Watts to ADD

Guusje Huybregts: Welcome to Watts to ADD. In previous episodes, we discussed what ADD is, what congestion is, and what the prioritization list is. And then we actually came to the conclusion that, as an entrepreneur, you have to find a solution to get around this. How do you start looking for a solution?

Dirk-Jan Houben: Well, to be honest, when you start out in a state of total panic and you’re doing all sorts of things and you have no idea what you’re doing, it really scares you to death. When you realize that it will take twelve years before you can deliver, the question is whether you’ll even get any power at all. So, at first, we just went crazy looking for batteries. And we started looking up everything about how to solve this. And eventually, after a few months, we came to the conclusion that it might be useful to just hire a company to do it. We had certain objectives for the project, which meant that not everything was possible. Plus, your location means that some things are not possible. And then I said, well, let’s just consult with professionals to see what the options are for solving this and what is and isn’t possible.

G: And when you talk about professionals, what kind of professionals are these and what other parties are involved?

DJ: Yes, good question. We may not have done that in the most convenient way, namely by consulting professionals who specialize in this field. We happened to already have an issue in progress. Because we want our project to meet the highest sustainability requirements, we asked a party to take a look at what it means to be Paris Proof in construction, but also to be excellent and ready, and whether it is even technically possible with the current state of technology. To develop that in that way and, as they progressed further and further, we actually also submitted the question. Incidentally, it also solved the congestion issue, which worked out very well for us in this case, so that was ideal. There are also companies that specialize in this.

G: And you were just talking about batteries. What other ideas have been discussed?

DJ: We looked at hydrogen, diesel, red oil, gas. Pfffffffffff yes, different types of battery solutions. So you really look at everything, but because you’re actually wondering what? What you’re missing is what you really need, what your building does, and where you are. And what is actually ideal? A small example is hydrogen, which is extracted on the other side of Amsterdam, and there are no pipelines there. Yes, how are you going to do that in practical terms? It’s actually an impossible task.

G: So is this more a case of technical ingenuity or really more regulation?

DJ: Yes, that’s interesting. I think that, like all major issues, it’s actually a combination of factors. And then there’s also the question of whether it’s really technically innovative. These were all things that had been around for a while, but are now being brought together to come up with a solution. And you do need the municipalities to approve things, and the fact that they are now cooperating on this because the problem is simply big enough is very welcome. So it is really new. Yes.

G: And you say that the municipality wants to cooperate in this. How much freedom do you have as a developer to look for solutions to this, both practically and legally?

DJ: How much freedom will you have? Of course, you won’t know that until you actually see how the process has gone. At the moment, I mainly notice that the municipality is very happy that something is happening, that there is a solution, and that it can be done without social intervention. So that we, as a commercial party, are doing it ourselves. Yes.

G: And does this also involve looking at other cities or countries that are facing similar problems?

DJ: I’m probably jumping the gun here and I might be wrong, but I feel like this is a Dutch disease. That’s how it was explained to me abroad. It’s mainly an issue in the Netherlands because we’re really densely populated, way more than other bigger countries, not city states, but actual bigger countries. And we are really at the forefront of the electrification of our vehicle fleet. It is truly enormous. And that includes not only our company cars, but also trucks and vans. It is happening. It is happening at a rapid pace, is it being implemented? And that makes us one of the first to encounter it. And perhaps because of that dense population, the problem would be greater for us than in an area where there is more space to build solutions. So I think that’s it. I’m not saying it’s pointless to look abroad, but it’s happening here now and it’s critical here, so shouldn’t the innovation actually come from here?

DJ: Yeah, yeah.

G: And in which direction are we ultimately looking now?

DJ: As a country or as a company.

G: Both.

DJ: Both. I think that as a country, we still find it very complicated. We are mainly looking at how we can shorten procedures. So by saying that parties will no longer have a say in the licensing processes. Yes, that comes far too late for us. We really have to solve it ourselves in our project, and that also means that we have to look at our project. And how do we ensure that there will soon be a user who can actually get started with their energy needs?

G: And in terms of the project? In which direction are we looking here? I mean in our project.

DJ: No, we looked at all those points and figured out what was practical. And we didn’t really limit anything. Anything you could think of was fine with us, as long as it resulted in a solution. Because at one point, we just couldn’t see ourselves building anymore. So everything was fine with us.

G: Um. And what is the way forward now? In which direction should we actually be going?

DJ: Um. Various things, coming up. Lots and lots of things together. But I think we’ll talk about that in the next episode. But it also applies to us. There is no single solution. It’s a whole bunch of things that fall into place, that work together, making things more efficient. And and and. Our sustainability ambitions also mean that we should be less demanding. So, basically, a little bit of everything. Within the project as a whole.

G: Okay, super interesting! I’m really looking forward to the next episode.

DJ: Yes, I understand. Yes, I did. I thought because.