WPNL 202301

Human

Capital

#1

Volume 10

April

2023

Labour shortage

The Netherlands is experiencing an

accelerated energy transition.

Thousands of technically trained

people are needed. But where are they?

Page 10-13

Digitisation to the rescue

Digital tools can be used to help

retain valuable knowledge within a

company and help train people.

Page 18-22

Young generation

How can we stimulate young people

to start a career in the wind energy

industry and energy transition in

general?

Page 30-46

When Pioneers meet Innovators:

Renewable Energies and Digitalisation

at HUSUM WIND.

The future belongs to renewable energies – and fitting solutions to digitalisation.

HUSUM WIND offers both industries the space for intensive networking. Be there

when Germany‘s most important themed trade fair for renewable energies, offers

the ideal setting to meet experts, established companies and start-ups. As a

trade fair, it facilitates a lively exchange, active networking and interdisciplinary

partnerships. See you in Husum!

#husumwind #transformingenergy

husumwind.com

In cooperation with

Editor’s note

Dear reader,

The Dutch government has committed itself to reach 55%

reduction of CO2 emissions by 2030 and net zero by 2050.

However, the Netherlands has long been ranking at the lowest

end of the list of European countries when it comes to reducing

CO2 emissions, partly due to its high energy consumption by

industry.

The energy crisis caused by the war in Ukraine and the need to

close the gas tap in Groningen following earthquake risks have

further increased the pressure to switch to a more sustainable energy

system fast. As a result, the country is facing an accelerated energy

transition. Not an easy task, considering the complexity of it, involving

many different stakeholders and requiring efficient policy making.

Of all the renewable energy sources, offshore wind is a major carrier of this

transition. To achieve the climate goals, the Dutch government raised the target

for offshore wind capacity from 11 to 21 GW by 2030/2031. The target for 2040 is 50

GW and approximately 70 GW for 2050.

All these, and other renewable energy projects, will have to be built and connected to the

national grid. Huge investments are required to upgrade the existing network to facilitate

the connections and distribution. This comes at a time when already there is net

congestion in some regions of the country.

But maybe more importantly, who will ensure that the energy transition is practically

realised? After all, there is already a current substantial labour shortage noted in all sectors

in the Netherlands. The demand for technically educated and skilled people is extremely

high. Many thousands of skilled people are required in the coming years. In a country

where practical education has been inpopular for many years now and ageing experienced

and knowledgeable professionals are leaving the labour market, where will this future

workforce come from? If this challenge is not properly addressed, the energy transition

might even fail.

Looking across borders only partly fills the gap. Moreover, other European countries that

have a wind sector face the same challenge. It is good to explore all the untapped potential

in our own home country. How can we enthuse young children to pursue a career in wind

(or any other renewable energy sector for that matter), are we reaching and understanding

the current generation of school leavers and young professionals well enough, are we

including everyone?

In this edition, we talk to various parties to hear their view on this topic and to hear about

initiatives taken in this area. In addition, you can read how digital tools can be used to

provide support in this area.

I am looking forward to speaking to you soon at any of the upcoming wind events!

‘If the labour

challenge is not

properly

addressed, the

energy transition

might even fail’

Are you active in the Dutch wind energy market? Send us your news at

editorial@windpowernl.com.

Sabine Lankhorst

Editor in Chief

Windpowernl

Windpowernl.com

Editorial@windpowernl.com

01-2023 | 3

Contents

Cover

© Iver - Experts in wind / Photo by

Maarten Verboon 2022

Page 06-08

Theme: Human Capital

Iver - Experts in wind: When our people go the extra mile, we have to

give the same energy back 06

Atlas Professionals: Wind energy human capital specialist 10

Training centers in the Netherlands 14

TU Delft: Digital tools to train the next generation of O&M technicians 18

TechBinder: Next generation field support application 20

Tillen BV: Interchangeable and transferable knowledge is key 24

Jobs in wind in the Netherlands: a selection 27

Connecting industry and education 30

Women in Energy 35

Nationaal Energietraineeship: Preparing young talents for the

complexities of the energy transition 36

JongRES: Engage future energy transition leaders now 39

Education in the Netherlands 41

East meets West: Sharing energy transition knowledge between Eastern

and Western European young professionals 42

Regular features:

Map with installed wind capacity 09

Column: EP&C Patent Attorneys 23

Offshore Wind Farm News 16

Onshore Wind Farm News 48

Agenda & Next edition 50

14

Training centers for

wind professionals

Colofon

VOLUME 9 | APRIL 2023 | ISSUE 01

Windpowernl is a trade magazine for

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4 | 01-2023

10

Atlas Professionals

The global recruitment and HR services

provider has been providing staff since the rise

of the commercial wind industry and as such

has been able to follow its developments

closely. How do they look at the current labour

shortage in the market?

18-22

Digitil tools to the rescue

The use of digital tools can support training

and relieve work pressure. TU Delft and

TechBinder are working on such tools.

06

Iver - Experts in wind

Iver - experts in wind

This ISP lexpert bears the responsibility of continuing to develop its employees

in their work field, competently and safely. But how do you do that with the

ever-growing demand for manpower? Sjoerd Bartlema, CEO, shares his views

on development, cooperation and being a good employer in this industry.

30

39

Connecting industry and education

Joost Pellis, with years of experience within the Human Capital

domain, and David Molenaar, director of wind turbine supplier

Siemens Gamesa in the Netherlands, talk about an initiative to

close the gap between industry and education in the country.

Engage future energy leaders now

Solving staff shortages in the wind sector and energy transition

in general, is the talk of the day among companies and

governments. But to what extent is this also a topic among

young people in the Netherlands?

01-2023 | 5

Sjoerd Bartlema

6 | 01-2023

All photos © Iver

Human Capital


“When our people go the

extra mile, we have to give

the same energy back”

The wind market is developing at lightning speed. The latest technologies follow

each other in rapid succession and the demand - as well as the wind turbines - is

getting bigger and more complex. As a European ISP leader, Iver – Experts in

wind bears the responsibility of continuing to develop its employees in this work

field, competently and safely. But how do you do that with the ever-growing

demand for manpower? Sjoerd Bartlema, CEO, shares his views on development,

cooperation and being a good employer in this industry.

What is Iver’s contribution to the accelerated

energy transition?

“We see that our role is becoming increasingly important in the

accelerated energy transition. As an Independent Service Provider

(ISP) in wind, we ensure maximum performance and minimum

downtime of our customers’ wind turbines, so they get the highest

return from the wind. We do this through customized service and

maintenance, assembly and disassembly, main component

swapping, blade services, inspection, amongst others. Due to the

increased ambition in the field of on- and offshore wind, the

demand for optimizing wind turbines is increasing. We notice this

directly in the size of our company. The working area, our services

and the number of employees are expanding.”

Iver experienced significant growth in the past

year. How has the company developed?

“We are a company with Dutch roots and big ambitions: to

become the ISP market leader in Europe, where the best people in

our field are proud to work. This is where we have made some

great progress in the past year. Certion, F&B Group and

Mocotech have joined forces to form Iver - Experts in wind. With

the addition of Solvento in the summer, we expanded into Spain,

where we continued as Iver Spain. Through these collaborations

we have experienced tremendous growth. Of course, it is a

challenge to bring these companies together, with their own ways

of working and business cultures. We are working hard and are on

the right track. Strengthening our DNA is very important, and will

continue to be so in the future.”

Collaborations are a big part of Iver’s

development. What is your vision for this?

“Collaborations are essential for us to serve the market, but also to

keep developing ourselves. We bear a great responsibility as a

company in the green energy sector. On the one hand, we have a

responsibility to make a positive impact on our planet. We work

with the leaders of the energy transition to make this mission a

reality. On the other hand, we share responsibility for

developments in our field.”

In what area can these kinds of collaborations

make a difference?

“Wind turbines are getting bigger and technically more complex.

Wind farms are also becoming larger. This requires expertise and

capacity from our employees, and means that we need to join

forces so we can offer better guarantees and more security to

clients. In addition, with these collaborations, we gather more

expertise and knowledge.”

01-2023 | 7

How do you create a nice working environment

for your staff?

“As an employer, we think it is most important that people are in

their place. That they can work safely and competently. That’s why

we actively work on being an excellent employer. In other words, we

strive to be the best wind employer in Europe. There is a lot

involved in this. At Iver, we know what we can offer our

professionals, such as good working conditions, but also a wide

variety of assignments. Professionals become part of a growing

company that continues to expand its services. This includes a

variation of disciplines. Because of our internationalization, we can

give them a dynamic work environment with several challenges, as

well as opportunities overseas, if that’s where their heart rests. This

is how we build a great company together, in which our culture is

leading. We take care to ensure that the family atmosphere stays,

even as we expand.”

How does Iver anticipate the rapid

developments in the market?

“We anticipate in several ways. We are continuously expanding our

network both nationally and internationally, and make sure our

people can continue to develop. We recently established our Iver

Wind Academy, where colleagues at every level are challenged to

bring out the best in themselves. We are not only committed to the

technical development, expertise and professional knowledge of our

people; we also encourage them to grow at a personal level.”

Can you tell a little more about the Iver Wind

Academy?

“The Iver Wind Academy was created to offer education and

training to our own people, from interns to experienced mechanics.

Colleagues should have the opportunity to continue to develop, and

to share knowledge and expertise with each other. Also, starters are

immediately given a personal learning program with us. They are

supervised by senior mechanics, who can take on the role of junior

supervisors and thus develop their leadership skills. They help shape

the teams. It is great to see that the senior mechanics also get a lot

of energy out of this. This is a reason for experienced professionals

to join Iver.”

How do you want to see these efforts reflected

in practice?

That’s quite a large family to maintain. How do

you maintain this small scale in view of your

international growth ambition?

“A better world starts with us, so we think big. That’s the only way

we can make an impact. In addition, of course, we have several local

branches and are mindful of the environment in which they are

located. The preservation of the small-scale character lies mainly in

the attention paid to everyone’s personal situation. If things do not

go well personally, we strive to assist where we can as an

organization. Our people devote themselves energetically to our

company every day. As an employer, we must ensure that they

maintain their energy on the floor, but also at home. When our

people go the extra mile, we need to give the same energy back.” •


Working with energy to create the world of tomorrow.

That is what Iver - Experts in wind, stands for. For over

25 years, our wind turbine maintenance company has

achieved this by extracting the maximum efficiency from

their clients’ turbines. Currently, Iver consists of more

than 120 experts in the Netherlands and Spain, and this

number will continue to grow in the coming years.

Join the Iver team: check our vacancies

“We need to build strong teams of people we can rely on, who work

safely and are there for each other. We also provide more varied

assignments and challenging jobs with great clients. On the other

hand, we deliver standard quality to these clients. Upon completion,

they must be able to say: “Iver has been here.” We want people to be

proud to belong to Iver. Creating a pleasant working environment,

both within the company and with the client, is the basis of

everything. That’s a high priority for us.”

8 | 01-2023

Onshore

6.334 Onshore

MW

6.334 +69 MW MW

in 2023

(+1003 +69 MW MW in 2023

in 2022)

(+1003 MW in 2022)

Offshore

2.460 Offshore

MW

+0 2.460 MW MW

in 2022, 2023

+0 MW in 2022, 2023

Total

8.794 Total

MW

2.944 8.794 wind MW

turbines

2.944 wind turbines

Wind Energy in the Netherlands

Wind Energy in the Netherlands

2023 so far

2023 so far

Subscribe to the WindStats database!

Do Subscribe you want to the to make WindStats an entry database!

into the

Dutch Do you wind want market to make or an are entry you into simply

the

interested Dutch wind in market keeping or are up you to date simply

on

what interested wind keeping farms up are to date being

on

commissioned, what wind or farms might soon are be up being

for

decommissioning commissioned, or in might the Netherlands?

soon be up for

For decommissioning more information:

the Netherlands?

call For more us at +31 information:

641917187

or call e-mail: us at +31 info@windpowernl.com

641917187

or e-mail: info@windpowernl.com

New wind farms

New wind farms

Windenergie A16

Windplan Windenergie Groen

A16

Bovenwind

Windplan Groen

Bovenwind

source: www.WindStats.nl

source: www.WindStats.nl

MW

MW

32

28 32

28

9

9

Commissioned in 2023

Decommissioned Commissioned in 2023

Decommissioned 2023

In the first quarter of 2023, 14 new wind turbines have been erected in

the In the Netherlands. first quarter e e of 2023, Zonzeel 14 and new Nieuwveer wind turbines parts have of the been Windenergie

erected A16 the Netherlands. project comprise e e Zonzeel the largest and part. Nieuwveer e e construction parts of the of Windenergie

Windplan

Groen A16 project in Flevoland comprise continues the largest steadily. part. e e Finally, construction the second of Windplan

and third

wind Groen turbine Flevoland a

of Bovenwind continues were steadily. completed Finally, February.

the second and third

wind turbine of Bovenwind were completed in February.

WindStats

WindStats

over windenergie in Nederland

over windenergie in Nederland

01-2023 | 9

Human Capital

Atlas Professionals

The Human Capital

Wind Specialist

The Netherlands is in the midst of an accelerated energy transition. However,

while the 2030 targets for offshore wind have tripled in a short time to meet

climate goals, the question arises at the same time who will ensure that these

wind farms can actually be built. Especially with the large labour shortages being

experienced already in this sector.

Windpowernl spoke about

this with two professionals

of global recruitment and

HR services provider Atlas

Professionals, which has its headquarters in

the Netherlands. Atlas Professionals,

founded in 1982, has been providing staff

since the rise of the commercial wind

industry and as such has been able to

follow its developments closely.

Miranda de Kraker has been working for

Atlas Professionals for five years at the

Vlissingen office, which was set up

specifically for the wind sector at the time.

“That’s where I got passionate and hooked

on the wind sector!” she says

enthusiastically. De Kraker started as a

recruiter, then as an account manager and

team leader. She now uses this experience

in the role of Global Client Relations

Manager, which means she works on

managing and further expanding large

accounts worldwide on a daily basis.

Marvin van Dijk is jointly responsible for

setting up Atlas Professionals’ Renewables

branch in the Netherlands. He first worked

as an account manager in the oil & gas

sector, before consciously making the

switch to the green sector. He has been

working for Atlas Professionals for eight

years at their Hoofddorp office. His role as

Business Development Manager

Renewables perfectly combines his strength

and passion for sustainability and

commerce.

‘Living off the wind’

You could perhaps say that Atlas

Professionals partly ‘lives off the wind’.

Indeed, annually, the Renewables

‘Employers in the

wind industry will

have to make some

more effort themselves

to reach and attract

the young generation’

Netherlands team deploys about eighty per

cent of its staff in the wind industry, both

onshore and offshore, throughout the

whole chain. In recent years, both

colleagues have seen a slight shift following

the trends towards hydrogen, energy

storage and electric vehicle (EV) charging

stations. Van Dijk: “It is quite special to see

how progressive we are in these areas in the

Netherlands. Yes, there is a shift but, for

now at least, around seventy per cent of

our people are placed in the wind

industry.”

Two distinctive phases

Two major phases can be distinguished in a

wind farm project, each of which has its

own specific requirements in terms of

labour needs. De Kraker explains: “The

first is the installation phase. This is a fairly

short period during which everything

involved in the realisation of a wind farm is

being installed. This requires a large group

of people. Here you often see people going

from project to project. These people

mainly work on a project basis.”

Once the wind farm is ready, the

Operations & Maintenance (O&M) phase

begins. Here, a smaller group of people is

required for a longer period. Working

mainly on a fixed contract basis they are

generally committed to a specific wind

farm. This applies to both onshore and

offshore wind. Onshore, these people may

sometimes cover a specific region, but

always work for the same client.

The wind turbine manufacturers carry out

wind turbine maintenance for the wind

farm owners during the warranty period.

This can range from 2 to 5 years or

10 | 01-2023

Professional who switched from the Marine industry to the Onshore Wind industry

© Atlas Professionals

sometimes even longer. After that, the wind

farm owner either manages this in-house or

outsources the work after tendering to

third parties, which incidentally can again

include the turbine supplier. When the

wind farm owners have their own people

they will have been trained by the wind

turbine supplier.

This can sometimes lead to unusual

situations, says De Kraker. She cites an

example where both the wind turbine

supplier and the wind farm owner of the

same wind farm approached Atlas

Professionals with the same vacancies. Van

Dijk: “Both do not have the personnel to

run the entire wind farm. The only

difference is that one needs more qualified

staff and the other has a bit more time to

train them. But other than that, both are

looking for the same qualified candidate in

exactly the same regional market.”

For Atlas Professionals, this brings a nice

challenge. Because these vacancies require

different personality types for both clients.

De Kraker explains: “You have to truly

understand the candidate’s background

and personality. Is it the techie who really

enjoys being with the manufacturer,

who really wants to learn all the ins and

outs and progression of the technology - a

person who is on top of the latest

developments? Or is it someone who wants

to go for the long term, stability and enjoys

doing the same type of work for 20 to 25

years? Because you know both the turbine

supplier and the wind farm owner, your

response can provide the best match very

accurately.”

Gap between supply and

demand

In a good example illustrating the current

shortage of qualified personnel in the

Netherlands, De Kraker describes the size

of the gap: “Every year, an average of

around 300 FTEs enter the wind industry

from MBO schools (secondary vocational

education) and 150 from HBO schools

(higher professional education). If you

consider that the demand is somewhere

around 10,000 FTEs at MBO level and

5,000 FTEs at HBO level, that gap is

gigantic. You cannot, with the best will in

the world, bridge that with what we

currently have on hand!”

“By the way, this shortage applies to both

the onshore and offshore wind sectors,” De

01-2023 | 11

Kraker confirms, “With onshore, you talk

about smaller numbers but at the end of

the day, the problem is just as big for an

onshore company as for an offshore

company.”

The challenge applies to all job levels

within the wind sector. However, the

biggest shortage is in the MBO-level jobs.

Van Dijk: “You have to imagine that against

20 Blue Collar jobs there are one or two

White Collar jobs on the work floor. In this

respect, it is important that people enter at

the right level,” he adds. “Of the four MBO

levels, the first two levels are too low to

grasp the complexity required. So that

means you have to start looking at levels 3

and 4 and then ideally where electro is also

included. That could be mechatronics,

AOT (General Operational Techniques) or

Robotics.”

Huge task ahead

The Dutch government wants to accelerate

the realisation of offshore wind to 21

GigaWatts by 2030. But with an already

dire shortage of personnel, this fine

ambition does bring additional challenges.

How can the sector go about solving this?

Van Dijk: “It seems at times that there was

a challenge and now it is slowly moving

towards panic.” Both Van Dijk and De

Kraker agree that the shortage cannot be

filled by people living in the Netherlands

alone. Since other Western European

countries with a wind sector are facing the

same challenges, the solution does not

immediately lie across the border either,

after all, these countries are fishing in the

same pond.

De Kraker: “Right now, you already see a

large group, mainly British and people

from Eastern Europe, moving from wind

farm to wind farm in Europe. That is the

aforementioned caravan of people working

in the installation phase. Everyone is

pulling on that group of people. For the

O&M phase, you need people who are

more location-bound and can work for

longer periods of time. Then you soon end

up with Dutch people again anyway.”

Difficult to attract more

women

The wind sector is still predominantly a

man’s world. It is difficult to get women

Presentation during Atlas’ Renewables Roadshow

© Atlas Professionals

into Blue Collar positions, especially

offshore, tells De Kraker. This is also due

to practical issues. Take the example of a

female offshore wind turbine technician.

There would have to be a ladies’ toilet in

the wind turbine. It is different for White

‘We launched the

Renewables

Roadshow. This is

specifically geared

towards the MBO

schools in the

Netherlands’

Collar jobs, where De Kraker and Van Dijk

do see more women joining. Especially in

management positions and as engineers

behind the computer. But they see few

hardcore technician women. The will is

there, though, for years, adds Van Dijk,

both at Atlas Professionals and at their

clients or other employers. Almost all of

them have set up diversity and inclusion

programmes. For example, Atlas

Professionals have included interviews in

their HEROES magazine to attract more

attention from women. Unfortunately, Van

Dijk does not see much change yet: “We

can count on one hand the number of

women we have deployed to clients as

technicians, if at all.” In schools, too, they

still see few new recruits of girls into

engineering.

The right pitch

“To reach the right candidates, a vacancy

must also be pitched properly, says De

Kraker. “I think you choose to work in

wind because you are really looking for a

certain kind of adventure. A wind turbine

is enormous, it is very impressive to go out

on the water towards such a turbine.

Moreover, almost everything you come to

work with is innovative. Without wanting to

romanticize it is, of course, because this

sector also really has its tough side and

challenges.”

Indeed, not everyone seeking adventure is

suited to the wind industry. Atlas

Professionals has also experienced and

learned from this. You can take medicines

against seasickness, for example, but if you

know you must go back and forth in a

small vessel for the next 20 to 25 years

12 | 01-2023

trend nowadays. Van Dijk: “It is a new

generation we are working with. What you

see is that there are two types of persons:

either they enjoy going from project to

project or they want to be trained at a

company for longer term employment. This

is where we can differentiate by already

making that first selection. For example, if

we get into the installation phase where

staff go from project to project, they can

also do this while being permanently

working with one employer. They don’t

always have to be self-employed. They can

also be just school leavers who want to get

a certificate in a type of turbine in addition

to their current MBO 3 or MBO 4.”

then it becomes a different story. The same

goes for acrophobia, explains De Kraker:

“You would be surprised how many people

don’t know about themselves that they are

afraid of heights. Standing on top of a wind

turbine is very different from standing on a

mountain. A turbine moves a little bit,

which gives a very strange sensation. It is

not the only time that someone has been

brought down, stiffened with fear, by

emergency services.”

Fortunately, there are customers who

organise walk-in days, for instance.

A potential candidate then goes up the

wind turbine with the engineers as a guest.

On wind turbines without a lift, candidates

also experience how physically demanding

it is to climb up with equipment and tools.

De Kraker also sees large wind companies

increasingly using virtual reality training.

Atlas initiatives

Atlas Professionals is also proactively trying

themselves to promote interest in the wind

industry, says De Kraker. Besides the

diversity and inclusion programme, Atlas

Professionals also organises Wind

Experience Days at several locations in the

Netherlands. Schools are invited to these

and sometimes a client hooks up.

De Kraker: “We had young people put on

PPE equipment, for example, to experience

what it is like to work with a harness on

and with large, heavy tools, or a young

wind turbine technician has shared his

experiences.

“Furthermore, we also launched the

Renewables Roadshow. This is specifically

geared towards the MBO schools in the

Netherlands. We created a programme for

this purpose and communicated it to the

MBO schools. These can then put together

a package of choice which we present at the

MBO schools, together with the DOB-

Academy in Delft. This way, we try to

enthuse young people to go for a career in

the wind sector.”

Different generation, different

wishes

There is currently a lot of talk about the

young generation now entering the job

market having different wishes about how

they want to shape their careers.

At Atlas Professionals, they also recognise

this. Hybrid working, faster job switching,

for a variety of reasons, and higher

expectations from an employer, is really a

De Kraker: “I think there is some

misunderstanding among the older

generation. They don’t quite understand

the younger generation. After all, they grew

up thinking that your CV should show that

you are loyal to an employer. While the

younger generation may see the list of short

experiences as enriching their CV.”

“That is a very different approach,” agrees

De Kraker. Employers in the Wind

industry will therefore have to make some

more effort themselves to reach and attract

this generation, De Kraker believes.

“Companies will really have to learn more

how to trigger this generation and put

some time and the investment into that.”•

View all vacancies in wind

Read the HEROES magazine

01-2023 | 13

Training locations

D.H.T.C - Den Helder

Training Centre BV

Locations in NL: 2

1

De Ruyter Training

& Consultancy B.V.

Locations in NL: 3

Oosterhavenweg 22

4382NL Vlissingen

2

SafetyPro

Locations in NL: 1

Siliciumweg 28

3812 SX Amersfoort

3

3

STC-KNRM

Locations in NL: 1

Quarantaineweg 98

3089 KP

Rotterdam-Heijplaat

4

Zeilmakersweg 10

1786 PE Den Helder

Paleiskade 70

1781 AP Den Helder

Wind related training courses:

Osloweg 53A

9723BH Groningen

Duitslanddreef 29

8447SE Heerenveen



GWO: BST, FAW, FA, SS, MH,

WAH + Refreshers


GWO: BST, FAW, FA, SS, MH,

WAH + Refreshers,

Boat Transfer, Lifejacket

Training + Custom made

trainings on request

GWO SS, FA, FAW, MH, WAH,

BST, HUET, CA-EBS +

Refreshers, Marine Transfer &

Boat Landing

GWO: BST, BTT, WAH, MH,

FAW, FA, SS + Refreshers +

Boat Landing, Ship Transfer

2

RelyOn Nutec

Locations in NL: 2

Tt. Melaniaweg 12

1033 ST Amsterdam

Beerweg 71

Maasvlakte Rotterdam

Near NL: 2

Esplanadestraat 1

8400 Oostend, Belgium

Am Handelshafen 8

27570 Bremerhaven, Germany

5


Enty Level Wind Technician. All

GWO BST and BTT courses +

NON GWO additional training

courses to start as a Wind

Technician.

Deutsche WindGuard

Offshore GmbH

Locations near NL: 2

Klosterstraße 10

26506 Norden, Germany

An der Weinkaje 4

26931 Elsfleth, Germany


GWO: SS, MH, WAH (Incl.

PSAgA), FAW, (enhanced) FA +

Refreshers, ART.

HUET, Confined Spaces

Training

6

Courses according to German

guidelines:

PSAgA gem. DGUV Regel 112-

198/199, Brandschutzhelfer DGUV

Information 205-023, Kranschulung

DGUV Grundsatz 309-003,

EuP-Schulung zur Elektrotechnisch

unterwiesenen Person.

14 | 01-2023

DELTA Safety

Training B.V.

7

Locations in NL: 1

Geyssendorfferweg 47

3088 GJ Rotterdam


GWO: BST, WAH, FA, SS, FAW,

MH, ART + Blended and

Refreshers, Boat Landing,

HUET, BOSIET, FOET, CA-EBS

6

5

6

2

1

2

5

3

5

4

7

Abbreviations

5

2

ART: Advance Rescue Training

BST: Basic Saftey Training

BTT: Basic Technical Training

HUET: Helicopter Underwater

Escape Training

MH: Manual Handling

FA: First Aid

FAW: Fire Awareness

SS: Sea Survival

WAH: Working at Heights

01-2023 | 15

HKZ © VATTENFALL/CHARLES WALKER

Offshore

Wind Farm News

HKN © CROSSWIND

© RVO

1

Hollandse Kust Noord

In early February, Van Oord, as

Balance of Plant contractor,

successfully installed the last

monopile at the 759MW

offshore wind farm. The

company installed 70

monopiles in total. They will

hold the Siemens Gamesa

type SG 11.0-200 DD, 11 MW

wind turbines. These will also

be installed by Van Oord. As of

January, the components for

the turbines have started to

arrive in the port of

Eemshaven. In the meantime,

the company is installing the

inter-array cables.

At the end of March, TenneT

received grid readiness

certification by DNV for the

grid connection for the wind

farm (Hollandse Kust

(noord)). The wind farm, a

project by CrossWind, a jointventure

between Shell and

Eneco, is due to become

operational at the end of this

year.

2

Hollandse Kust Zuid

The installation of the

Siemens Gamesa SG 11.0-200

DD, 11 MW wind turbines is

progressing at the 1.5 GW

offshore wind farm. At the

time of writing, over 100

turbines have been installed.

Preparations were also

underway to install 3 turbines

with Siemens Gamesa’s new

recycleable blades. The TPless

foundation work had

already completed in

September last year. The first

power was delivered to the

grid at the start of August

2022 and since then, at least

40 turbines have now been

connected to the grid.

HKZ, located around 18-35

kilometres off the Dutch coast

in the North Sea, is owned by

Vattenfall, BASF and Allianz.

3

Hollandse kust West

VI & VII

Late last year, the winners of

the tenders for the two lots in

the Hollandse Kust West wind

energy area were announced.

This wind area is located

around 53 kilometres from the

Dutch coast, off IJmuiden. The

area, covering around 176

km2, allows for the

development of 1,400 MW

wind power in total.

Site VI

In December, the Netherlands

Enterprise Agency granted

Ecowende, a joint venture of

Shell and Eneco, the exclusive

rights for the development of

a 760 MW wind farm in the

Hollandse Kust (west) VI

offshore wind farm site. The

guiding principle in design and

construction is to have as little

impact as possible on birds,

bats and underwater marine

life. Ecowende plans to

commission the wind farm in

2026.

Site VII

The winner of the tender

for the Hollandse Kust

(west) VII site was

announced in November last

year. The permit was granted

to Oranje Wind Power II, a

subsidiary of RWE AG. The

company has won the

exclusive rights for the

construction and operation of

a 760 MW offshore wind farm.

A criteria for the permit is

innovation of system

integration. To unlock full

system integration, the

concept for HKW VII combines

offshore wind with electrolyser

capacity for green hydrogen

production, and other flexible

demand solutions like

e-boilers and battery storage.

TenneT will install two offshore

transformer stations to

connect the future wind farms

to the grid: Hollandse Kust

West Alpha and Beta. The

jacket foundation for the

Hollandse Kust West Alpha

station is already in place. The

topside is currently under

construction and is planned

for installation this summer.

The first steel cutting for the

Beta topside took pace in

December. The jacket is also

currently under construction.

4

IJmuiden Ver

The next offshore wind

tenders to open in the

Netherlands are for the

IJmuiden Ver Wind farm Zone

(IJVWFZ), located 62

kilometers off the west coast

of the Netherlands. Six Wind

Farm Sites are designated in

this Zone which will

accommodate 6,000 MW in

total. Tenders to develop

IJVWFS I, II, III and IV are

scheduled to open in Q4 2023.

The permits will be awarded

through a comparative

assessment with financial bid

procedure. All four tenders will

have a maximum bid price.

Criteria and other elements of

the procedures for the

IJmuider Ver tenders are

published on the Netherlands

Enterprise Agency website.

SSE Renewables and APG

have already announced that

they will participate in the

tender. A tender to develop

IJVWFS V and VI is scheduled

to open in 2025.

5

Nederwiek

At the end of March, the

Netherlands Enterprise

Agency issued a tender for

offshore geotechnical

investigations at the

Nederwiek Wind Farm Zone.

The tender is divided into 2

lots. The tender is open until

19 May

16 | 01-2023

5

4

1

3

2

Read the full news on

www.windpowernl.com

(EN) or

www.windenergienieuws.nl

(NL)

01-2023 | 17

Digital learning

TU Delft

WindEXT project:

Digital tools to train the next

generation of O&M

technicians

In recent years, the use of digital tools such as interactive software and augmented

virtual reality has become a valuable and engaging way to train people in many

sectors and wind energy is no exception. TU Delft participated in the WindEXT

project that developed such an interactive digital tool, aimed at university

students, wind farm operators and OEMs.

The recently completed EU Horizon 2020 Erasmus+

project WindEXT (Advanced maintenance, lifetime

extension and repowering of wind farms supported

by advanced digital tools) has resulted in the

development of a suite of interactive digital tools to help train

those who need to go out in the field to maintain wind turbines

or those who wish to learn about wind turbine operations and

maintenance.

The project was led by the Spanish Wind Energy Association

(Asociacion Empresarial Eolica) with participants from: 8.2

Consulting AG (Germany), Renewable Skills & Consultant

GmbH (Germany), DP2i SARL (France), INESC TEC –

Instituto de engenharia de sistemas e computadores, tecnologia

e ciencia (Portugal), Tesicnor SA (Spain), TU Delft

(Netherlands), UCLM - University of Castilla – La Mancha

(Spain), University of Cyprus and Universidad Tecnológica

(Uruguay).

The project has produced an online training course consisting

of three main sections:

1. An introduction to wind turbine technology which gives an

overview of different components, how they fit together

and function as an operational system

2. An overview of maintenance, including different

procedures used onshore and offshore and the general

concepts behind asset management

3. A description of the main challenges surrounding the

repowering of wind farms including strategies for reuse and

recycling

A range of digital simulation tools has been developed which

reinforce what has been learned in the first three sections which

make use of simulation and augmented 3D Virtual Reality (VR)

software. These tools give students an immersive experience to

replicate what they would see in an operational wind turbine

Figure 1 Figure 2

18 | 01-2023

Figure 3: Students evaluating the WindEXT digital tools.

but with the added benefit of interactive visual guidance and

feedback.

Building on an earlier European project SimulWind, a suite of

tools call WExSIM has been developed to allow students to

carry out maintenance procedures within a wind turbine nacelle

using 3D VR goggles. They can learn procedures such as:

• Locking a high speed shaft

• Replacing a yaw drive

• Replacing fuses

• Using a hydraulic torque wrench

• Making an emergency descent

The students are led through each 3D VR exercise which

teaches them what personal safety equipment, tools and safe

working practices are required to carry out the different

maintenance procedures. Figure 1 shows an example of a

student following instructions on how to replace a yaw drive.

Using OpenFAST and Matlab, WEXLaB has been developed to

allow students to investigate some basic wind turbine design

parameters including:

• Calculating a power curve

• Assessing high level system costs

• Making a modal analysis

• Determining loads

• Calculating pitch angle, torque, power and tip deflection

• Looking at the impact of a faulty pitch system

In order for students to learn about damage chains, CaDWEX

has been developed. Using this software they can investigate

how damage can cascade through different wind turbine

subassemblies, e.g. a gearbox, based on expert knowledge.

WEXViR teaches students about the different types of

maintenance: preventive, predictive and corrective, based on

the H5P tool using actual images of the inside of a wind

turbine. Students are able to explore a Senvion 3XM wind

turbine and assess their knowledge of different maintenance

strategies through periodic multiple choice tests as they move

through the turbine. Figure 2 shows an example where students

can inspect a component and by clicking on different tags,

more information is made available.

The tools created during the WindEXT project are made

available using the Moodle electronic teaching platform which

is widely used in the education sector. This teaching

environment provides a user-friendly platform where students

can browse and download the supporting documents and

software, answer the interactive quizzes and share their

knowledge through user forums.

The digital tools have been evaluated during pilot tests in three

countries, where students have had an opportunity to try out

the 3D VR goggles and give their feedback on their experience.

Figure 3 shows a snapshot of one of the sessions where students

are evaluating the digital tools. So far, the feedback has been

favourable and it is intended to openly roll out the WindEXT

digital tools to the wind energy operations and maintenance

community.

The WindEXT project was co-funded by the Erasmus+

Programme under contract 612424-EPP-1-2019-1-ES-

EPPKA2-KA .

N.B. The European Commission’s support for the production

of this publication does not constitute an endorsement of the

contents, which reflect the views only of the authors, and the

Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may

be made of the information contained therein.

01-2023 | 19

Digital learning

TechBinder’s:

Next generation field

support application

Technical knowledge is mostly based on experience and often poorly documented.

This poses a big challenge when, due to an ageing workforce, a lot of knowledge

and experience is leaving the labour market. Replacements are hard to find, and

fewer employees stay loyal to the same employer for a long time.

With the current labour

market being characterised

by shortages, this poses a

lot of pressure on

companies. Digitised knowledge can offer

an advantage to keep business running.

After all, by having knowledge available on

demand, less experience is needed in

carrying out certain activities, thus

increasing the pool of people who can

perform certain technical work.

With that in mind, Dutch company

TechBinder launched the Smart Field

Support application three years ago. Last

year, the company was one of the finalists

of the Offshore Wind Innovators Award

2022 with this application. Windpowernl

spoke to Bram van den Boom about how

this solution can support the wind sector.

Shift in knowledge transfer

Until the rise of the internet, knowledge

was mainly stored in a person’s head. That

is becoming something of the past, Van den

Boom says: “In our private lives, everything

can be found online nowadays. However,

that is not yet the case with businesses.

When someone who has worked for a

company for a long time retires, they take

years of accumulated knowledge with

them. It is impossible to fully transfer that

knowledge to a successor before leaving. A

lot of knowledge is thus lost.”

In the wind sector, finding experienced

technicians is already difficult. The rapid

development in technology and the

relatively long asset lifetime, adds to the

challenges. During his working period, a

technician can encounter assets from 30

years ago as well as assets installed last

week, he explains.

‘Several tasks can be

performed by

less experienced

employees, leaving the

relatively complex

issues to the more

experienced

employees’

A technician, therefore, needs to have

knowledge of a wide range of technology.

“By digitising knowledge, it is stored and

will always be accessible. This allows

generations to come to access and

continously add knowledge,” Van den

Boom says, “and that is what Smart Field

Support facilitates.”

On demand

The Augmented Reality based application

is built around an ‘Area’. This can be an

object, a specific installation or a machine.

Scenes are built within the Area and

various points of interest (POI) can be set

within the Scenes to extract their

information from other sources.

“We take photos of assets and link them to

tasks, operating instructions and other

useful data. The application collects and

stores these in a library, where other

relevant items are stored. If you then point

the camera of a tablet, smart phone, or

smart glasses at the asset it will search to

see if the picture is recognised. Each photo

is like a fingerprint with a unique code. If

you have a lot of the same assets then they

will be given a unique tag. This is especially

useful for activities taking place outside,

where weather conditions can affect the

camera,” Van den Boom explains. In

practice, the application is mainly used

with a tablet or smart phone as everyone

has one of these two in their pocket and

knows how it works.

Van den Boom does stress that companies

should not expect the application to be

able to detect a wire to the millimetre

behind a wall. Smart Field Support is

really intended for providing content and

20 | 01-2023

Pilot at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences

© TechBinder

instructions in the field. It is not a full

Virtual Reality environment. The

advantage of the application is that it is

quite inexpensive and simple to maintain.

User-friendly

TechBinder does the initial setup, taking

photos of the assets and linking them with

the necessary documentation and other

info. These are not always readily available

with a customer, Van den Boom explains.

Ultimately, the customer has to build and

maintain the entire environment himself.

However, Van den Boom emphasises that

the application is extremely user-friendly.

Access to the app is free, with no

restriction on the number of users.

A company only pays for a licence to store

the data. The licence runs either onsite or

in a cloud environment. Onsite is mostly

used by factories where access to the app is

enabled via the company’s Wi-Fi. Once an

employee leaves the factory, they no longer

have access to the information.

Van den Boom: “That would not work for

an asset like a wind farm because you

would have to run a server in each wind

turbine. In that case, you work in a cloud

environment and use a SIM card.” Wi-Fi

access is only required when accessing the

application and eventually when saving the

procedures performed during an activity.

Incidentally, a client can also apply certain

restrictions for users of the app, Van den

Boom explains. “You can limit what

employees can see by assigning certain

roles. A maintenance technician can be

given access to a different environment

than a manager. In addition, it is also

possible to impose restrictions at the detail

level. A very experienced technician does

not need to view all the details and could

skip certain steps in an inspection, while

someone just starting out still needs to

learn what every nut and bolt is for.”

Step by step guidance

By recording all procedures and associated

documentation, an inspection can be

guided step by step. Van den Boom:

“During the inspection, the person can

immediately process their observations in

the app. Moreover, notes, photos, videos,

documentation, and more can be added.

Emails can also be sent, or tasks assigned

from the app. When the procedure is

completed the person presses save and the

inspection information is stored. The big

advantage is that this person does not have

to do any reporting afterwards. This saves a

lot of time and paperwork. Moreover, the

information remains stored in a central

location. Should a technician on site

nevertheless encounter problems or have

additional questions, he or she can easily

contact a back-office team.”

This way, much more information is stored

and new processes built up, Van den Boom

adds. Transferring documented inspection

procedures into clear actions in the

application can even lead to improved

inspection procedures in practise.

01-2023 | 21

Digitisation

© TechBinder

Successful pilots

By fully digitising inspection procedures,

you also immediately increase the pool of

people who can perform a particular task.

TechBinder has tested this. “We did a pilot

at Utrecht University of Applied Sciences,

where the communications manager

performed a reasonably complex visual

inspection on a heat exchange installation,

without any instruction. She had to

perform various tasks on it and take the

necessary protective measures. She

managed it, even though she had no

previous experience and had never seen

such an installation before!”

In another pilot, everyone in a company -

from trainees to the director and also an

experienced mechanic - was asked to

perform the same activities, namely

replacing an electric motor and looking for

software malfunctions. Everyone was able

to perform the procedure, although a few

people took longer than the time allotted.

“One of the biggest successes we achieved

there is that their ‘First Time Right’

increased significantly, from 42% to 84%.

This is a big efficiency gain, which in turn

is cost saving. ‘First Time Right’, along

with ‘Mean Time To Repair’, are KPIs that

are becoming increasingly important, this

is certainly also true in the maritime and

offshore sector,” Van den Boom tells.

Application

In principle, Smart Field Support is

applicable in all industries where

technology is used. This is reflected in

TechBinder’s varied customer base. For

example, Reikon, a specialist in repairs,

maintenance and supplies for ship engine

rooms, is using it in a project with Van

Oord on the Afsluitdijk. ETA Shipping is

applying it in their modular shipbuilding.

Other clients are as diverse as an industrial

baker and a chemical manufacturing

company.

In the wind sector, TechBinder has already

several projects underway, including a

project at Rijkswaterstaat where they are

applying the application to two bird radar

systems in a wind farm as part of the

Offshore Expertise Centre. In another

application, the focus is on safety

procedures. Engineers must log into the

application once a month to practice safety

procedures.

Van den Boom sees that the application fits

particularly well in either very repetitive

things, such as a start-up, scaling down and

shutdown of an asset, fixing common

failures, or for certain visual inspections.

Things that are often repetitive but require

very appropriate action. “With a shortage

of technical people, you don’t want to use

experienced technicians to carry out

relatively simple repetitive tasks, such as

replacing a filter. Using Smart Field

Support, these tasks can be performed by

people with less experience, leaving the

relatively complex issues to the more

experienced employees.”

In addition, people from outside the

organisation, such as subcontractors or

self-employed persons, can also more easily

perform activities on an internal asset. Van

den Boom: “As you don’t need a

supervisor to explain the procedures every

time, that valuable time and knowledge can

then be used elsewhere.”

Further development

TechBinder is considering further

developments of the application. At

present, for example, it does not yet

include self-learning, but this is on the

agenda, Van den Boom says. The company

will also take a stab at filling in information

automatically. “Currently, you make your

own notes in the application. We would like

to enable the ability to give commands that

will be followed.”

TechBinder also wants to integrate remote

and application support and develop a

certain dashboard integration. Eventually,

it may be interesting to go for a Virtual

Reality environment. This will allow for

realistic training, he concludes.•

22 | 01-2023

Column

Staff shortages in the

wind sector offer

opportunities for

innovation

Matthijs van der Linden

Dutch and European patent

attorney at EP&C Patent

Attorneys

“Due to staff shortages waiting times are longer than normal” or “closed due to staff

shortages”. You have probably come across texts like this. In every sector there are staff

shortages in general and shortages of skilled workers in particular. This is problematic

as work starts to pile up, but it also offers opportunities. Especially for a fledgling sector

like the wind industry.

Innovate in places where people are hard to find

Within the wind sector people have come up with various labour-saving innovations. These

include the Slip Joint, an alternative to grout or bolt connections. Two conical-shaped ends are

slipped over each other thus causing friction and creating a stable connection which eliminates

the need for skilled workers to manually fasten the bolts. By thinking outside the box this

innovation, intentionally or unintentionally, helps to solve the problem of staff shortages.

Innovating is good for your image, increases margins and attracts investors, but the shortage of

skilled workers is another topical and important reason to innovate. As a company in the wind

sector, you should look for places in the company where the shortage is most noticeable and

consider what alternatives there are to using fewer or less specifically skilled staff. Think about

how you can avoid standing still and look at innovation from that perspective.

‘Companies that

come up with

labour-saving

solutions have an

edge over their

competitors’

Robotisation and standardisation

The Slip Joint is an example of thinking outside the box. You should also consider robotisation

and standardisation. Standardisation is used in various sectors, such as the construction

industry, for example, where well-trained bricklayers are increasingly difficult to find. That is

why someone came up with a solution that also makes it possible for bricklayers who aren’t

experts to construct buildings. More and more work is now being done with bricks that you put

together like Lego bricks. Drystack is a good example of an innovation. Electrical engineering

also increasingly works with simplified, ready-made solutions, such as pluggable installations.

This frees up the specialists and enables them to focus on more complex electrical engineering

issues while others do the standard work.

Innovating helps you keep ahead of the competition

The wind market is at a relatively early stage. This is only positive: there are still lots of

opportunities out there. Wind turbines are getting bigger and bigger, which brings new

challenges. Also in terms of staff. You should see this as an opportunity to respond smartly to

developments and to innovate. Companies that come up with labour-saving solutions have an

edge over their competitors. And because the market is still relatively young, chances are that

you will be able to protect your innovation with a patent, which is a valuable tool for a solid

position in the market.

Do staff shortages form a threat? They are definitely tricky. I nevertheless challenge you to look

at this from a different perspective and let the shortages inspire you to take the lead in

innovation.

01-2023 | 23

Human Capital

Engineering specialist Tillen B.V.:

Interchangeable and

transferable knowledge is key

When a wind farm is being built the news reports concerning it mention mainly

only the major parties involved. Behind these large companies, however, is a

chain of suppliers, each of which has made an important contribution to the

project in its own way. Tillen B.V. is such as company.

From its premises in De Meern,

near Utrecht, the Dutch

mechanical and structural

engineering company provides

lifting and handling solutions for various

sectors, including the wind sector. The

company celebrated its 15th anniversary

last year. Windpowernl visited the company

and spoke with owner Ivo van Donselaar

about how the company has developed

from a side business to an established

engineering specialist that has already

provided many large companies with

specialist lifting and handling tools and/or

designs and advice.

Origins

Tillen bv was founded in 2007 by Van

Donselaar, Tim Huele and Roberto

Rotgans. At the time they worked in the

evenings, weekends and holidays, as they

still had full-time jobs. In the years that

followed, the men built up the company’s

name to such an extent that the work was

starting to take up more and more of their

time. In 2011, the turning point was

reached: they had to make a choice on how

to proceed. Van Donselaar didn’t feel like

continuing to do it on the side, and the

other two partners, for various reasons,

didn’t feel like committing themselves fulltime.

In late 2011, Van Donselaar bought

out the other partners and continued,

initially from home, on his own, having

already secured a work supply for several

days a week for a year. After six months, he

rented an office and got help from an

intern. More employees soon followed,

including Tim, his previous partner.

Useful tools for lifting and

handling optimisation

Tillen mainly designs on behalf of a

customer. These customers are active in

different segments but all from a lifting and

handling technology background. Most of

the designs are used indirectly or directly in

the offshore wind sector, says Van

Donselaar. Products range from secondary

steelwork to handy tools for ship and crane

builders and cable installation companies,

as well as the somewhat larger

constructions like cable carousels and

baskets and offshore access systems.

Sometimes this involves completely new

designs and other times optimisation of

existing tools.

In one case, the design has since become a

product. It concerns micro-shelters and

trailers for a client supplying bird radar

systems. The micro-shelters ensure that the

radar systems can be transported

efficiently, easily installed on site, and then,

during use in all weather conditions,

provide protection for the electrics and air

conditioning that power the radar system

and keep it functioning properly. Tillen has

since been able to supply 11 units of these.

The company is also working on an entirely

proprietary design. This involves a modular

tagline system. Van Donselaar: “This is a

development where we can temporarily

attach a pair of hoisting winches in the

mast foot with a beam, so you can stabilise

the load but also steer it in two directions.

With this improved control you can safely

install loads at higher wind speeds and thus

improving installation lead time. The

advantage is that you don’t have to weld

anything to the crane structure, and so no

additional certification is needed.

Moreover, the system is light and compact.

When the project is finished, you also

remove the components in no time.”

For their activities, Tillen has three main

teams: a team of four design engineers, a

team of five structural engineers, and a

team of four CAD engineers for detailed

design and drafting.

“From the moment the assignment is

accepted, we first start thinking about the

concept and discuss the approach together.

Then we evaluate whether the concept is

matching the intended function and make

any further adjustments if required. Next,

the designers assess what is required to

make the construction robust and fit for

purpose. They then outline the functions

while structural engineers work on the

calculations in the background. Eventually,

the design is worked out in drawings. For

24 | 01-2023

third parties, we often also do an

independent, engineering strength

calculation. In those cases, only our

calculation team are working on it.”

Loyal employees

Van Donselaar aims to employ people on a

long-term basis. So far, he is succeeding

quite well. The intern who helped him in

the beginning then became a permanent

employee and remained loyal to the

company until last year. Most of the people

found Tillen themselves, came in through

the network or, like the first intern, came in

via a graduation internship and stayed.

This is a deliberate choice explains van

Donselaar. “There is simply a shortage, it

would be a shame if you have to let

someone go who suits your business

activity. So, you need to invest in people.”

In addition, the type of work also plays a

role, says Van Donselaar. Self-employed

people often have sufficient technical

knowledge and can, in addition, be

updated on the work floor. However,

everything must be done in a similar way

so that it is easily interchangeable and

transferable, because that is ultimately the

goal. “Our working method is really not

that spectacular but we have to be

consistent,” he explains, “Each project is

set up in such a way that we can be flexible

with scaling in our dimensions for quite a

long time. That way we can continue with

the design while simultaneously making the

calculations. But we all have to use the

same techniques. So those models are a bit

more complex anyway, the way we set them

up. Then it is preferable to have people stay

for the long term. When we get young

freshly graduated people, we place them

first in the group working on models and

drawings. Precisely to master that method.

At the same time, they already see a lot of

constructions and details passing by and

can see how we work, until, at some point,

they can do it themselves.”

And that is where the challenge lies with

self-employed people. Van Donselaar: “A

person has been trained and knows all the

ins and outs of the project, but then the

time comes when only simple work

remains which can also be handled

internally. Then you can no longer spend

the costs on the project. If you then cannot

continue with the person on another

project, the logical step is often to say

goodbye to each other. When this person

leaves, they take with them the experience

and knowledge about the project they

worked on.” According to Van Donselaar, it

happens with some regularity that after one

or two years, a customer still has a question

about a project, for instance to continue

working on the design. At that moment you

no longer have that amount of experience

and knowledge to hand.

Despite having been quite successful so far

in getting the right people, this has become

increasingly difficult, Van Donselaar also

observes. Particularly young people are

now simply waiting to be approached. After

all, the sought-after technically skilled

people already know during their studies

that they will find a job. They are already

often approached there, or at job fairs, by

companies but also mostly by recruiters

and large secondment agencies. In doing

so, Van Donselaar notices that young

people who have just graduated tend to

make their choice based on the best offer.

Questions like, where do I feel most at

home, where do I think I can grow, which

company’s products or activities appeal to

me most, often play a secondary role. He

also understands this, as studying is also

increasingly expensive these days, but he

does think it is a shame that young people

make important decisions on a few Euros.

01-2023 | 25

“That’s a little less the case with the more

experienced people but at some point they

themselves know where they need to be.

That makes it harder to find them. You

then have to go and call them yourself and

hopefully you get lucky,” Van Donselaar

says.

Open, flat culture

How does Tillen manage to keep its

employees engaged? Van Donselaar: “We

try to create a very open flat culture, where

everyone can always address each other.

Moreover, we talk with our people several

times a year. In these talks, we evaluate

where someone stands and where he or she

wants to go, among other things; after all,

that can change over time. We have also

drawn up a job matrix and a competence

matrix. If someone aspires to a different

job, they can immediately see which

competencies they need to meet and where

they might have room for improvement.”

In doing so, Tillen also tries to be a flexible

company for its employees. Before the

COVID-19 period, Tillen was already

facilitating working from home. That is not

for everyone but fortunately Van Donselaar

has nothing to complain about his

employees’ commitment and discipline.

Rather, he sometimes must slow them

down not to do too much. “The great thing

is that they really work together well. They

also seek each other out outside work, for

example for a BBQ or to play sports,” he

proudly tells. Yet another example of this

flexible attitude is when a colleague wanted

to go on a two-month round trip with his

father and wanted to take unpaid leave for

it. But sometimes someone just gets a great

offer elsewhere. In that case, Van Donselaar

still looks together at the possibilities for

possible advancement within Tillen.

However, the conclusion is sometimes that

you have to let someone go.

Long-term cooperation with

partners

The long-term collaborations are also

reflected in the relationships with external

partners. Tillen does not build anything inhouse

themselves, nor is that the ambition,

Van Donselaar says. Although, he would

like to have his own workshop for small

orders. Here they could have small

constructions built and inspected, and

clients could come over to watch the

progress. For the large constructions,

however, Tillen enjoys the freedom to

choose by whom and where they are built.

This way, it does not always depend on the

price and availability of one company.

Moreover, each company with whom they

work has its own specialism.

Tillen has been working with a number of

companies for many years now. On the day

of the interview, we were invited to join on

a visit to one of those companies, metal

construction specialist Voscon BV in

Vlaardingen. This company builds the

housings of the aforementioned microshelters

for the radar systems for Tillen.

Van Donselaar: “Voscon is very good at this

kind of construction. But we now also have

a number of tenders running for several

thousand-tonne lifting beams and lifting

frames. You need a different supplier for

those kinds of constructions.”

Working with multiple partners also has

the advantage that you can switch faster if

you need to carry out ad hoc assignments.

And that happens with some regularity.

“This market segment is fairly ad hoc.

Lifting and hoisting is very often a

neglected child. A company has arranged

an object and a ship to transport it. And

then they suddenly realise that the object

also needs to be brought on board and

secured. Then they come to us, for

example. When that happens, it’s nice to

have partners who can act swiftly,” Van

Donselaar elaborates.

Future plans

All photos ©Tillen

Finally, where does Van Donselaar see

Tillen standing in a few years’ time?

“At one point we went through a Business

Savvy programme with OpenBook Works:

where are we now, what do you think the

company is known for, and where do you

want to go? We discussed this first with the

team leaders and then with the team

members. Everyone has their own personal

ambitions, of course, but we all came up

with overlapping ambitions: we want to

grow in knowledge and size, but the

atmosphere must remain the same - we

want to continue to enjoy going to work.

So not much bigger than 25 to 30 people.

We want to be seen as specialists, with just

slightly bigger projects in terms of

complexity and size, and maybe we will

have our own workshop. What is especially

nice to see is that everyone wants to work

for each other, for the project, and to grow

and learn - that is really a great thing. It is

also quite unique: you are working in an

informal setting but in a hugely

professional way.” •

View current vacancies at Tillen:

26 | 01-2023

WIND JOBS IN THE

NETHERLANDS

A selection....

Vattenfall

Role in wind: Developer, Utility & O&M

Active in NL: Onshore & Offshore

No. of vacancies: 20

Vacancy types: Site Manager, Project Engineer, Service

Technicians, and more

Sif

Role in wind: Foundation manufacturer


No. of vacancies: Several

Vacancy types: QA/QC, Project Engineer, HSE, and

more

.

Pure Energie

Role in wind: Utility, developer

Active in NL: Onshore


Vacancy types: Project leader Energy Storage, Planning

developer

All numbers/information provided are subject to changes after publication.

01-2023 | 27

Emergya Wind Technologies (EWT)

Role in wind: OEM


No. of vacancies: 8

Vacancy types: Finance, Supply Chain, Engineering,

and more

Eneco

Role in wind: Utility & Developer


No. of vacancies: 5 (out of 194)

Vacancy types: Asset Manager Onshore,

Project Developer, Marine &

Maintenance Coordinator

ENERCON Netherlands

Role in wind: OEM, O&M


No. of vacancies: Staff: 2, R&D: 8, Service: 4

Vacancy types: Service Technician, Engineer

Pondera

Role in wind: Developer & Consultancy



Vacancy types: Advisor Sustainable Energy, Electrical

Engineer, Transport & Installation

Manager Offshore Wind, and more

28 | 01-2023

Statkraft

Role in wind: Utility & developer

Active in NL: Onshore (internationally also offshore)

No. of vacancies: 4 (out of 29 internationally)

Vacancy types: Project development, Project

Management, Engineering, and more

Siemens Gamesa Renewable Energy B.V.

Role in wind: OEM, O&M, Developer, and more


No. of vacancies: 50 (34 in O&M)

Vacancy types: Service Technician, Advanced

Operations Coordinator, Stock Keeper,

and more

Lighthouse Energy Support B.V.

Role in wind: Site & Quality Management, Inspections



Vacancy types: Site Managers, Quality Inspectors,

Wind Turbine Experts

.

Ventolines

Role in wind: Developer

Active in NL: Onshore & offshore


Vacancy types: Senior Consultant, Scada Engineer

Manager, Business Lead Offshore Wind,

and more

01-2023 | 29

‘‘We are looking at the

possibility of including

training as an obligation

in tenders for offshore

wind power plants’

Wind turbine technician returning to a Service Operation

Vessel for Offshore Wind Power Plants © Siemens Gamesa

30 | 01-2023

Education

Connecting industry

& education

The urgency within wind sector employment lies in closing the shortage of

technicians who can be deployed for maintenance throughout the lifespan of the

wind turbine. While this sector already has a good connection to education at

both higher vocational education (HBO) and scientific (WO) level, there is still a

lot to be gained at intermediate vocational education (MBO) level.

Both the industry and the Dutch government recognise

and acknowledge the acute shortage of technicians in

the wind sector. Several targets and agreements have

been made to address this, however the question

remains: will these lead to the necessary results or are we trapped

in talking?

Circumstances brought together two wind industry professionals

who decided not to wait for the answer to this question but to put

their money where their mouths are and seek the connection

between the sector and the education system, mainly at MBO

level. Windpowernl spoke to both men, each working from a

different background in the wind sector. Joost Pellis, with years of

experience within the Human Capital domain, and David

Molenaar, director of wind turbine supplier Siemens Gamesa in

the Netherlands.

Pellis: “We noticed at an early stage that there was an urgency in

the demand for technicians in the maintenance of wind turbines in

the Dutch North Sea. There were already some local and regional

education initiatives in the province of Zeeland and in the north of

the Netherlands, but no broad national approach yet.”

Molenaar confirms this: “At the time when offshore wind was

emerging in the Netherlands, a movement from onshore to

offshore was seen. There were hardly any specialist training courses

for wind technicians in the Netherlands at that time, so we had the

first professionals trained all over the world. Moreover, because we

had no large offshore wind projects yet, we couldn’t properly

define the role of a wind technician. You noticed a mismatch back

then. On the Gemini offshore wind power plant in 2014 and 2015,

it became clear that although we had enough professionals at that

time there would not be enough in the foreseeable future. I started

giving guest lectures, finding contacts, making connections. At

some point the first projects arrived and you could start organising

internships. That’s when Siemens Gamesa made a conscious

decision to enter into partnerships with schools, for example

Noorderpoort College in the north of the Netherlands and Scalda

in Vlissingen. What we were actually looking for was a structural

approach that was sustainable, the kind we already had in place at

the academic education level. For example, we supervised an

average of 8 to 12 students from TU Delft each year and had set

up a well-functioning system for this. The big question was, how

could we create a similar working system for MBO schools?”

MBO College Airport

The COVID-19 period happened to provide an extra boost in

bringing the MBO-level education and wind sector closer. During

this period, there were virtually no flight movements at Schiphol.

As a result, very limited interships were availabe for students of

Aircraft Engineering at MBO College Airport in Hoofddorp, part

of the ROC van Amsterdam - Flevoland. Meanwhile, the wind

industry continued its installation and maintenance activities at

sea, albeit with the necessary precautionary measures. The school

wanted to expand their possibilities alongside Aircraft Engineering

and saw an opportunity in the wind industry by creating a

‘Maintenance of Wind Turbines’ course. Pellis was asked to help

connect the wind industry to this initiative. The school provided its

own syllabus but an input from the sector was required. Pellis:

“Through conversations with players from the wind industry over

the years, I already knew that there was a mismatch between the

two, so we focused heavily on that.”

Siemens Gamesa, wind turbine supplier for several Dutch offshore

wind power plants, was an obvious first choice to approach, Pellis

explains. Moreover, Molenaar was known as an advocate for the

future workforce. With the cooperation of Siemens Gamesa and

other partners, the pilot course could be set up and course

modules for students could be offered with suitable internships,

including at Siemens Gamesa. This pilot proved to be very

successful. Molenaar explains: “I knew that aircraft technicians

would fit in the wind sector very well in terms of knowledge and

behaviour. The work is precise, you need to be flexible, and also in

terms of procedures and safety awareness, both are similar. It was

great to see how enthusiastically and smoothly the cooperation

01-2023 | 31

went.” The first-class modules at MBO College Airport led to so

many positive collaborations and a very high demand for trainees,

that Pellis and Molenaar (through a concrete stimulus from the

ROC van Amsterdam - Flevoland) joined forces to start

investigating how this successful initiative could be extended

nationwide. Pellis elaborates: “We know by now that the energy

transition can be seriously delayed by the fact that we may have

insufficient workforce. Now is really the time to create something

that will contribute practically to the problem we recognise and

acknowledge everywhere. That requires a common, nationwide

approach.”

What is needed, according to Pellis, is to have enough trained

personnel nationwide who are properly trained and prepared for

working on onshore, nearshore and offshore power plants,

including the behavioural elements, work-life balance and safety.

Sufficiently trained staff

Organisations in the entire supply chain of the wind industry do

not always know that a particular school offers good wind training

and in turn, schools do not always know where the exact demand

lies, in addition to which they want a guarantee of offering suitable

and relevant internships. The amount of internships should be

made transparent. This will allow schools to know how much room

there is and not train too many or too few people, ensuring

cooperation and efficiency. Pellis: “All that needs to be shared with

each other in a pragmatic, simple way so you know what you can

get out of it.”

Awareness at schools concerning the opportunities in the wind

sector should take place at all levels, including primary schools.

The largest MBO schools could play a role in this. Pellis explains:

“Suppose you would address regions where wind development is

greatest for the future. Then you could give a college such as

Noorderpoort, for example, the tools that ensure they can inform

and provide an information package to the main primary schools

in their area. You should not impose that, but I think if they know

that there is demand from the sector and it is made demonstrable,

it is also much easier for them to bring that into their business

case.”

Paid training

Molenaar adds: “With internships in wind, you need to arrange

training. To go offshore you have to be GWO certified (Global

Wind Organisation Basic Safety Training and Sea Survival). This

takes several weeks and costs several thousand euros per student.

To avoid delays, we at Siemens Gamesa took care of that for the

first trainees. At the same time, attempts were made to place the

cost of GWO training with the government, but this has not (yet)

succeeded. Now we are looking at the possibility of including it as

an obligation in tenders for offshore wind power plants.”

“This means that you have to commit to a certain number of

internships during the permit term, including mentoring, and bear

the cost of GWO training, among other things. It is a limited

investment but if you arrange it, it becomes a contractual

obligation and is budgeted. And as such it has become a system

that works,” Molenaar continues. This proposal is now being

further developed by NWEA, the Dutch wind energy association.

Siemens Gamesa itself has appointed an ‘Apprenticeship

Supervisory Lead’ from its ranks and four maintenance engineers

have been prepared to act as apprenticeship supervisors.

If it were up to Pellis, this would have been in the tender

requirements long ago: “I find it very strange that when you talk

about assets, products and materials, the human element is not

included. It cannot be that with this shortage in the labour market

and the call from both industry and government, and the pacts

made for more people, that this is not going to be included by the

government.”

Increased awareness

The wind sector itself can also do more to come to the attention of

schools, Molenaar continues: “For example, take them on a boat

trip to a wind project, hold guest lectures, initiatives like that. I

have now extended my guest lectures to include a live connection

with technicians in the turbine. To bring it closer that way. We have

also taken teachers twice, from several schools, to our training

facility in Denmark before COVID-19. This provides the

opportunity to update them on the latest technology so that they

can also make the teaching material interesting in terms of content.

In my memory, teachers are the ones who can inspire you, so it is

important that teachers know how great this wind sector is when

they are in front of the classroom.”

Appreciation for craftsmanship

At the same time, both men also realise that hard work is needed

to fill schools with sufficient technical ability. After all, there are

nowhere near enough students to fill the internships and the gap is

widening. Molenaar affirms: “The quality of executive work is of

eminent importance. The appreciation for craftsmanship must

come back and be recognised. Young people need to be rewarded

more for following an engineering education.”

This also translates into internship allowances. There are often

different internship fees for MBO, HBO and WO students. This is

actually quite strange, agrees Molenaar, especially in these times of

scarcity. Siemens Gamesa has therefore, since 1 January 2023,

brought all internship fees within the company in the Netherlands

to the same level.

But it is also necessary to look at what is going on among this

young generation. They have grown up with social media, where

everything is ephemeral. Pellis: “These are interesting topics that

we have to dare to address and have as a common challenge. That

has to be coordinated, on behalf of the industry.” But this

generation is also concerned about the climate. Pellis: “Let’s make

a moral appeal to them that they can actually be responsible to

partly counter climate change. This is almost the closest you can

get to making a contribution!”

In addition, it is important to involve the people on the work floor

of the whole process, both Molenaar and Pellis agree. As a

32 | 01-2023

H Wind Turbine Simulator © MBO College Airport

company, you can create internships for students, but they also

need to be supervised and the internships need to be coordinated.

And, not unimportantly, the supervisors also need to be supervised

in turn.

First steps towards national roll-out

Pellis, supported by Molenaar, shared the initiative at Siemens

Gamesa and Van Oord’s network meetings, known as Q-meetings,

to get a taste of how it was received. Initial reactions were very

positive. They are currently shaping the project. A first step is to set

up a committee structure with representation from all the different

relevant disciplines from the wind industry. They already agreed

that the set-up should lie with NWEA, says Pellis: “We are now

taking it up with NWEA to coordinate and organise it at national

level. This is a logical step since, as a trade association, they

represent the wind sector and are excellently equipped for this.”

Initial talks with companies have already taken place and the three

largest schools currently focussing on wind, Scalda, Noorderpoort

and the ROC van Amsterdam - Flevoland, have also indicated that

they are on board. More talks will follow once the layout is known.

Pellis: “The moment that format is clear, you can start

communicating about the status: this is the format, it is accessible

to everyone, your voice is important, talk to your representative

about this. It should have an attraction making you want to

participate. If you don’t want to join then you are still represented

through your sector representative. There will be frontrunners but

that doesn’t matter.”

Social interest as a foundation

And there is a bit of competition there, even in schools. But,

Molenaar stresses: “We have a social problem, a social interest and

that needs a social approach. We have to have the same message. It

is alright to differentiate by company at some level, however, social

interest is the foundation.”

He continues: “For example, we as Siemens Gamesa have had the

opportunity to train more than 120 students in recent years. A large

part of them work with us but others are now working for clients,

the government or somewhere else in the world. Ideally, we would

like to keep them with us but if we can’t, at least you know they are

participating in the energy transition and thus serving the general

interest of the industry. With the example of the ROC van

Amsterdam - Flevoland, I noticed how much fun it is to set

something up together, to grant everyone their success and to see

how much energy is created when bringing people together.”

There will soon be some golden rules, Pellis explains. For example,

whoever participates must actively contribute to the basic essentials

such as marketing activities, having and making visible possible

internships and inserting it in the tender criteria. “If you can

implement all this in a kind of ecosystem, which all companies will

want to adopt, or at least look at it and make adjustments

accordingly, then, only then, will you get the movement we want

and have seen on a regional scale.”

Molenaar concludes, “To me, it is a success when the system is in

place and so robust that we know it could deliver people. That we

see the intake increase but also the dropout rate reduce to almost

zero because everyone knows what they have started, and you have

happy educated people.” •

Both men note that some companies struggle to disconnect from

their organisation, especially if the parent company is international.

01-2023 | 33

15 JUNI 2023 | AVIODROME LELYSTAD • 16 JUNI 2023 | EXCURSIES

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Women in Energy

The share of women in the energy transition in the Netherlands is very low. With the

major labour shortage in the energy transition, there was every reason to discuss

this topic during the Women in Energy event at KIVI in The Hague last November.

Over 120 attendees, consisting of students, young

professionals, medior, senior, and C-level

professionals, gathered to discuss, in an open and

constructive atmosphere, the topic of gender diversity

in the Dutch energy transition.

In terms of gender diversity, the Netherlands does not rank high

on the world list of countries. This is especially the case in the

energy sector where women have traditionally been

underrepresented. According to a 2021 report by Topsector

Energie, the share of women was only 22 per cent, even lower

when you look at the technical jobs only. There is a very low inflow

and lateral entry, failing progression, and a very large outflow of

women.

So, why are women in the Netherlands underrepresented? The

answer to this question is complex. There are, however, some key

observations to be made. One is gender stereotyping. In the

Netherlands, more so than in other European countries, girls grow

up being programmed at home and in school, that boys are better

at technical and science related subjects. As a result, girls and

women tend to have a low self-confidence in these subjects.

Another observation is a general misconception that the energy

transition is pure technical. The challenges in the energy transition

are far from just technical; they are social, legal, societal and

spatial. In addition to technical people, the energy transition also

requires lawyers, economists - people who will work on all fronts.

There should be more awareness about this among women.

Partly because of this, the energy sector in the Netherlands has

traditionally been dominated by white men. With hardly any

female role models, this makes it hard to stimulate girls and young

women to pursue a career in the energy transition. And only few of

those who do enrol for technical education ultimately end up

working in the energy transition.

When women do work in the energy sector, when it comes to

decision-making positions, their rise is blocked by a glass ceiling

and gender pay gap. A specific barrier to advancement of women

in the energy sector are mobility requirements and laborious and

inflexible work schedules. In times of crisis, they are also hit the

hardest. A good example is energy poverty, resulting from the

energy crisis.

System & cultural change

A cultural and system change is therefore required where each

other’s qualities, regardless of gender, are being appreciated. With a

growing labour shortage, combined with the challenge of

accelerating the energy transition, the urgency is felt by the energy

sector to harness as much labour potential as possible. Perhaps

there has never been a better time to improve diversity than right

now.

The Dutch government has made a commitment to promote

gender diversity and inclusion in the energy sector, including in the

energy transition. The Topsector Energie, which aims to promote

innovation and collaboration in the energy sector, has a Human

Capital programme running since 2012, which has identified

gender diversity as a key area for improvement. Companies are, or

have been, introducing diversity programmes. Technical colleges

try to attract more youth. The annual Girls’ Day being a good

example of initiatives taken by both education and companies. This

year, over 9,000 girls signed up for this event.

Still, a lot needs to be done, among all parties involved. More role

models are needed to stimulate girls. One of the participants of the

Women in Energy event has taken the initiative to put a few role

models in the spotlights. With a multi-episode documentary called

‘Heels of Steel’, NorthCmedia is following several women who are

active in the energy transition (maritime sector) in their daily

activities. Follow NorthCmedia or Women in Energy for more

information on the documentary. •

NEXT EDITION:

17 NOVEMBER

2023

01-2023 | 35

Young Talents

Nationaal Energietraineeship:

Preparing young talents for

the complexities of the energy

transition

The energy sector used to be simply defined as being in the domain of energy

producers and grid operators. However, the energy system of the future also

touches mobility, urban environment, agriculture and land use, and industry. How

do you prepare young talents for this complex playing field? Windpowernl spoke to

Jacob Froling, who founded Nationaal Energietraineeship in 2019.

From where did the need arise for the

programme?

“Both the climate and energy transition issues are so incredibly

complex that you cannot solve them with one organisation.

There are many more people and interests involved. In

addition, it is no longer just a technical issue but also involves

financial, planning, legal and social issues. Additionally, it is not

only about climate and energy but also about raw materials and

biodiversity, for example. There are few people who can see the

full width and complexity of the energy transition. This is also

the case with young people. Consequently, this complex

challenge requires an integrated approach and our programme’s

target is to try to contribute to this.”

How are you contributing?

“We link young talents to an organisation where they will work

four days a week. There they will further develop job skills and

become professionals in their profession. During two years,

however, they will all meet up once a week, on Fridays. That

day is for broadening knowledge and networking. We organise

an activity, this could be an excursion, guest lecture, training,

coaching session or another event. Sometimes it is about

learning skills and other times about gaining insight into an

issue.

What makes our programme unique in this respect is that on

those Fridays the trainees do not meet colleagues but other

talented trainees from across the chain who have followed a

different study and work for different companies but are

working on the same issue. As part of this programme, they also

get the opportunity to work on projects. During the two years,

they work on a total of four different projects. Once, at their

own organisation, where they will be project leaders of a team

consisting of three fellow trainees. On three other occasions

they will do a project at an organisation of a fellow trainee. Not

only will they learn multidisciplinary cooperation within the

project group and the subject of project management, but they

also get to have a look inside another organisation three times

on thirteen Fridays.”

What is the added value of ‘looking inside

other organisations’?

“By taking a look inside other organisations, trainees not only

achieve personal development but also start to learn more

about the skills of the other fellow stakeholders in the chain.

For example, a planner learns from a technician, who in turn

learns from a process technologist and who in turn learns from

a policy maker. That is exactly what we need to do. Take the

example of a trainee who works in local government on regional

energy strategies or policies concerning wind farms. It would be

beneficial to also learn about the position of a grid manager or

developer because, as a policy-maker, you need to understand

the influence others have on strategy or policies. This will also

provide a better understanding of the challenges that other

stakeholders in the energy transition are facing. As a result, all

stakeholders will be able to work towards a solution together.

Moreover, on these Friday gatherings, trainees also meet

trainees who are following the National Water and National

Land Traineeships. This is very important because these themes

interlink in a country as small and densely populated as the

Netherlands.”

36 | 01-2023

© Nationaal Energietraineeship

Who is the programme for?

“With the programme, we are currently targeting young people

at university or higher vocational level (HBO), who are either

still studying or have recently graduated and are now

considering their options. The energy transition requires many

people from many disciplines, not only the executive

technicians but including people who make and implement

policy, people who make calculations dealing with grid and

congestion management, process technologists researching

increasing sustainability in industrial processes, physicists, and

business experts, to name just a few. We focus on this demand

for leaders. It is important to note here that the programme is

more than an internship. It is a fully-fledged junior job with a

traineeship alongside it. In fact, you can expect more from a

trainee we select than the average starter. This makes sense. An

organisation invests in the trainees. They receive two years of

training and coaching, including an individual coach who will

set up a personal development plan, and the additional training

every Friday.

This two-year programme is quite intensive so young people

will have to be incredibly motivated and be able to explain why

they should join our traineeship. At this young age, many of our

trainees already feel the pressure of the energy transition, they

are concerned and want to actively contribute. I really see a

drive in this young generation.”

Do you not target MBO graduates for a

reason?

“This is not a deliberate choice. However, a programme for

young talents with secondary vocational (MBO education

would look different in terms of content. There are other

qualified parties working on this, such as the Human Capital

Agenda. They have close contacts with all VMBO and MBO

level courses and the installation sector, actually with the entire

technology sector, to solve this issue. Learning programmes

have been launched for this purpose, and we maintain contact

with them.”

How does the selection process work?

“The demand for people is huge at the moment. Sometimes

you then see organisations using a speed date to offer someone

a job in half an hour. In my opinion, there is a risk of a speed

date mismatch. We have an extensive and quite intensive

selection period. We don’t start from a vacancy. We start from

the trainee who reports to us. He or she undergoes at least two

interviews and a test to find out what is his or her knowledge,

interest and what kind of person is he or she. When we then

combine these three components, a certain profile emerges

which then matches a particular job role. We try to match the

role to the person as well as possible. This way there is the best

chance of a good match.

At the end of the day, you do have to fit in with the issue a

customer brings to us. Some organisations have specific

requirements that a young talent has to meet in terms of

education, knowledge, profile, skills and behaviour, ideally. With

that picture in mind, we start looking for the ideal person. We

select three or four people to be introduced to the company.

Sometimes this includes a familiarisation day. This way, a

trainee can also see where he or she will be working, what a

working day looks like, and which customers the organisation

works with. Only when there is a match from both sides are we

satisfied.”

01-2023 | 37

What is the benefit of participating?

“Not only does an organisation get top level talents with a

network, but their participation in the programme also makes

them an interesting employer. They show that they are investing

in the trainees, with a chance for them to develop. Above all,

the Friday activities ensure that the organisations get an

employee who can look at the energy transition issue from a

broader perspective, understanding the language, position and

responsibilities of the other players in the energy transition. As

a result, they get a more complete and better employee. That is

the return on investment of a traineeship.”

What value brings it to the wind sector?

“We focus on all five so called climate tables of the Dutch

Climate Agreement. Our trainees make policy at various

organisations, building a more sustainable environment,

developing the mobility of the future, contributing to a

sustainable energy system, and decarbonising and electrifying

industry. Trainees work, for example, for various government

bodies and organisations, Netbeheer Nederland, Shell, DNV,

Stedin, RVO, Heijmans, and several consultancies. Wind energy

is incredibly interesting because this, and especially offshore,

will be the driving force behind the electrification of the

Netherlands. Especially with wind, it is not just about

technology - since technologically almost anything is possible.

The wind sector has to deal with the complex playing field of

stakeholders like no other. Wind energy also involves the

planning issue and it is needed to understand how policy is

made. Take the example of someone who works for a wind

developer: at the end of the traineeship, he or she understands

how a grid manager and a policy maker think and also

understands how a contractor is in the game. In other words,

they get to know the full width of the playing field. They also

have to deal with social acceptance; why do people want to

participate but also why are people against the local installation

of wind turbines. You can be a top expert in your field of study

but you also need to develope yourself in communicating and

cooperating with others, as you will find later at your work.

That’s where you need the right soft skills. Our programme

contributes to that. About half of the programme focuses on

developing those soft skills.”

What happens after the two years?

“We hope that those young people are in a good place and able

to develop well and then perhaps come back at the end of the

programme as guest speakers or as clients of a project. We are

also developing an alumni programme where all former trainees

can maintain their network. In addition, we have an app group

with all trainees and former trainees in which interesting, fun

articles and podcasts are shared, or where questions can be

asked. Ultimately, the aim is for the young people themselves to

maintain the network after those two years and, as a group of

young talents and perhaps leaders of the future, to ensure that

together we take the steps towards the year 2050 when we must

be energy-neutral.” •

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38 | 01-2023

Young Talents

JongRES

Engage future leaders in

energy transition now

Solving staff shortages in the wind sector and energy transition in general, is the talk

of the day among companies and governments. But to what extent is this also a

topic among young people in the Netherlands?

Windpowernl spoke to Wouter van der Galiën, since

2022 chairman of JongRES, the youth organisation

dedicated to including the voice of young people in

determining the implementation of energy

transition up to 2030 through the Regional Energy Strategies

(RES). He also works as a project developer at energy company

RWE.

How did JongRES start?

“Our network came into being after the conclusion of the Dutch

Climate Agreement in 2019. Two youth organisations, Jonge

Klimaatbeweging and the Klimaat en Energiekoepel, sat at the

negotiation table. When it was decided in the Climate Agreement

that the energy transition would be implemented regionally,

through the RES, these youth organisations felt they should also be

closely involved. They jointly set up the JongRES network to get

young people active in all RES regions with the aim to make

themselves heard, to co-write with the RES, speak to

municipalities, and to challenge administrators with stimulating

questions and really influence the implementation of the Climate

Agreement.”

Was there a lot of enthusiasm felt among

young people?

“At that time, we had a volunteer in almost every region. I myself

was approached to act as youth representative for the Groningen

region on behalf of JongRES. In that role, I co-wrote the RES 1.0

and managed to get a paragraph for youth participation included.

For two years, I met everyone in the Groningen administration, sat

on all the steering committees, and was also able to organise lots of

events, such as a debate for the municipal elections, a bus tour for

young people along energy projects, get-togethers, Serious Games,

you name it. I enjoyed doing that for two years until the vacancy

for the chairman’s position became available. That was the

moment I realised that I was keen to take up the challenge of

making what had been done in my region also happen in the other

regions.

During the COVID-19 period, getting young people to volunteer

for JongRES was easy. Like the rest of the Netherlands, they were

sitting at home, their social lives outside were at a standstill, and

studies were taking place online, so they had a lot of time on their

hands. JongRES crossed their path and they felt drawn to the

energy transition. Now that the COVID-19 period is over and

young peoples’ agendas are full again, we have more difficulty in

finding new volunteers and retaining existing ones. I think that also

has a bit to do with the visibility of what we are currently doing in

the RES throughout the regions. The RES 1.0. was really

something to work towards, think about, write about, provide input

on. Now we are in the phase where the strategies have to be

implemented, which is less exciting for young people. But very

important nevertheless, because it is precisely now that decisions

are being made, plans discussed and permits granted. The biggest

challenge for the next two years, therefore, is mainly speaking up

and speaking to administrators.”

Why is it necessary to make young people’s

voices heard?

“It’s mainly at the municipality level where energy transition is

decided, and they in particular are often stuck in processes and

patterns. The average age here is 50+ and this generation tends to

be more negative and conservative when it comes to the energy

transition. At open days and public consultation events for wind

farms, for example, it is often the older generation majority who

tend to see only obstacles. Then the risk of administrators

withdrawing and no longer daring to take the important steps is

great. This is already happening.

Instead, young people want to move faster with the energy

transition because they know that the pace is not fast enough. The

internet plays a big role in this. They are inundated with

information indicating that if we don’t do something about the

climate problem now, it will be too late. Young people, however,

choose to be optimistic and will do anything to bring about that

change. And if they don’t succeed, at least they have tried. It is also

the first generation that is faced with a level of growth and can see

that that change is necessary. The only thing that they can see is

01-2023 | 39

©Studio Johan Nieuwenhuize

that everything is constantly changing - and very quickly. That is a

fact, and you have to respond to it and move with it. Renewable

energy is important here. From our research in every region two

years ago we found that in almost all regions, younger people are

much more positive about wind and solar energy than older

people. Wind turbines are needed to provide clean energy. So, if

they need to be installed, then preferably as high as possible, where

they catch most wind.

We cannot wait until this generation is in government - we no

longer have the luxury of waiting that long. That is why I think it is

so important that our generation tries to kick those pillars of

democracy as early as possible, and that we continue to hold our

local and regional leaders accountable for implementing the RES

agreements. It is not acceptable for them to walk away from the

difficult choices. It’s great to see that more and more young people

are consciously choosing to work in local or provincial government

for precisely that reason.”

How are you trying to make an impact?

“Recently, provincial elections were held. In the run-up to that,

many energy debates were organised in the regions by JongRES to

draw attention to the importance of these provincial elections.

Precisely because the energy transition must be implemented in

the next four years, at least until 2030. We are also trying to come

to the negotiation table at coalition agreements or speak up in the

council when a wind farm or solar park is being discussed.

Recently we visited the Dutch Minister of Economic Affairs and

Climate Policy, Rob Jetten, to point out our concerns about the

speed of implementation.

Take again the example of those municipal councils. When a young

person speaks in the council, the councillors are full of energy all

over again. The message gets through and even the more negativeminded

people realise that they too have children and perhaps

grandchildren who also think differently. Sometimes there is

misunderstanding and sometimes you actually get a bit closer

together again.”

Do you manage to reach all young people?

“Most volunteers are already largely in the so-called ‘Green

Bubble’. They are mostly well-educated young city people who are

already active in the energy transition, and therefore already know

better how to find and communicate with administrators. It is

more difficult to find rural young people and some more

practically educated young people who might also want to do

something for the climate but don’t know so well how to get their

message to be heard. Fortunately, the events we organise provide a

link to those young people. During these meetings, they can voice

their opinions, which are then taken into account by the JongRES

representative in the debates. This also allows young people to

become enthusiastic about becoming active in the energy

transition. That’s when you see that even outside that bubble, we

still manage to enthuse young people to do something for the

energy transition or to make their voices heard in the region.”

How come that there are still so few young

people working in the energy transition?

“More and more young people feel the urgency to really do

something about the climate problem. It is increasingly important

for them to find a job where satisfaction is sought, in the form of

contributing to making a better planet a reality. Money alone, for

example for bigger houses, bigger cars, is no longer that important

anymore for many young people. In fact, a lot of young people are

now thinking about eating less meat, buying fewer clothes, and

flying less. However, I think there is still an amount of ignorance.

We talk about the RES, the 2030 and 2050 targets and CO2

40 | 01-2023

EDUCATION IN WIND

neutrality as if everyone knows, but I think many young people are

not yet fully aware of the scale of the challenge of accomplishing

that energy transition. A huge number of people are needed to

practically implement the energy transition. That requires real

craftsmanship. That professional group should really be given more

recognition. We will only achieve a CO2-neutral society if all

systems run properly and produce energy, and that this energy is

transported and reaches homes and businesses. If that doesn’t

work, the energy transition will fail.

To some young people, the energy transition is still seen as

something vague and where there is no money to be made. That is

an unwarranted assumption - in fact, there is a huge economy

behind this energy transition and a lot of money is involved. That is

also logical because it is a primary need after all.”

Is the industry itself already doing enough to

reach young people?

“It is getting better and better. We notice that the grid operators,

for example, are increasingly starting to realise that these young

people are super important for the energy transition, and they are

now starting to run relevant campaigns. At RWE we have trainee

programmes, where young people are recruited from universities,

colleges and MBO’s (vocational college) to become active at an

early stage after their studies, to participate and learn about all the

techniques involved. They spend half a year working with solar,

wind, hydrogen, storage or offshore. This way, they see the full

spectrum of the energy transition and can decide which fits them

best. There are several large companies that offer these

traineeships, participate in career fairs, and are really making

themselves heard. It is going in the right direction.”

Finally, what can industry and government

do to better to reach young people?

“The traditional channels to make your voice heard is by putting

forward their views or via a public consultation. But young people

find that boring and complicated, and it no longer suits their

attention span. You must translate the message of that energy

transition, its importance, and also that of democracy, and how

important it is to make your voice heard in the arena where young

people are sitting. Translate the message into quick videos, into

vlogs or podcasts. It is time consuming, but it is the way to reach

and activate young people.

There are several schools in the Netherlands that provide

technical/engineering courses or subjects relevant to

future wind professionals. We have made a list as a

starting point. Please note that this list might not be fully

inclusive.

Secondary vocational education (MBO)

• Scalda - WindDock

• Noorderpoort

• ROC Kop van Noord-Holland

• MBO College Airport

• Nova College - MyTec

• ROC Friese Poort - MKE Technicus Smart Energy

• STC MBO College

• ROVC

• Cbt

• Quercus Energy Technicians

• Deltion college

• Techniek College Rotterdam

• Curio

• Graafschap College

Higher vocational education (HBO)

• Hanzehogeschool Groningen

• Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen HAN

• Centre of Expertise SEECE

• Amsterdam University of Applied Science

• Hogeschool Rotterdam

• Field Lab

• Fontys Hogescholen

• HZ University of Applied Sciences

• Hogeschool InHolland

• Hogeschool Utrecht

• NHL Stenden

• NCOI

• Saxion Hogeschool

• Hogeschool Windesheim

• Zuyd Hogeschool

Universities

• TU Delft

• TU Eindhoven

• Erasmus University Rotterdam

• University of Twente

• University of Groningen

• Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam

For more details and links, go to:

In the case of the wind industry: if, as a developer or energy

producer, you are going to approach the local environment, make

sure that you organise information evenings or events in such a

way that you also attract young people. They can bring a positive

sound. The way to make your voice heard at the municipality and

provincial level could also be designed differently for young people.

For instance, by swiping, swipocracy, or through an app. This

should be taken as seriously as an older person speaking up. If that

would work, I think we would hear a lot more positive voices at

every level of government.” •

01-2023 | 41

International

East Meets West network

Knowledge sharing between

Eastern & Western European

young energy professionals

All European countries are facing an all-encompassing energy transition,

pushed forward by the war in Ukraine. While Western European countries are

already in the middle of it, Eastern European countries are yet to speed up.

Knowledge sharing can help both sides.

Due to historical and (geo-)

political reasons, Central and

South-Eastern Europe is still

detached from the Western

European energy transition. The war has

exacerbated this. However, EU recovery

plans entailing a fast decarbonisation

process and plans for more integrated

energy systems require these countries to

take the proper steps.

While in Western Europe wind energy is

very much incorporated in the energy

systems and plans, policies and regulatory

barriers in several Eastern European

countries are holding them back from

exploiting these sources.

Csinszka Bene from Hungary, who wrote

her thesis on the energy transition in

Hungary and Poland, explains: “Especially

in times like this, when we need to

substitute a significant amount of Russian

gas supplies, there are no credible

explanations anymore to keep such

regulations in place because it will

eventually backfire economically as we

move to rapid decarbonisation of our

economies.” Hereby she is referring to

distance regulations and well as permitting

barriers.

She continues: “While in Poland there are

promising developments unfolding in both

offshore and onshore wind, and I have

hopes for Hungary harnessing onshore

wind, it remains a difficult issue. The

energy sector is highly politicised and it is

so hard, even with sound scientific and

economic arguments, to convince decision

makers that the time for shifting outdated

paradigms is now. Otherwise, in ten, twenty

years we just won’t have the necessary

(domestic) supplies anymore. Next to their

steeply decreasing cost, what should make

all renewable sources so attractive is that

we can supply ourselves with it.”

Csinszka moved to Amsterdam in 2019,

to do her Master studies in Environment

and Resource Management. Here she

specialised in Energy and Climate

Governance, which prepared her for her

current job as an economic policy advisor

at Trinomics – a consultancy firm based in

Rotterdam. Here she is working full-time

advising international public sector clients,

like the European Commission, as well as

Member State governments on various

energy and climate policy issues.

East Meets West network

With this in mind, in 2019, together with

Leon Pulles from the Dutch company

Energy Investment Management, she came

up with the idea to set up the ‘East Meets

West’ network to facilitate knowledge

sharing between young professionals

working in the energy sector from Eastern

Europe, who are studying or working in

the Netherlands.

“There are so many ambitious young

people from Eastern Europe who moved to

Western Europe for all sorts of reasons and

who want to eventually give back to their

home countries in their own ways. Given

that we all focused on the energy transition,

we wanted to explore in what areas we

could share resources. People who work in

the energy business or project

development, for example, might not know

a lot about policy developments on a

national or European level, while others

working on regulation or policy are often

out of touch with the realities of RES

deployment on the ground,”Csinszka

explains. The same goes for energy

solutions in different geographies: what

works in one country, might not be

executable elsewhere.

42 | 01-2023

The network enables knowledge sharing

via informal meetings as well as various

forms of collaboration. The members try to

meet up at least quarterly for dinners to

connect and share what they are currently

working on, or see as important

developments/opportunities in the energy

transition. “But ultimately what connects

people, is that they can get to know equal

minded people and form a community

with them,”says Csinszka.

Collaborations

Initially set up as a platform for knowledge

exchange, through time the network got a

more collaborative nature. For one, there is

a great collaboration in place with the

event and networking organisation Enlit

Europe. For the third consecutive year they

are participating together on Enlit’s big

annual conference and exhibition where

they try to co-create activities, including

workshops, panel discussions and other

information exchange possibilities.

Enlit also have printed publications,

including ‘The Guide’ with valuable

content about the energy transition. The

network contributed to one section, called

‘You’ve got mail from the next generation!’,

where they interviewed young professionals

about what they would say to energy

leaders if they could talk to them. “It’s with

honest, short and direct messages, for

example to Frans Timmermans, or

Volodymyr Zelensky. It was a good way for

our members to showcase their ambitions

in the energy transition,” Csinszka tells.

The East Meets West network also cocreated

two big publications with Enlit.

One was Csinszka’s own forementioned

thesis. The other was the work of Denisa

Kasa, who was looking at entrepreneurial

business opportunities in the energy

transition, specifically in Poland, Romania

and Bulgaria. While her own work was

more policy oriented, Denisa’s work was

more focused on the concrete business

opportunities in the different segments in

the energy systems in these countries. Both

papers wanted to draw attention to how

much potential there is in the region and

how much financing still needs to flow in

there, besides citing the historical and

current barriers that make these countries

lag behind.

Csinszka: “I think that these accessible

publications, written by young

professionals, are important for showcasing

that our generation does have a role to play,

and they have the necessary overview and

skills to work in this field.”

Another collaboration Csinszka is proud

of, is with the Eastern European Students

Association (EESA) at Erasmus University

Rotterdam. “When we created the network,

most of us were at the end of our studies or

just starting our jobs, with some of the

members already moving into the next

stage of their careers. I think it is very

important that we can provide

opportunities to those people who are at

the start of their career,” she explains.

She continuous: “With EESA we held an

innovation workshop, which is like a

hackathon for young people to pitch their

business ideas related to the sustainable

transition in their home countries. We were

so happy with the outcomes, and so

inspired! The ideas that they brought were

really refreshing to us. The teams managed

to put together a business idea based on

bio energy in just 25 minutes, and they

could also come with a full-fledged

business analysis. These young people, who

share similar subjects at university, have

immense imagination and knowledge

already about business models and what

works and what doesn’t work in the energy

transition. Conferences are also a good

place to reach young professional attendees

and get them inspired.”

Csinszka would like the network to stay

engaged with student groups like these, to

mentor them before they finish their

studies and help them choose their careers.

This way the network can help them find

their ways in the sector and provide them

with the necessary orientation if they need

that.

The East Meets West network also puts a

lot of effort into online content and

webinars – they routinely give

masterclasses about project development

and asset finance in the energy transition,

and have also produced a multi-episode

interview series where they asked network

01-2023 | 43

members specifically about the energy

transition in their home countries, what

they learned in the Netherlands and what

they could bring back home. Csinszka:

“These are all examples of valuable

practical knowledge that we shared.”

Ambitions

Over time the network developed.

Csinszka: “It is a constantly evolving

project. Originally we were recruiting

people from Eastern Europe in the

Netherlands, but then we extended that

with people from other European

countries, like the Netherlands, Spain and

Germany for example, to make sure our

members hear different perspectives as

well. As we are all doing this in our free

time, our long term view is to have a core

group of people, say 20 to 30 people, that

can easily meet in person and who are keen

to participate at conferences and events

from time to time - to share knowledge,

inform themselves about developments in

their respective fields and inspire each

other. The ultimate goal is to throughout

the years maintain this good professional

relationship and cooperate and help each

other where we can – also on the job

market.”

Energy Investment Management is still

facilitating the further development of the

East Meets West Network and contributing

with their Energy Transition

Entrepreneurship & Innovations Program

managed by Alifia Bintang Nugroho.

Network successes

The networking and knowledge sharing is

paying off. For one, multiple members

either found jobs via each other or

successfully used the collective network to

land meaningful and high value-added

projects in the energy sector, both in the

Netherlands or elsewhere. Csinszka is also

happy to see that some members are

already bringing their experience and

knowledge back to their home country.

“One of the main goals that we formulated

is that if, and when our members move

back to their home countries, they are

braced with the knowledge that they can

apply there successfully. One of our

members went back to his home country,

Spain, where he is now working for a big

energy company on solar PV deployment,

East Meets West participating

in Enlit Europe 2022

after concluding his technical studies and

gaining work experience in the energy

sector here. We also have a member from

Ukraine who wishes to accelerate the

energy transition in his home country and

is actively looking at how he can help with

his acquired knowledge and experience.

The war is making this more difficult, but

it also brings a sense of urgency.”

Csinszka is also considering going back to

Hungary on the medium or long-term and

to make an impact on energy policy there.

“I think we all have the ambition to bring

back knowledge at some point to our home

countries. This however depends on the

opportunities available. The exposure and

the knowledge that we gained through our

networking exercises, countless events and

presentations, and of course the

international work experience that we built

up, gives us a big advantage when we go

home.”•

Windpowernl spoke to three members

of the East Meets West network, each

with a different nationality, playing a

different role in the energy transition,

and with different ambitions.

Mónica Yus Santana - Spain

Mónica is originally from Spain, where she

did her bachelor on energy engineering.

She wanted to gain some international

experience as she was interested to learn

how the energy sector is arranged in other

countries. When she learned about the

Master Sustainable Energy Technology at

TU Delft, she decided to move to the

Netherlands. Other criteria also played a

role in her decision. Beside the welcoming

attitude towards international students and

the availability of English language

education, she was attracted to the many

developments that are going on in the

Dutch energy sector.

With the Netherlands being a small,

densely populated country with a relative

high electricity demand, this brings

interesting challenges along that need

innovative solutions. This offers young

professionals plenty of opportunities.

She currently works in offshore wind, for

Dutch transmission system operator

TenneT. In her role as project lead for the

new innovative 2GW HVDC offshore

platforms in the Dutch and German North

Sea, she will be in charge of the execution

44 | 01-2023

Management. Working part time for a

pharmaceutical company on non-financial

sustainability reporting got her interested

to gain more knowledge on sustainability

and that what is related to this, such as

system thinking and life cycle. She found a

well rated one-year master of Global

Business and Sustainability at Rotterdam

School of Management and decided to

move to the Netherlands. While initially

intending to move back to Germany, she

felt in love with the Netherlands and

stayed here. She found the country to be

quite sustainability oriented and pro-active

in matters concerning climate change and

the energy transition. Or in her own words:

she learned more in the Netherlands on

these topics than anywhere else she had

been before.

of some of these projects in the

Netherlands, together with contractors and

other stakeholders.

Spain is very much active in renewable

energy, with last year sourcing around half

of the energy production from renewable

energy. Less so in offshore wind but the

country is taking steps into floating wind,

more suitable for the seabed conditions

there. But for the moment, Mónica is

happy in the Netherlands where there are

still many opportunities for her to grow

professionally. And although not

participating in her home country directly,

she feels like she is doing this indirectly, by

contributing to the European energy

transition.

One of the differences she can tell is the

way students in the Netherlands broaden

their horizons by collaborating in side

projects, study associations and networking

events, but also sometimes by taking a gap

year to work for organisations. In Spanish

culture it is perhaps less common for

young people to participate while still

studying. The Netherlands also offer

graduates better starting positions. The

networking provides the opportunity to

All photos © Sustainable Stars

Multimedia Productions

learn from each other and help each other

in future careers.

In general she thinks more awareness is

needed, about the importance of young

people contributing to the energy

transition, and also among highschool

children. To tackle the energy transition, all

types of profiles are needed: gender, origin

and background. And although she sees a

rise in women starting engineering and

technical studies, there is still work to be

done in this area. She was lucky to have

had a grandfather as a role model and the

support of her family to pursue this

education path. Perhaps that is

contributing to the low number of women

in the energy transition: the lack of role

models. She has one advise to young

people considering technical studies: be

brave and just do it.

Oana Barabula - Romania

Oana is originally from Romania. Inspired

by travelling and meeting new people, she

left her home country to move to Germany

where she completed a bachelor degree in

Business Administration Finance and

Oana currently works for an energy

company. Here she gets the chance to be

part of the energy transition. She is trying

to understand the complexity of all the

supply chains in this field and the

interconnection between all environmental,

social, political and economical factors.

There are so many energy transitions and

opinions, she learned. In her role she is

trying to look at all of this with a critical

eye, to see what is viable or not, what is a

good idea, what is a short term,

transitional solution, and what is here to

stay. When looking at the key elements of

sustainability, affordability and security,

there is hardly a single, all-encompassing

solution for the energy transition, she

realises. In the meantime Oana is figuring

out how she can use her leadership skills to

lead this change towards a better energy

portfolio for the world.

Is she planning to go back to her home

country and play a role in the energy

transition there? As she accidently entered

this area, Oana has not actively thought

about that. However, like Mónica, she

thinks she is also contributing to her

country by working in the energy transition

here, in the Netherlands.

Being a young professional working in the

energy transition, she often gets asked the

question what she thinks young

professionals could do to have a more

active voice. She would like people to be

acceptant of the complexity of the energy

transition and embrace it. It is not a matter

of choosing in which energy source to

01-2023 | 45

invest. It is also about the many industries

and countries that need to work together.

All countries are connected and have to

deal with the same topics as supply chain,

energy security, and financial matters.

People all over the world should be more

open minded and critical to ideas and look

at feasibility. Sometimes young

professionals in the energy business are so

passionate and blinded, she thinks. While

it is good to have the drive to change the

energy sector, we need to also ask the

question whether we are devising

something for ourselves or for the whole

world, since not all countries are

transforming at the same rate. The energy

transition is hard. We need to be patient

but at the same time hard working and

ambitious to make the energy transition

happen, she believes.

Dawid Gidaszewski - Poland

Dawid is in his second year at the

Technical University of Eindhoven where

he studies Sustainable Energy Technology.

His specialisation is on plasma material

processing, with a focus on developing new

type of solar cells through the deposition

of new layers. This should offer a more

efficient alternative to the silicon solar cells

currently used. As part of this, he is

looking into possibilities for a wider use

range of solar cells, including flexible use

of solar cells, in clothes or fences for

example, semi-transparent solar cells that

can be used in windows and glazing, or

bi-facial solar cells so both sides of the cell

can be used for power generation.

He originally has an engineering

background with a focus on electricity and

heat generation and power distribution.

He obtained a bachelor on this subject in

his home country Poland. One day,

however, he realised that his interest was

more directed to a scientific approach.

He also wanted to experience education

and work outside his home country. While

firstly drawn to nuclear energy, he learned

that the choice of English-language

educational programmes in this area were

sparse in Western Europe. He then decided

to concentrate on the sustainable energy

sector. That’s how he ended up in the

Netherlands.

Csinszka Bene at Enlit 2022

Dawid sees similarities between the two

countries, being that both have a high

dependence on national fossil fuels as an

energy source (natural gas in the

Netherlands and coal in Poland) and are

now trying to phase this out. Both

countries are facing increased prices in

electricity and heating as a result of the

energy crisis. The Netherlands, however,

has stronger governmental support, more

financial resources, a different focus and

higher quality of life. This makes it

interesting for young people in Poland to

move to the Netherlands.

Another advantage of studying or working

in the Netherlands is the presence of so

many nationalities. Each country is in

transition but each have a different starting

point, requiring different strategies and

technologies. Studying in the Netherlands

provides the opportunity to exchange each

perspective of looking at the energy

transition and learn from different

approaches and situations. In contrast to

Monica and Oana, Dawid always had a

strong wish to go back to his home country

at some point in the near future, perhaps

after graduating and gaining a few years of

international work experience. He feels a

strong bond with his country.

There are opportunities for him to

contribute to the energy transition there.

The past ten years, Poland has made many

steps in this area, in its aim to slowly phase

out coal production. When he started his

bachelor, around 85% of the energy

production was derived from coal, now

this has been reduced to around 72%.

Meanwhile, energy generation from

photovoltaics has increased exponentially

and wind energy generation is also

growing.

However, a lot is still to be done, he thinks.

This provides a lot of opportunities for

young people with an educational

background like him, but also for those

with knowledge in social sciences, to step

in. •

46 | 01-2023

Onshore

Wind Farm News

©WINDPLAN GROEN

1

Windplanblauw

All foundations for the

nearshore part of

Windplanblauw have now

been completed by Ballast

Nedam in the IJsselmeer lake

in the north-west corner of the

province of Flevoland. The

foundations will support 24

GE Cypress onshore wind

turbines. The turbine

components have started to

arrive in Alaskahaven in

Amsterdam. From here they

are transported to the

construction site. The

Windplanblauw-project also

includes 37 onshore wind

turbines. Windplanblauw is a

repowering project by

Vattenfall and SwifterwinT.

2

Windplan Groen

Construction of the 86 wind

turbines, spread over 11 wind

farms within Windplan Groen,

is progressing well. All roads

and cables have been

installed, and foundation

installation almost completed.

Around a third of all wind

turbines have been installed at

the time of writing. This

includes the installation of all

wind turbines of the Flevo

Ventum and Vires Venti wind

farms. Meanwhile, the

construction of Hoge Vaart

Zuid Wind Farm (10 turbines)

and Olsterwind (8 turbines)

has started. Soon this will be

©WIND FARM HANZE

followed by the

Hondtocht Zuid and

Oldebroekertocht wind

farms (each 5 turbines).

Activities for Windplan Groen

will continue this year and in

2024.

In February, the new Closed

Distribution System Groen

(Gesloten Distributie Systeem

Groen) near Dronten, was

successfully commissioned

after a major power outage in

September last year caused a

delay. Three new wind

turbines from the onshore

wind farm XY Wind, part of

Windplan Groen, were the first

to supply electricity through

the GDS Groen.

3

Windplan West

On Friday 31 March, seven

initiators and three

governmental bodies signed a

letter of intent for Windplan

West. The area is one of four

areas designated by Flevoland

province in 2016 for largescale

wind energy production.

The other areas are Zeewolde,

Windplanblauw and Windplan

Groen.

The seven initiators are united

in Vereniging Windplan West.

They are ENGIE Energie

Nederland, EWI Windpark,

HeijBro, Vereniging Solitaire

Windmolen Eigenaren,

Wageningen University &

Research, Wilava Holding and

Windshare West. The three

authorities are Municipality of

Lelystad, Ministry of Economic

Affairs and Climate and

Province of Flevoland.

Together, they will explore the

repowering possibilities in the

designated area in the

province. This includes looking

at a possible expansion of the

area. The exploration will last

until the end of this year.

4

Horst en Telgt

The Gelderland provincial

executive has adopted the

preferred alternative and local

standards proposal for the

Horst en Telgt Wind Farm in

Ermelo/Putten. The preferred

alternative is 5 wind turbines,

plus 2 wind turbines subject

to conditions. The latter has to

due with the presence of the

horned tern, a bird of prey

that breeds in the adjacent

Veluwe nature area .

Horst en Telgt is an initiative

of Prowind in cooperation with

the Sustainable Energy

Working Group of the

neighbourhood association

Horst en Telgt and energy

cooperative Veluwe-Energie.

The original plan comprises

seven wind turbines along the

A28 motorway in the Horst

and Telgt towns of Ermelo and

Putten.

1

5

Klaverspoor

On 20 April, the Klaverspoor

Wind Farm was officially

opened. Klaverspoor is

located along the A16

motorway in the polder of

Binnen-Moerdijk, near the

Klaverpolder interchange. The

wind farm is a project of

Vattenfall and comprises six

wind turbines with a combined

installed capacity of 34.2 MW.

The turbines are supplied by

Nordex Group. They are type

N149/5X with a hub height of

135 metres, tip height of 210

metres and 75-metre long

blades.

Klaverspoor is part of the

EnergieA16 project in the

province of Noord-Brabant.

Also part of this project are

the wind farms Streepland

(test phase), Zonzeel

(installation completed),

Galder (operational),

Nieuwveer (operational), and

Hazeldonk-West (test phase).

Klaverspoor is the first one

that was officially opened.

©WINDPLANBLAUW

48 | 01-2023

1

2

3

4

5

Read the full news

on www.windpowernl.com

(EN) or

www.windenergienieuws.nl

(NL)

01-2023| 49

Agenda

WIND RELATED EVENTS

IN THE NETHERLANDS

2023

WindDay

15-16 June

Lelystad

www.windday.nl

Recharge Earth

7 & 8 September

Rotterdam

www.recharge-earth.com

NEXT EDITION IS OUT IN:

SEPTEMBER 2023

THEME: COMBINING WIND &

OTHER ENERGY SOURCES

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Subscribe at: Windpowernl.com/magazine

Vakbeurs Energie

10-12 October

‘s-Hertogenbosch

www.vakbeursenergie.nl

DAILY REPORTING ON THE DUTCH

WIND ENERGY MARKET IN

ENGLISH AND DUTCH!

Europort

7-10 November

Rotterdam

www.europort.nl

Women in Energy NL

17 November

The Hague

www.womeninenergy.nl

Offshore Energy

Exhibition & Conference

28 & 29 November

Amsterdam

www.offshore-energy.biz/events

Windpowernl.com (EN)

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go to Windpowernl.com/contact

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