Energy Lecture: Empower The Consumer, by Vandebron’s Aart van Veller

Buying your energy straight from the source – why not? What will happen if we were to rule out the traditional energy industry from the supply chain entirely? This is what the founders of Vandebron were contemplating in 2013. Today Vandebron (‘straight-from-the-source’) is an opinionated, fast-growing and sustainable startup company on a mission, shaking up the traditional markets.

The conservative energy market is traditionally shut off from radical changes and transformation. When long term investments in coal plants mount up to millions and trillions it is difficult to move away – being in the investor’s seat at the top of the chain. This is why Vandebron took a bottom-up perspective and turned to the small energy producers. To have farmers, local cooperations and businesses invest in sustainable energy. As it turned out these small producing initiatives were not in a position to sell their power supplies straight tot he consumers who in turn were not offered a choice at all. There was no straight connection from the producer to the consumer.

Vandebron decided to develop a dedicated energy trade market, an ‘energy-Ebay’ if you like. Where local power producers can offer their supply and consumers choose their own individual supplier. They can opt for wind, solar, water or bio mass energy. Locally produced by farmers who produce energy from their own wind mill or biomass waste set, or by company building’s solar panel installations, etcetera. For the first time individual power producers can sell their energy products straight to consumers while establishing their own individual price levels. The first business model to make the production of sustainable energy more profitable on a national scale, according to Vandebron. Costs are being redistributed and balanced out: the energy supplier increases their earnings, the consumer pays less which leaves room for re-investment in sustainables. Win-win situation. Vandebron claims this model to be the model of the future: everybody is to be both energy producer and energy consumer. The traditional energy supplier will transform from trader into service supplier.

Vandebron’s next ambition is to play a significant part in the transitioning into autonomous energy supply. For them entrepreneurship is the main express-road towards a sustainable economy.

Vandebron’s CEO Aart van Veller will in his lecture for Energy Academy elaborate on the history and establishment of his company, and on his passion to realising a 100% sustainable energy transition. End goal: to Empower The Consumer. Handing back options and responsibility to both consumers and producers and establishing a transparent market.