DELFT ENERGY INITIATIVE: ‘ OUR ADDED VALUE IS IN 6 6
Kornelis Blok
SYSTEM INTEGRATION’ THE ENERGY TRANSITION IS THE MOST COMPREHENSIVE ACTION WE CAN TAKE TO COMBAT FURTHER CLIMATE CHANGE
With around a thousand scientists, TU Delft is one of Europe’s largest research institutes in the field of energy. As such, the university is playing an important role in the energy transition, innovation and in the debate in society. So, what makes TU Delft so distinctive and how does the university intend to accelerate the energy transition? We put it to Professor of Energy Systems Analysis and Chair of the Delft Energy Initiative Kornelis Blok, Professor of Energy Systems and Dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences Paulien Herder and Rector Magnificus and President of the Executive Board Tim van der Hagen.
Text: Jurjen Slump
All three agree: TU Delft’s strength lies in the variety of its fundamental research and its application. Whether it concerns wind and solar energy, hydrogen, new synthetic fuels or nuclear energy: fundamental research is being conducted on all types of energy technology and there are tests on new applications, together with partners in the field labs on TU Delft Campus. “We have everything under one roof here”, says Herder. “From very fundamental research to extremely applied.” That means you can address the key challenges at system level in order to make the energy transition a success. “Take hydrogen – on the supply side, we have a great deal of knowledge of offshore renewables”, explains Blok. He also chairs the anniversary committee. “When it comes to the production of hydrogen or synthetic fuels, we also have experts in electrochemical processes. And we have research groups working on transport, logistics and the markets on which renewable energy is traded.” The same applies for the transition of the built environment. “Not only do we have people who know
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