Source: TUD & WUR
The Netherlands aims for climate neutrality by 2050, targeting a 55% CO2 reduction by 2030. Municipalities lead the energy transition, focusing on renovating buildings and achieving targets on housing. Amsterdam prioritizes citizen engagement, aiming for 7,500 new homes yearly and climate neutrality by 2050. Collaborative governance is crucial, especially in underprivileged areas like Amsterdam Zuidoost. Challenges include capacity constraints and differing views on energy justice among stakeholders.
The research question at hand is, "How can a just energy transition be ensured with a local collective energy system in an underprivileged neighbourhood undergoing new development by employing collaborative governance?" A mixed-methods research approach provides insights and recommends a collaborative model involving government, the market, civil society, and citizens, with independent mediating entities bridging community experiences and energy transition complexities.
Outcomes are that government policies supporting public and local ownership are crucial, along with financial support and institutional arrangements to ensure a just and sustainable urban energy transition.
Source: TU Delft & WUR
In light of the changing climate and the need for urban densification in the Netherlands, this study analyzes the potential global warming impact (GWI) of implementing bio-based insulation materials (BBIMs) in high-rises in Ams- terdam. A literature and market review led to the identification of straw, grass, hemp, flax, wood-fiber, and cellulose insulation as the most relevant BBIMs in the Dutch context because of local availability and potential scalability. From an expert interview on fire-safety constraints of BBIMs, it was concluded that a 12 mm layer of gypsum fiberboard is needed to ensure fire safety in high-rise buildings for insulation materials which do not meet fire-safety class A1/A2. The GWI of the BBIMs was compared with stone wool, glass wool, expanded polystyrene (EPS) and extruded polystyrene (XPS) through a dynamic Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The results consistently demonstrated optimal GWI performance for the plant-based BBIMs, while XPS and cellulose typi- cally had the highest GWI. In a building case study, cumulative radiative forc- ing values between 1.61e−8 W m−2 yr (cellulose) and −1.66e−8 W m−2 yr (straw) were found in 2222. For the insulation of all 97.500 residential high- rise buildings which are to be built in Amsterdam until 2050, these values were 2.50e−6 W m−2 yr (XPS) and −2.59e−6 W m−2 yr (straw). Annual emissions savings of up to 587 tons of CO2-equivalents were projected when switching from XPS to straw insulation. In working towards its 2050 climate neutrality goals, the city of Amsterdam is advised to stimulate the implementa- tion of BBIMs in all buildings, focusing on straw, grass and hemp in prefabri- cated façades.
Source: TUD & WUR
In the wake of tackling energy poverty by its roots and protecting vulnerable households, the European Commission is keen to use renovation, also referred to as retrofitting, as a lever to address climate change, energy poverty, and the access to healthy houses by aiming to renovate 35 million inefficient buildings by 2030, with the so-called Renovation Wave. This strategy aims to reduce energy bills by renovating buildings while also creating many additional green jobs in the construction sector and improving residents’ quality of life, health, and well-being.
Nonetheless, recent research has shown that renovation programs have failed to address energy poverty as climate and social policy suffer from fragmented jurisdictions lacking an intersectoral integration between renovation and social policies while neglecting vulnerable groups such as low-income households and disabled persons at the city level. As a response, various scholars have called for an explicit consideration of equity in the European renovation policy. Using a Case-Study Mixed-Methods approach, this research suggests exploring ways to identify vulnerable groups and include equity into renovation policy at the city level. These results will support policymakers to include equity in the current distribution of renovation resources to address energy poverty.
Source: TU Delft
A way for residents to actively participate within the energy transition is through energy cooperatives. However, understanding the needs of vulnerable groups and their participation within energy cooperatives is still a challenging task. Hence, the central research question emerges: “How might we build a just business model for energy cooperatives?” To address this question, three critical theories were combined: energy justice, business model innovation and cooperative design. Following the field research and design phase, “a handbook of energy justice for energy cooperatives” is created. This handbook serves as an entry point for energy cooperatives to comprehend energy justice and its implications for their business models.
Source: TU Delft
!This research was not conducted for Energy Lab Southeast, but thematically links to the Energy Lab!
The energy transition has significant social and economic implications for residents, particularly those in marginalized communities. Angelica Franciso conducted research to shed light on the impact of planning policies on non-Dutch communities and explore ways to incorporate community-based knowledge into planning practices for a more inclusive energy transition.
In her research, Angelica focuses on the Bijler, looking into existing interventions that support affordability, and cooperation and coordination with neighbourhoods within Hispanic communities. The central question guiding her research is: ‘To what extent does Amsterdam’s transition vision for heat support affordability and cooperation with neighbourhoods within Hispanic communities in the Bijlmer?’ The main question of her research is: ‘To what extent does Amsterdam’s transition vision for heat support affordability and cooperation with neighbourhoods within Hispanic communities in the Bijlmer?’
Besides her thesis, Angelica has also written a policy brief (English & Dutch). Both are attached.
Source: Universiteit van Amsterdam
The energy transition is crucial across various sectors, including housing. Constructing energy-efficient buildings and renovating older structures are key steps to reduce emissions. Renovation focuses on improving thermal quality and integrating green energy sources, addressing both climate and social goals, particularly to combat energy poverty. Participation is vital in this process, but it faces barriers. Marilou has identified six themes: position, trust in officials, knowledge, social cohesion, practical factors, and personal factors. To find a way to do engage residents, a Research through Design approach was used, exploring vision building workshops, public discussions, serious gaming, and interactive knowledge tools. The outcome is an interactive and visually engaging design to reduce the identified barriers, empowering residents to shape sustainable renovation processes for their homes.
Source: TU Delft
By Kai Zhang
In multi-stakeholder projects, diverse professional backgrounds lead to communication challenges. Visualizing information is seen as a solution, but creating a structured approach for it remains challenging in both theory and practice. Many people acknowledge the value of visualization in communication involving multiple stakeholders, but there has been significant resistance to using it in practice. This resistance stems from the misconception that only designers or artists possess the ability to create visual content. Consequently, some people have difficulty expressing their ideas visually and tend to rely too heavily on graphic designers for visualization strategies.
To meet the primary stakeholders needs, in this case in the LIFE project, Kai created two tools: the “Empowering Visual Tool” (EVT) and the “Visualization Strategy Tool” (VST). The EVT was used to encourage residents of Amsterdam Southeast to visually express their ideas about the future city. This tool was later supported by the “Strategic Empowering Visual Tool” (SEVT) to handle complex information in projects involving multiple stakeholders.
Source: TU Delft
!This research was not conducted for Energy Lab Southeast, but thematically links to the Energy Lab!
Due to growing energy costs in the Netherlands, energy poverty has risen. Key factors contributing to energy poverty are affordability, house efficiency and participation in the energy transition. To address energy poverty in Amsterdam South East, the Quick-fix Brigade within the ‘Groene Hub’, offers energy-saving measures for residents. This BA thesis investigates: ‘How does the Quick-fix Brigade frame energy justice for people that experience energy poverty in Amsterdam South East?’. The relevance of this question lies in understanding how the Quick-fix Brigades frame energy justice for people that experience energy poverty in Amsterdam South East as well as adding on to the literature on energy poverty and energy justice in the Netherlands.
Bron: Universiteit van Amsterdam
Multi-actor collaboration is essential to develop and integrate new energy systems, evident in actors' interconnection in value networks and complex value propositions for integrating these product services. However, ecosystem collaboration comes with challenges, as each actor operates under different principles and seeks different benefits. In this context, service designers face the challenge of developing methods and approaches to improve actors' capabilities in navigating systemic complexity, and translating abstract values into concrete actions.
To address these issues, this thesis examines the LIFE project. One significant theoretical gap is the lack of tools for value modelling from an ecosystem perspective. Within the LIFE project, complex conversations regarding values emerge due to differing perceptions, leading to value misalignment, siloed ways of working, and intricate decision-making processes. The prevailing view of value focuses on unidirectional exchanges, lacking an ecosystem or systemic perspective of the project. Thus, a need arises for a tool that provides an ecosystem view and allows multiple stakeholders to engage in explicit value conversations.
To bridge this gap, this thesis introduces the 'value ecosystem canvas,' supporting collaborative networks in value ecosystem modelling. This 'project-centric' tool is designed for co-creation sessions, enabling actors to visually model value exchanges iteratively with the aid of a clear value guide, exploring potential links between actors and concretizing value exchanges. Additionally, it facilitates an ecosystem understanding of how product-services add value to other actors and what value could be potentially exchanged (created and captured).
Source: TU Delft
While the energy transition is often approached from a technical standpoint, this thesis recognizes the significance of social dimensions in shaping behaviors, attitudes, and governance structures. By adopting a cultural perspective of energy consumption behavior, the study aims to provide a holistic understanding of the transition process. Based on this social approach an intervention called the Forekast (an interactive electricity box) is designed to promote a proactive energy relationship. The intervention is evaluated in the context of Amsterdam-Zuid-Oost.
Source: TU Delft
Diede heeft haar Master thesis geschreven waarin ze de uitdagingen voor participatie van bewoners in een project met betrekking tot de energietransitie heeft onderzocht. De focus lag op Venserpolder in de context van het LIFE-project.
Dit onderzoek heeft zowel een theoretische laag over inclusie, een empirische laag over de identificatie van groepen in Venserpolder die kwetsbaar zijn voor uitsluiting van de energietransitie en verkenning van de potentiële rol van buurthuizen voor de inclusie van deze mensen en een laatste praktische laag waarin tools zijn ontworpen voor het (co-)ontwerpen van een bottom-up inclusief ontwerpproces van het LIFE energiemanagement platform.
De resultaten zijn te vinden in de thesis hieronder en de showcase van de gemaakte workshop met de bijbehorende instructies is ook toegevoegd.
Bron thesis & workshop: TU Delft
Bron icoon: Diede van Malssen
Dit onderzoek verkent de mogelijkheden voor sociaal inclusieve energie-uitwisseling in Amsterdam Zuidoost en welke factoren daarop van invloed zijn. LEMS, lokale energiesystemen, zien energie-uitwisseling alleen als een zakelijke transactie. Dit beperkt bewoners tot de rol van kopers en verkopers en vermindert de mogelijkheid voor sociale inclusie en waardecreatie. Dit project gebruikt een nieuwe antropologische benadering en ziet energie-uitwisseling als een sociale praktijk die gericht is op de gemeenschap en relaties. Er wordt een nieuw type uitwisseling voorgesteld, genaamd 'relationeel geven', om lokale expertise te benutten en sociale netwerken uit te breiden. Naast een video is er een energie-actiespel ontworpen om belanghebbende te betrekken, en wordt er een raamwerk gepresenteerd voor een ‘Sociaal Lokaal Relationeel Energie Ecosysteem’ dat rekening houdt met de rol van verschillende actoren bij het bevorderen van sociale energie-uitwisseling.
Toegevoegd zijn het verslag, de appendix en een video.
Bron: TU Delft
This study is part of the project ‘Digitale warmte in de MRA’ that looks into the implementation of low-temperature heat grid based on residual datacentre heat in the metropolitan region of Amsterdam. Within the project ‘Digital heat in the MRA’ there is a focus on the role visuals could play to support the process of co-creation. An important aspect of this project is to investigate how stakeholders can be taken into account within the decision-making process regarding the implementation of heat grids.
Within this research, Robert van Berkel, aims to gain insight into the following question: "What energy injustices are identified by organized stakeholders in the transition towards sustainable heating in Holendrecht and how are visuals used to communicate about energy injustices? " Through participatory observations, interviews and documents, data has been collected about these injustices and visualizations.
Next to Robert's master thesis, a flyer can be found below.
Bron: TU Delft and Wageningen University & Research
Diverse studenten werken aan projecten in Zuidoost. Een van deze studenten is Juliette Mohamed, MSc studente Civiele Techniek van de TU Delft. Zij heeft een tool ontwikkeld die overheden en projectontwikkelaars kan helpen bij het aanbesteden van circulaire gevels. Deze tool is toegepast op het project Reigersbos als casus. In deze collectie treft u de resultaten.
This study builds on previous research by combining the concepts of energy justice and multi-level governance to explore the role of local governance actors in promoting just urban energy transitions.
With this research, Sannah van der Wal analysed the case study of the LIFE project in Amsterdam, which aims to develop an inclusive energy platform for the neighbourhood and specifically included social goals. The study specifically focused on whether the LIFE project could be considered just for the local residents. Through desk study, semi-structured interviews and additional data analysis, this research aimed to answer the following research question: “How is energy justice understood by local governance actors of urban low-carbon energy transitions and how is its implementation influenced by a multi-level governance context?”.
This project intertwines the topic of zero energy renovations with the field of Inclusive Design. It provides a detailed overview of the challenges that might arise in zero energy renovations through the examination of the case study of the Reigersbos neighbourhood. Then, a layer of accessibility is applied in order to reveal the limitations that residents with visual impairments might face. As a result, a Booklet with guidelines and recommendations is developed. Its main goal is to support the people who choose the products for a renovation to apply solutions that better match residents' needs. Next to that, two future product concepts are proposed that embody the main findings of the research. Alina's booklet and master thesis can be found below, along with two visuals.
Author: Alina Boyuklieva, Delft University of Technology
Het onderzoek heeft als doel om de circulariteit van afgeschreven zonnepanelen in Amsterdam te verbeteren door de barrières voor circulair beheer en oplossingsrichtingen hiervoor te identificeren. Dit creëert een beter idee van de rol en de mogelijkheden van steden om toekomstige PV-afvalstromen te verkleinen. Dit biedt stof om na te denken over hoe de ambitieuze doelen van Amsterdam om zowel een klimaat-neutrale als een circulaire stad te zijn in 2050 kunnen worden geïntegreerd. Hieronder treft u een samenvatting van Mathijs' onderzoek en zijn volledige onderzoeksrapport.
Alisa van Gent heeft binnen het LIFE project onderzocht aan welke condities interventies moeten voldoen om bij te dragen aan een inclusieve energie transitie in Zuidoost. Hieronder treft u een kort overzicht van het onderzoek, het volledige onderzoeksrapport en de presentatie die zij heeft gegeven bij het Energie Lab Zuidoost.
Diede van Malssen, student van de Technische Universiteit Delft, onderzoekt welke uitdagingen er komen kijken bij het betrekken van bewoners in de energietransitie en in het LIFE project. In het bijzonder gaat haar scriptie over de rol die buurthuizen en lokale initiatieven in de wijk Venserpolder kunnen spelen om dit project inclusief te maken. Hieronder vindt u de resultaten van het onderzoek tot nu toe.
De gemeente Amsterdam heeft als doelstelling om in 2022 PV-systemen met een piekvermogen van 250MW geïnstalleerd te hebben. Om deze doelstelling te behalen is het van belang dat ieder stuk land of gevel gebruikt wordt. Werner van Dijk, student Elektrotechniek van de TU Delft, heeft voor zijn MSc thesis onderzocht hoe PV-systemen direct geïntegreerd kunnen worden in het Amsterdamse metronetwerk.
Een Engelse samenvatting van het verslag kan hier gevonden worden.
Hoe kan inclusiviteit bereikt kan worden binnen Smart Energy Cities? Hieronder treft u het onderzoeksrapport en de presentatie die de auteur gaf over haar onderzoek bij het Energie Lab Zuidoost. Het onderzoek is gedaan door Isabelle van der Werf, MsC student binnen de TU Delft.
Floris Jansen, student van de Technische Universiteit Delft, heeft onderzocht hoe er een inclusief proces ontwikkeld kan worden om bewoners te helpen met het verduurzamen van hun appartementen. Hieronder vindt u een video met zijn resultaten en het MSc thesis rapport.
Videofragment over de onderzoeksresultaten:
Stijn Olthof, student Bouwkunde van de Technische Universiteit Delft, heeft onderzocht hoe gemeentes hun aanpak voor het stimuleren van VVEs om hun woningen te renoveren kunnen verbeteren. Hieronder treft u een kort overzicht van het onderzoek en het volledige onderzoeksrapport.
Jules van Liefland, , student van de Technische Universiteit Delft, heeft onderzoek gedaan naar de sociale acceptatie van duurzame warmtenetten in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Hiervoor heeft hij een Agent-Based Model gemaakt. Hieronder vindt u een flyer met een overzicht van het onderzoek en het MSc thesis rapport.
Viren Mirchumal, student van de Technische Universiteit Delft, heeft onderzoek gedaan naar de sociale acceptatie van duurzame warmtenetten in Amsterdam Zuidoost. Hiervoor heeft hij een Cross-Impact Balance analysis uitgevoerd. Hieronder vindt u een flyer met een overzicht van het onderzoek en het MSc thesis rapport.
The long time horizon of sustainable energy developments is often associated with all sorts of issues that are caused by changes in values. The public attitude can be affected by these changes and potential risks in the lack of social acceptance could occur, which always lead to public oppositions to the implementation of the sustainable energy system in a city district. Integrating social acceptance into the long-term planning of energy projects is necessary to lower the risks. However, it is hard to assess the future acceptance of energy consumers in different sustainable energy options. Also, different stakeholders always have different opinions and concerns on the public accepted solutions, which causes conflicts in negotiation in the planning and decision-making phases. This research employed a participatory modelling approach to forecast the possible future developments in the district heating network in Amsterdam Southeast concerning the value changes. This method also helps stakeholders to understand the design requirements of the more public accepted sustainable energy system in the future.
This thesis on the energy transition has been carried out as a graduation project for the MSc Sustainable Energy System Management at Hanze UAS, Groningen and an internship with the Energietransitie team (IBe) of the Municipality of Amsterdam (Netherlands). My personal compassion about the urgency for disruptive change in order to overcome systemic and social issues to foster collaboration between public and private sector as enabler for social change and climate action plays a key role. With this research, I aim to set the groundwork for data center waste heat provision and the realization of a 5th Generation District Heating and Cooling (5DHC) network in Amstel III and Arenapoort. In this thesis, data center waste heat will be referred to as Data Heat.
Source: Walia, A. 2021. Towards 5th Generation District Heating and Cooling in Amstel III and Arenapoor. Hanze Hogeschool.
By Jelle Burger
Cities are pushing the transition towards a circular economy. Current perspectives on circularity in area development have a strong focus on economic and technical measures. However, a broader perspective on circular area development is needed, which is more conscious of the way cities are used and valued by its inhabitants. This research has investigated barriers and drivers for the implementation of circular area development processes in general and the Community Land Trust (CLT) model in particular, in order to explore the CLT’s potential contribution to circular area development. Interviews with professionals resulted in the preliminary conclusion that land policy is experienced as a crucial link to facilitate circular and inclusive values by means of the CLT model.
However, current land policies are not fit to facilitate the needs of the CLT model. A new normative and financial narrative for land policy needs to be in place in order to open-up decision-making which is able to accommodate inclusive and circular initiatives. This research thus argues that the potential contribution of the CLT model to inclusive circular area development is threefold. First, the CLT model is able to empower cooperative thinking. This way, cooperatives can become a stronger partner next to the public and private sector, which contributes to citizens valuing and feeling collective responsibility towards used and maintained urban resources. Second, the CLT model contributes as an alternative land development narrative which can inspire mechanisms that enhance the circular transition, for example by integrating policies, energizing professionals and demolishing municipal silos. Third, the CLT model can facilitate more full and complete usage of urban space, which takes existing values as a starting point for development and contributes to more democratic and just area development processes.
Source: Burger, J. 2021. Recognizing value: Exploring the potential of the community land trust as a model for circular area development. MADE, AMS Institute.
To follow the rapid advance of the Energy Transition, the technology and application of the renewable energy resources and energy storage devices have been developed in an unstoppable speed. When the application of energy storage technology starts to prosper gradually over the world, there are some problems showing up while lots of advantages are being advocated.
There are plenty of batteries staying unused or being wastes for over half of the lifetime of the system, especially for the behind-the-meter energy storage system. The business models are usually built just for one or two primary services for customers and grid that makes only a limited part of time occupied, leaving the essential untapped values aside. And also, it is common that the energy storage system is coupled with PV panels or wind turbines. In this case, how to increase the on-site solar energy self-consumption becomes an attractive issue considering the sizeable financial benefit it can bring. What is more, when putting the attention on the neighbourhood or community level where there is more than one participator in this picture, how to create the extra value or bonus benefit using the existed system and equipment can be an interesting topic. This report will focus on the grid- size battery installed behind the meter within a commercial community. A methodology of the energy hub with two different lays providing all kinds of services will be proposed. As the result, the value of grid-size energy storage in enabling a community-level energy hub for both battery-owner and neighbours will be explored to cope with all the above problems. There will be a case study conducted in the selected Zuid-Oost Amsterdam region. In the end, how much benefit the energy hub can create for not only the battery-owner but also for the whole community and society will be discussed.
Source: Gao, X. 2019. The role of grid-size energy storage in enabling a community-level energy hub: case study in Zuid-Oost Amsterdam Region. Master of Science at the Delft University of Technology.