The energy transition extends beyond the borders of the Netherlands. And so do Novar's ambitions. Merijn tells how he inspires others and identifies challenges.
In October 2023, Merijn Havinga - Business Developer International - attended The Future of Greentech. A broad event by The Camden Clean Air Initiative about deploying sustainable technology in your industry and business. Central question: what is your company doing to reduce CO2 emissions?
This year, three themes were chosen. Sustainable fashion, sustainable financing and sustainable energy. Regarding fashion, we kept quiet. But Merijn was able to talk a lot about sustainable energy in practice.
"Because the event is organized in collaboration with Google and covers different topics, there is a wide audience. Very valuable, because this gives many reactions and especially many different ones. You step out of your own bubble for a while."
"Novar was invited here because of our innovative solutions for dual use of space. This ties in with our view of the future of renewable energy. We can no longer place assets haphazardly. We need to think about how these assets work together and how they function within the environment. We need to build a green energy system together."
'We can no longer place assets haphazardly. We must collectively build a green energy system.'
"What the energy transition looks like in practice can be seen nicely at our projects Dorhout Mees and Solar Carport Biddinghuizen. Or at the H2 Hollandia hydrogen project that will be connected to solar park Vloeivelden Hollandia."
"Dual land use, making industry more sustainable and bypassing grid congestion through cable pooling, all come together in these projects. As a speaker, making these complex projects accessible is a challenge. Fortunately, the response was positive: the projects capture the imagination."
"The audience came up with a lot of interesting questions and comments. When you get together with different industries, you notice that very different discussions arise. For example, we spent a long time discussing how to make sure young people are already involved in the energy transition. After all, it is also about their future. How beautiful it would be, a generation that only knows sustainable energy."
'Getting young people involved in the energy transition. After all, it's also about their future. How nice it would be, a generation that only knows sustainable energy.'
"What's special about an event like this is that you take a break from your daily activities. You notice that energy transition is a topic that is not limited to national borders. As Novar, we really play an important role in this. The realization that I am contributing to this is nice. We get a lot done and have something to say. Even as the only non-UK"
"People are excited about renewable energy. The transition we are all in the middle of is complex. It is therefore important that we share experiences with each other so that we can realize the energy transition together. If we look at the long term, it is very simple: solutions must come. So let's face the challenges."
