TU Delft has appointed sustainable energy entrepreneur Ad van Wijk part-time Professor of Future Energy Systems by special appointment. In this position, Van Wijk will focus on the energy systems of the future. Van Wijk: "There’s a lot more to a sustainable energy system than a random collection of solar panels and wind turbines. We must work towards developing totally new integrated energy systems.” The chair is being financed by Eneco. The collaboration has been initiated jointly by TU Delft and Eneco to stimulate the opportunities and uses of sustainable energy solutions in the Netherlands.
"Our energy systems are extraordinarily wasteful", says sustainable energy entrepreneur Ad van Wijk. "In fulfilling our energy needs, we manage to waste about 98% of all the energy we extract from the ground. When we boil an egg, for example, we literally throw most of the energy (the hot water) down the drain. A simple heat exchanger in the kitchen could convey this hot water back to the boiler for recycling." Van Wijk is trying to encourage the development of new energy systems in which energy-efficient products operate as much as possible on locally-generated heat and electricity. If this is not enough, the extra energy can be generated on a large scale in places capable of generating massive amounts, such as offshore wind farms or solar energy plants in the desert. Van Wijk: "There’s a lot more to a new energy system than a random collection of solar panels and wind turbines."
The chair in Future Energy Systems will afford Van Wijk the opportunity to design sustainable energy systems of this kind and build bridges between the various disciplines involved. Van Wijk will also take on education duties at TU Delft. He is to be made director of the Delft TopTech postgraduate Master of Business in Energy Systems programme.
Ad van Wijk
Ad van Wijk has experience of both scientific research and education in the field of energy, and innovation and business. He studied physics at Utrecht University, where he obtained a PhD on the strength of research into wind energy and electricity production. Van Wijk held a responsible position at Utrecht University, where he headed the Energy and Environment research group. In 1984, Van Wijk founded the company Ecofys (which later became part of Econcern). Econcern supplied services and products relating to sustainable energy and energy-efficiency, and Van Wijk was chairman of the board until 2009.
Inspirational driving force
"Ad van Wijk is a perfect match for this chair", according to Rector Magnificus of TU Delft Karel Luyben. "Van Wijk is an inspirational driving force who can generate new knowledge and innovation in the field of sustainable energy by building bridges between the various disciplines." In this way, he will be making an important contribution to the Delft Energy Initiative, a TU Delft initiative that stimulates cooperation between researchers, students, companies and government organisations in the area of energy, and which serves as the gateway to the work of more than 700 energy researchers at TU Delft. TU Delft and Eneco hope that this chair will stimulate the transition towards more sustainable energy supplies and the wide-scale use of green energy in the Netherlands.
More information: http://www.tudelft.nl/live/pagina.jsp?id=0e1bbfd9-9778-4ef9-b054-62a33136528d&lang=en
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