Transitioning from natural gas to carbon-free households in the Netherlands: The influence of behavioral characteristics and policy conditions in the heat transition

In the face of the current environmental crisis led by the extended use of fossil fuels to cover society’s energy needs, sustainability objectives have been defined around the world. In the European Union, the European Green Deal has emerged as a leading guideline for its member states to achieve energy neutrality by 2050. The Netherlands has...

No Gas All Local: Developing a renewable-based and decentralised energy system for the historic centre of Amsterdam

Urban energy systems are the key elements of combating the climate crisis as the energy transition is crucial to curb greenhouse gas emissions in urban areas, one of the main drivers of climate change. As such, there is a great effort in Amsterdam to phase out natural gas use by 2040, and to become carbon neutral by 2050. It is a great challenge...

A systematic approach to facilitate decision-making within the heat transition in the Netherlands: A case study application to the municipality of Delft

The growing global population combined with improved prosperity has increased the energy demand. The consequence of this growing energy demand is an increase in greenhouse gas emissions leading to climate change. The irreversible and worrying consequences of climate change have led to various national and international targets. In the...

The joint realization of heat transition ambitions: A comparative analysis into the conditions of collaborative governance to facilitate heat transition in two selected Dutch regional case studies

The aim of the thesis investigates and addresses what strategies municipalities can use in relation to collaborative action in a collaborative governance setting to facilitate heat transition at regional scale. The heat transition is a multifaceted problem where fragmentation and a deficient direction role of municipalities is a key...

Public agency and responsibility in energy governance: A Q study on diverse imagined publics in the Dutch heat transition

In Energy Social Science (ESS), the concept of imagined publics is used to describe how energy actors perceive societal groups around new energy technologies and projects. Findings indicate that imagined publics often build upon deficit assumptions; people are (unjustly) considered unknowledgeable, incapable, unwilling and irresponsible...

Exploring opportunities and determining the applicability of Vesta MAIS in order to face the Dutch heat transition

It is concluded that the Vesta MAIS model is not yet considered as an applicable tool in order to contribute to the heat transition plans of The Hague with regard to the resident engagement. However, the tool can potentially be of high value for the heat transition plans of The Hague if it is implemented in a data ecosystem. Different actors (i...

Environmental impact of the materials used in the Dutch heat transition

The Dutch government set two environmental goals by 2050. One of them is being climate neutral and the other one is to have a circular economy. In order to meet both goals in the best environmental conditions, extensive environmental research is required. This thesis is one of these researches and its main focus is on the climate neutral goal by...