From scientist to journalist
Desiree Hoving began her career at TNO and Delft University of Technology. After discovering that she did not want to become a specialist in a specific scientific discipline, she made the switch to journalism. She worked for Cobouw and wrote for the magazine NWT, and was involved in the television knowledge quiz ‘Hoe?Zo!’ After that, she was an independent science journalist for several large national media for more than ten years. Her strengths as a chairman of the day are conceptual thinking about programs, quick reading and asking sharp questions of experts. Desiree Hoving is a member of the Association for Science Journalism and Communication (VWN) and of SciCom NL, where she is committed to the quality of science communication.
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Chairman of the program board of GroenvermogenNL
Marjan Oudeman, MBA was a member of the Executive Committee of the European part of the Tata Steel Group (formerly Corus) and Executive Director of the Strip Division of the steel company, and then a member of the Executive Committee of AkzoNobel. She is also former chairman of the Executive Board of Utrecht University. Oudeman is a supervisory board member of several companies in the Netherlands and abroad, including UPM-Kymmene Corporation and Solvay SA. She also holds various secondary functions.
Maarten Wetselaar joined Cepsa as CEO in January 2022 and is based in Madrid. In March 2022 he announced the firm’s “Positive Motion” strategy that is aimed at transforming Cepsa into an Energy Transition leader in years to come. Prior to joining Cepsa he worked at Royal Dutch Shell for 26 years and served on the firm´s Executive Committee as Director of Integrated Gas, Renewables and Energy Solutions from 2016-2021. In that role he oversaw 38 countries for Shell, including Australia, China, Canada, Japan, Qatar, Russia and Trinidad. Before 2016 he held various financial, commercial and general management positions in Shell’s Upstream, Downstream and Trading businesses in Europe, Singapore, Brazil, Ghana, the Middle East and Russia. Wetselaar holds a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Groningen and a postdoctoral degree from VU University Amsterdam in the Netherlands. After his studies he discharged his military service as an officer in the Royal Netherlands Navy.
Occo Roelofsen is the CEO and Founder of Power2X, a global energy transition project developer and consultancy based in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Power2X develops large-scale new energy assets and infrastructure focusing on decarbonizing industrial value chains and heavy transport in collaboration with industrial companies around the world. The company is focused on clean hydrogen, ammonia, and methanol, with a diverse portfolio of projects that are initially prioritizing European demand. Two of its projects are ErasmoPower2X, a €1 billion solar and hydrogen plant in Spain, and MadoquaPower2X, a €1 billion industrial-scale hydrogen and green ammonia project in Portugal.
Until 2020, Occo was with McKinsey & Company for 20 years, where he was a Senior Partner and leader of the global Oil & Gas Practice. With over 20 years of experience in the energy sector, he worked with a broad range of energy clients including international oil & gas companies, power utilities, as well as National Oil Companies (NOCs), and Private Equity (PE) firms.
Under the direction of Desiree Hoving, the living room discussion will take place with distinguished guests like:
Richard van de Sanden is the scientific director of the Eindhoven Institute for Renewable Energy Systems (EIRES) and a professor at the Department of Applied Physics of the Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands. Jacqueline Vaessen has been Figurehead for the Top Sector ChemistryNL since September 2021. In this capacity, she also chairs the Circular Economy Mission Team. Paulien Herder is the dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and professor of Energy Systems at TU Delft. Allard Castelein & Marco Waas.
In this session, led by Desiree Hoving, you will get information about ongoing projects within GroenvermogenNL and at other organisations. Speakers:
Hamed Aslannejad has been a prominent figure in the field of hydrogen since 2008, with a strong background in the development of solid oxide fuel cell systems. René Peters is an expert in engineering physics with a background at Eindhoven University of Technology. After his PhD in 1993 at the same university, where he optimized gas flows in pipeline networks, he worked at Shell Research on gas extraction from nearly empty gas fields. Linda Steg is professor of environmental psychology at the University of Groningen. She studies factors influencing sustainable behaviour, the effects and acceptability of strategies aimed at promoting sustainable behaviour, and public perceptions of technology and system changes. Lennart van der Burg is hydrogen expert and as cluster manager green hydrogen responsible for the green hydrogen R&D development program within the leading Dutch applied research centre TNO. Maria Fennis, CEO HyET Hydrogen / Co-CEO HyET Solar encountered sustainable technology development at HyET Solar after studying Chemistry at UU. Ruud Kortlever Kortlever is an associate professor at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) in the Department of Process & Energy.
There are significant financial resources available from various funds and programs to invest in the hydrogen transition, from production to the labour market. How do we use these resources efficiently? Speakers:
Moderator Jan-jaap Aué is lecturer in hydrogen applications at Hanze University Groningen and director of EnTranCe, Centre of Expertise Energy. He is regional liaison Human Capital Groenvermogen in the Northern Netherlands, chairman of the LEVE lectors’ platform and ECCM committee member. Theo Koster is self-employed and has spent his working life wandering around the manufacturing industry in the Netherlands. First as a journalist for a trade magazine for engineers. Simone Maase is account manager Energy Transition for Lifelong Development at the Hogeschool van Amsterdam. Arjan van der Steltstudied Electrical Power Engineering at Avans University of Applied Sciences and Technology Policy at the Technical University in Eindhoven, specializing in Energy and Environment.
The first hydrogen projects have been running for a while or are about to start. What do initiators run into? What would they do differently in the future? And what golden tips do they have for new projects? Speakers:
Moderator Jörg Gigler has been working on themes at the interface of sustainability, energy transition and innovation for almost 30 years René Schutte joined Gasunie in 2006. He has worked in several commercial roles in energy procurement, shipping and grid connections and implementation of new law and regulation requirements for Gasunie Transport Services. Alexandru Lepadatu is part of Ørsted’s Ventures and Open Innovation hub in the Netherlands. Carol Xiao is Director Business Development at ISPT.
There is always money for a good idea. That’s what you always hear. It’s also true. In practice, getting your funding is not always easy. With your input of examples, you’ll get to hear about what makes an innovation project financeable in this workshop during an open discussion with the investor panel. Speaker:
Moderator Martin Weissmann is an advisor at the Financieringsloket of the Top Sector Energy. In recent years, the Financieringsloket has been able to help more than half of the 700 innovative Dutch energy startups and scale-ups present understand the financing landscape and find suitable financing and investors.
Where should the Netherlands earn its money in the future? And what role does hydrogen play in that? With sustainability as the reason, there is often talk about what is no longer needed in the Netherlands.
Moderator and inspirator: Alice Krekt, director of NLHydrogen.
NLHydrogen is the trade association of the hydrogen sector in the Netherlands. In this role, Alice champions the development of the hydrogen economy in the Netherlands. Together with members and partners, she is committed to interconnecting, activating and strengthening the hydrogen chain. Her ambition: the Netherlands as the hydrogen hub of Europe. Alice studied Social Geography/Planning. She worked, among others, at Deltalinqs, Port of Rotterdam Authority, ARCADIS and the municipality of Rotterdam as leader of business units and socially relevant projects. The balance between economy and sustainability is central to her career.
An interactive session on green hydrogen: Explore the main research topics and challenges in the R&D work packages to be launched in 2024 around the use of green hydrogen in chemistry and for special applications such as packaging materials, paints, and pharmaceuticals. Speakers:
Moderator Bert Weckhysen is a Distinguished University Professor at Utrecht University. He received his Master and PhD degrees from Leuven University, after which he worked as a postdoc at Lehigh University and Texas A&M University. Paulien Herder is the dean of the Faculty of Applied Sciences and professor of Energy Systems at TU Delft. Ed de Jong graduated at Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands and also defended his PhD thesis at the Agricultural University Wageningen, the Netherlands on the degradation of lignocellulose by white-rot fungi. Martijn de Graaff is responsible for strategic business management for TNO’s programs in the field of Industrial Transformation, Power-2-X and CCU. Mark Koper is Professor of Surface Chemistry and Catalysis at Leiden University, The Netherlands. Frank Geuzebroek is currently Technical Program Manager and Principal Science Expert in the Hydrogen Technology team of Shell Project and Technology. Guido Mul is a leading scientist in synthesis and performance evaluation of (photo)electrodes and photocatalysts. Jan Jaap Nusselder is Sustainability Lead for OCI Nitrogen Europe.
Innovation requires a fresh perspective. Not only during the development of an idea, but also after the market introduction of the innovation. Speakers:
Willem Hazenberg Neha Roy Kees Boer
Realizing a revenue model with green hydrogen not only requires support for producers and users who want to become more sustainable, but also provides opportunities for the Dutch manufacturing industry. In this session, moderated by Harry van Dijk, a Chemical Engineer by background supplemented with an MBA, you will gain insight into initiatives to help the manufacturing industry through test facilities. Speakers:
Rombout Swanborn is a successful serial entrepreneur and founder of several businesses based around oilfield processing and renewable energy technologies. Peter van Hooft started his career at TNO as Research Scientist in 2001 after obtaining the Ph.D. degree in Bio-Organic Chemistry at the Leiden University. Bas Terlingen joined Mott MacDonald BV as a technical consultant after obtaining his PhD in heterogeneous catalysis at Utrecht University. Carol Xiao (will follow)
Despite many opportunities, industrialization success cannot be taken for granted. In previous periods when we moved to new ways of using energy, many companies left the Netherlands and opportunities were not fully exploited. Also, promising Dutch frontrunners have not always been able to reach their full potential. Moderator Jelle Blekxtoon:
Business Development Manager Hydrogen FME & EMP-NL Jelle Blekxtoon, with a chemistry and business background, has over 11 years of experience in the energy sector. In his current role from FME & EMP-NL, he supports, connects, facilitates and strengthens Dutch technology companies to have a mature hydrogen technology manufacturing industry towards 2030.
In this session, we present the ambitions for hydrogen production from offshore wind. Why is it becoming more attractive to produce hydrogen at sea near the wind farms and not on land where the power comes ashore? Moderator:
René Peters is an expert in engineering physics with a background at Eindhoven University of Technology. After his PhD in 1993 at the same university, where he optimized gas flows in pipeline networks, he worked at Shell Research on gas extraction from nearly empty gas fields.
Want feedback, tips, or connections with investors for your innovation? Join the Speeddate session with Martin Weissmann.
Then make a 1-on-1 appointment. The Financieringsloket of the Top Sector Energy gives you insight into the investment landscape and, if possible, refers you to investors. In this 10-minute appointment, you’ll hear what an initial response would be to your financing request and whether it’s worth making a follow-up appointment.
RVO advisors are ready to inform you about the various available subsidies. Sometimes it can be challenging to keep track of the many subsidy options.
To receive more information, you can request a personal meeting in which you can discuss your situation. You can schedule an appointment through the registration form. One week before the event, you will receive a time slot and a form with a project description that needs to be filled out. By completing this form in advance, we can ensure that the conversation runs efficiently.
