Beyond petajoules: A ‘useful energy’ lens for Dutch energy policy

NVDE the Netherlands Association for Renewable Energy

Starting date: Any time soon 

As a new cabinet starts in the Netherlands, energy policy is once again at a crossroads. The coming years will require difficult choices about infrastructure, investment, electrification, and the role of molecules versus electrons in a decarbonising economy. These choices will be guided, explicitly or implicitly, by the indicators policymakers rely on to define progress. If we continue to steer the energy transition using metrics that measure inputs rather than outcomes, we risk optimising the system for the wrong objective. This research proposal starts from a simple but powerful question: what if Dutch energy policy were guided not by how much energy we consume, but by how much useful energy society actually derives from it? 

‘Useful energy’ is an indicator that measures the energy that goes towards the desired output of its end-use application, e.g. the amount of light from a light bulb or the kinetic energy in a car. It differs fundamentally from conventional metrics such as primary and final energy use: it takes into account the efficiency of energy application at its user, e.g. by a drivetrain or a heating system. Consultancy Ember claims that, because of its highly efficient applications, electricity is already the dominant energy carrier globally in terms of useful energy consumption. This is relevant information for energy strategists, e.g. in the ongoing discussion about the balance between electrons and molecules as key energy carriers in a decarbonising energy system. However, statistics on useful energy consumption are not available for the Netherlands: neither CBS, PBL or TNO are reporting it.  

Therefore, NVDE is searching for a student to develop a method for calculating useful energy consumption in the Netherlands. With this method, you create a useful energy dataset for past and future years.  

Indicative set-up of the work: 

Roughly, we foresee the following steps:  

• Inventory of definitions of energy indicators, including their thermodynamic significance 

• Developing a framework for useful applications of energy 

• Developing a method for converting existing energy data into useful energy data 

• Feeding the method with the required conversion factors 

• Constructing historical and future consumption of useful energy  

• As an add-on: applying the tool on several ‘what-if questions’, e.g. what happens to useful energy if all our cars go electric, or all our homes will be heated by heat pumps?  

Student requirements: 

• Studying Energy Science or another energy-related track 

• Affinity with data, statistics and quantitative assessments 

• Some creativity in setting up the method and finding conversion factors will also be needed 

• Speaking Dutch is helpful but not required, basics in reading Dutch (e.g. in data sources) is needed 

About NVDE: 

The Netherlands Association for Renewable Energy (NVDE) is committed to an energy system supply that is entirely based on renewable energy. The member companies are active all over the sector: renewable electricity, heat, and gases, as well as sustainable mobility, the built environment, and industry. About two-thirds of the renewable energy consumption in the Netherlands is generated by NVDE members, ranging from offshore wind energy to geothermal energy and solar fields. The association was founded in 2015 and is fully financed by contributions from members. It’s main office is in Utrecht.  

Contact details: 

For further information, please contact Dr. Robert Harmsen, R.Harmsen@uu.nl; + 31 30 253 4419. 

Your supervisor at NVDE will be Dr. Marc Londo, director of knowledge & policy