Academic Sessions

1. Analyzing the Role of Green Hydrogen for Energy Transition

Organizer:
Karan Sareen (Central Electricity Authority, Ministry of Power, India)

List of Speakers:
Karan Sareen

The integration of large-scale renewable energy with the electrical grid is improving the ecological balance and minimizing impact of human on the environment, however, it is throwing new challenges such as ramp up / ramp down, forecasting, stability etc, and particularly, requirement of energy storage. Green Hydrogen, hydrogen produced using renewable energy, has the major potential to play a key role in such low-carbon and self-reliant economic pathways. Green Hydrogen can enable utilization of domestically abundant renewable energy resources across regions, seasons, and sectors, feeding multiple usage streams, either as a fuel or as an industrial feedstock. It can directly replace fossil fuel derived feedstocks in petroleum refining, fertilizer production, steel manufacturing etc. Hydrogen fuelled long-haul automobiles and marine vessels can enable decarbonisation of the mobility sector. Green Hydrogen can be particularly useful as a versatile energy carrier for meeting energy requirements of remote geographies, including islands. Many major economies have declared Hydrogen strategies as part of the broader climate and clean energy related actions. These national strategies largely seek to tackle the common underlying challenges of scaling up Green Hydrogen production, enhancing Hydrogen use across sectors, developing technologies, and designing enabling policies and regulations. Converting electrical energy produced from RES into hydrogen through electrolysis process may be a game changer in energy sector. Hydrogen has huge demand in various industries such as agriculture, chemical, petroleum etc. However, as per International Renewable Energy Agency 2019 report, only 4% of global hydrogen produced is Green Hydrogen.

Even though large scale batteries and pumped storage plants are coming up to provide some support, batteries have their own problems such as very low lifetime, costly, disposal issues, performance deterioration, limited production and limited capacity of pumped storage and cost of the project are restricting their growth. Converting electrical energy produced from renewable energy sources into hydrogen through electrolysis process may be a path breaking solution in energy sector as it addresses various issues such as renewable energy curtailment, long-term energy storage, use of heavy metals, carbon foot print, requirement of fossil fuel, shortage of hydrogen for other sectors etc. Production of hydrogen energy from RE sources, particularly from surplus renewable electricity generation, not only minimize the curtailment and carbon foot print thereof but also yield in better returns RE investors. As this excess RE power is converted into hydrogen through electrolysis and the same stored, can be transported, used for production of electricity through fuel cells, it is acting as an alternative for energy storage system and may provide flexible operation and improve the system reliability.

Research questions that should be discussed during the session are as follows:

1. The production of green hydrogen is the way to transition from the consumption of fossil fuels to the clean energy of the future?
2. Hopes for Green hydrogen regarding fulfilling the Paris Agreement's climate targets?
3. How Green Hydrogen will be appealing and economical choice for the nations with a strong potential for renewable energy and lack other natural resources?
4. Green hydrogen demand forecast?
5. National Strategy for the development, implementation of technologies for the production of green hydrogen and its utilization in different sectors of economy?
6. Role of green hydrogen in maintaining power grid stability?
7. Addressing green hydrogen production projections owing to the stochastic nature of renewable energy sources?

2.     Integrated Urban Energy Planning (hosted by EU project - Making City)

Organizers:
Kim van Dam (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands)
Christian Zuidema (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Marijn van Geet (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

List of Speakers:

1. Rosa Kappert (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )
2. Marijn van Geet (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
3. Joram Nauta (TNO, the Netherlands)
4. Philo Tamis (New Energy Coalition, the Netherlands)
5. Timo Dettmering (New Energy Coalition, the Netherlands)
6. Douwe Truijens (TNO, the Netherlands)
7. Anneke Theunissen (TU Eindhoven, the Netherlands)
8. Anneloes van Noordt (Department of Environment and Spatial Development Flanders, Belgium)

This session is hosted by the Making City Project, which is a Horizon 2020 project that aims to address and demonstrate the transformation of the urban energy system towards smart and low-carbon cities, based on supporting long-term energy planning, with a key focus on the Positive Energy District (PED) concept.

This session targets Integrated Urban Energy Planning as a strategy that unites an inclusive community-based approach to energy transition to seeing energy transition as integrated with other urban plans and policies. During this session, we hope to host participants eager to present and share innovations on urban energy planning. We specifically invite contributions from researchers and/or practitioners from different disciplines. Conveners are interested in insights that offer different interdisciplinary perspectives on the multitude of aspects involved in the development and delivery of integrated energy planning, e.g. by discussing technical aspects; business models; legal barriers and opportunities; citizen and stakeholder engagement; policy integration; and social issues such as energy poverty. Conveners are particularly interested in papers that offer an integrated approach e.g. by offering insights on the development of long-term urban vision, and papers that discuss the role of energy planning within city and town planning.

3. Energy nexus issues and solutions in the Global South

Organizers:
Aamina Teladia (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
Thomas Van Huyssteen (University of Groningen/ University of Cape Town, South Africa)
Rebeka Béres (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

List of speakers:

1. Dadirai Mkombe-Mpando ( University of Cape Town, South Africa)
2. Yuling Pan (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
3. Feng Dong (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
4. Yang Wang (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
5. Yuru Guan (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)
6. Yuli Shan (University of Groningen, the Netherlands, University of Birmingham, UK )
7. Ruoqi Li ( Nanjing University, People’s Republic of China)
8. Klaus Hubacek (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

Countries in the Global South are at the cusp of accelerated growth and opportunity. In recent years, countries in the Global South have been experiencing rising population growth, rapid urbanization, expanding economies, an increasing middle class and corresponding lifestyle changes. This series will provide a platform to academic works that are focused on nexus issues and solutions in the Global South with the aim of collectively developing a Global South Energy Transition Research Agenda. During this session, we hope to host participants eager to present and share their research, ideas and inputs on Global South nexus issues and solutions. We specifically invite contributions from researchers and/or practitioners from different disciplines and the Global South. Conveners are interested in different insights and approaches related (but not limited) to the following:

1. Theoretical perspectives from the Global South
2. Food/ Water/ Energy
3. Clean cooking fuels & technology/ Gender /Health
4. Energy/ Public Services
5. Energy/Cooling/ Health/ Agriculture/Transport/ Urbanization
6. Energy/Economy/Poverty alleviation
7. Practical insights from the Global South

4. Smart use of the energy infrastructure: from neighbourhood to industrial park

Organizers:
Esther van der Waal (Grunneger Power, the Netherlands )
Rosa Kappert (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )

List of speakers:

1. Esther van der Waal (Grunneger Power, the Netherlands)
2. Edrick Tromp (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )
3. Frank Pierie (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )
4. Rosa Kappert (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )
5. Christian van Someren (Hanze University of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands )
6. Anna Rebmann (King's College London, UK)
7. Emma Folmer (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

This session is a joint collaboration of Grunneger Power and Hanze University of Applied Sciences. Cooperative Grunneger Power is working on the projects RVO LOCAL4LOCAL and Horizon EU Communitas. The Hanze University of Applied Sciences is working on the projects Groningen Stroomt Door (GSD) and FLEXible energy POSitivity districTS (FLEXPOSTS).

Smart use of existing and new energy infrastructure is of great importance in the energy transition. We generate our energy increasingly locally and from intermittent sources. This causes moments with high peak loads and deficits. Additionally, the use of electricity increases, amongst others because of electrification of the heat sector. In large parts of the Netherlands and other countries, the grid is congested. Hence, the potential for timely grid connection is increasingly dictating where energy production technologies are placed and, also, where users, like businesses, locate. Grid reinforcement is often not an affordable or long-term solution. How do we make sure that we make the most out of the existing grid capacity? How do we ensure that supply and demand of sustainably generated energy are better balanced? These questions are important from an techno-economic as well as societal point of view. Making smart use of electricity production and transport infrastructure helps to create access to the grid and can make energy more affordable.

We encourage contributions on smart use of energy infrastructure on multiple scales and for various user types. Examples include, but are not limited to, demand side response, aggregation, p2p and p2g trading, blockchain solutions, storage, heat solutions, and conversion of energy. During our session, we will start with the speaker presentations, and consecutively have a longer discussion session where we discuss the main themes of interest. Discussion topics can be proposed by speakers and audience.

5. The promises and pitfalls for geothermal energy as part of a just and inclusive energy transition

Organizer:
Rozanne Spijkerboer (University of Groningen, Netherlands)

List of Speakers:
Tentative list is prepared

Harnessing the energies of steaming hot waters pumped from deep underground aquifers with high pressure, geothermal energy is one of the much-lauded forms of sustainable energy in a time of climate crisis. Often praised concerning its 'untapped' potential, the promise of geothermal resources is to provide high quality, climate-friendly, reliable and cheap energy for societies on their 'green growth' pathways. Transnational initiatives such as the Global Geothermal Alliance as well as other regional strategies such as the European Strategic Energy Technology Plan also indicate the crucial role geothermal plays towards global decarbonization. Nonetheless, this enthusiasm in harnessing the heat below our feet through geothermal investments is not shared equally and unequivocally. Moreover, there is a clear lack of social science and humanities studies that critically engage with the sustainability of geothermal energy as a source of renewable electricity or heat, particularly when considering the values of a just and inclusive energy transition. Following geothermal energy as a socio-technical regime, an assemblage of objects, infrastructures, and material-discursive practices, we suggest organizing a session that focuses on the promises, pitfalls and spatialization of geothermal energy as part of a just and inclusive energy transition. We already have speakers for three papers focusing on geothermal energy development in three distinct contexts: Sweden, Chile, and Turkey. However, we would welcome additional papers that align with this topic to enable a broader discussion on this understudied topic.

6. Multi-commodity energy systems

Organizer:
Ewoud Vos (Hanze School of Applied Sciences, the Netherlands)

List of speakers:
To be assigned

"The increasing share of renewable production like wind and PV poses new challenges to our energy system. The intermittent behavior and lack of controllability on these sources requires flexibility measures like storage and conversion. Production, consumption, transportation, storage and conversion systems become more intertwined. The increasing complexity of the system requires new control strategies to fulfill existing requirements.

The SynergyS project addresses the main question how to operate increasingly complex energy systems in a controllable, robust, safe, affordable, and reliable way. Goal of the project is to develop and test a smart control system for a multi-commodity energy system (MCES), with electricity, hydrogen and heat. In scope are an industrial cluster (Chemistry Park Delfzijl) and a residential cluster (Leeuwarden) and their mutual interaction. Results are experimentally tested in two real-life demo-sites scale models: Centre of Expertise Energy (EnTranCe) and The Green Village (TU Delft) represent respectively the industrial and residential cluster.

The result will be a market-driven control system to operate a multi-commodity energy system, integrating the industrial and residential cluster. The experimental setup is a combination of physical demo-site assets complemented with (digital) asset models. Experimental validation is based on a demo-scenario including real time data, simulated data and several stress tests.

In this session we’ll elaborate more on the project and present (preliminary) results on the testing criteria, scenarios and experimental setup. "

7. Citizens and energy cooperatives, substantial factors in energy transition

Organizer:
Henny van der Windt (University of Groningen, the Netherlands)

List of speakers:
To be assigned

Worldwide, citizens and their organizations play a role in the energy transition. However, this role may differ substantially across countries and regions. In this session or series of sessions, we would like to explore different roles for citizens, their organizations, and their relevance for the energy transition.

Clearly, citizens play a role as consumers of energy. Some may want to become prosumers. Access to energy production is a serious problem in large parts of the world. Ownership and control of energy production and supply is a second challenge. Although some early cooperative have existed for about a century, this did not change the division of capital, responsibilities, and resources that are related to energy.

The new wave of citizens’ involvement that started in the last decades of the last century in Europe and other continents had a strong ideological basis, including values concerning sustainability, democracy, autonomy, and gender. Large-scale initiatives, such as nuclear energy or coals plants and later large-scale wind parks faced opposition of concerned citizens. Along with the protests, new types of initiatives arose, mostly cooperatives, to design new environmentally friendly and democratic type of energy system. The words to express this trend include participation, innovation, and social business models as part of new, fair, and sustainable energy systems.

Still, important questions remain. Which modes of participation have been used and have been successful, in terms of democratic governance and technology development? What is meant by social business models and how can they be operationalized? How can less concerned citizens be involved in the new energy systems? How to influence or work together with incumbents? What conditions influence a more substantial and stable role of citizens, and what types of the new energy cooperatives and comparable initiatives are likely to sustain? What are the answers so far after a decade on research on citizens and citizens’ organisations in the energy transition?

These questions will be explored during the session(s) by making use of empirical studies and relevant theoretical concepts.