W.J.Th. (Wim) van Gemert
Wim Van Gemert is originally a chemical engineer, completing his studies with a PhD at Delft University of Eindhoven. He originally focused on fossil fuels, working on GasUnie initiatives that lead to innovations in the gas industry.
Now Van Gemert is the leading professor at the Centre of Expertise Energy at the Hanze University Groningen and is responsible for the focal project (People in Power) and the contents of the R & D programs. He bears responsibility for the multi utility lab, RenQi, an alliance between TNO, KEMA, DNV-GL and the Hanze University Groningen. He is also one of the initiators of EnTranCe, the testing ground for applied research in the field of energy transition.