Grootverbruiker Zeeland heeft veel mogelijkheden voor duurzame energie

You are reading this because you have been charging your phone on one of the bikes in the HZ Pavilion at Concert at SEA. While cycling you generate power, enough for your phone, but that's about it. Zeeland's energy needs require much, much more.

Zeeland's energy demand is enormous: 125 petajoules. This is as much as Friesland and Groningen combined. This enormous demand is mainly due to the industry around Vlissingen and in the Canal Zone. This sector has a demand of about 85 petajoules. Heating and mobility follow at a great distance with 15 petajoules each.

Of the 125 petajoules, about 5.2 are currently generated sustainably. However, the opportunities to increase the share of sustainably generated energy are great in Zeeland, especially offshore. Nearby there are very many square kilometers of shallow sea. This is beneficial because the deeper the sea is, the more expensive it is to build a wind farm, as a rule. In addition, wind conditions off the Dutch coast are favorable (it blows often and firmly here), industry is largely located on the coast and Zeeland has traditionally been strong in offshore work.

Delta Power

The Delta Power research group at HZ University of Applied Sciences conducts research into this so-called offshore renewable energy, among other things. The researchers, led by lector Jacob van Berkel, also pay a lot of attention to making the aforementioned industrial sector in Zeeland more sustainable and to energy in the built environment.

For the latter, many all-electric solutions, such as heat pumps and electric heating, seem to be the solution to the problems. However, these create a peak load on the electricity grid in the winter, when demand is highest. Aggravating that grid involves huge costs. Delta Power is looking for solutions on how to tackle this problem.

Get involved

Through the HZ you can also contribute to the energy transition yourself, for example by enrolling in the Associate degree program Energy Transition Engineer. By doing so, you will contribute to a sustainable world. You will be trained to become an energy specialist who devises sustainable solutions in the field of electricity, hydrogen and heat.

You will look for innovative solutions and help limit climate change. During the two-year program, which you will combine with your job, you will learn to network and work on a project basis, cooperate with social and administrative stakeholders, acquire a solid technical basis, recognize new developments and learn to apply sustainable techniques.