Colloquia

Summary

The energy transition is forcing companies to carefully establish sustainability strategies. Although most large companies have set sustainability goals, the specific long-term road towards these goals is hindered by uncertainty and complexity. This thesis researches and clarifies the implications that the energy transition has on large technologies in the Netherlands. By means of a case study, a method for constructing a long-term sustainable energy roadmap is proposed, tested and refined. 

The theoretical contributions of this thesis are condensed into three frameworks. The first relates to the energy transition, which outlines that although considerable progress has been made at national and global scale, many challenges remain. The second covers the increasing implementation of renewable energy (RE) technologies and (the need for) integrated renewable energy systems to achieve international ambitions. The third framework provides an overview of the energy transition from a company perspective. The identified factors and considerations are divided into five categories: (1) Technology, infrastructure and innovation, (2) policy and governance, (3) financial/economic, (4) environmental and (5) social.  Business cases are conducted to show the financial advantages of PV systems and heat pumps, and other potential demand-side sustainability efforts are given.  Furthermore, an overview of laws and regulations in the Netherlands and several environmental and social implications are provided. 

Finally, the frameworks are used as input for a method to construct a long-term energy strategy. The method analyses a company’s current and future energy profiles and outlines solutions that need to be implemented in order to achieve the set goals. The majority of scenarios analysed within the case study show that investing in a sustainable energy profile is financially advantageous. Moreover, self-production through PV and BESS, complemented by (especially wind-based) CPPAs, is shown to be cheaper than a “do-nothing” scenario in which energy is purchased through traditional means. In conclusion, this thesis provides a valuable argument backing investments into sustainability through the demonstrated financial benefit of a carefully constructed long-term energy strategy.