The capacity map of NetbeheerNL highlights widespread grid congestion in the Netherlands, with nearly all regions lacking available electricity transport capacity for new connections. This imbalance between supply and demand prevents companies—and soon households in Gelderland—from accessing the grid. At the same time, the energy transition is shifting the system from a centralized model to a hybrid one, incorporating decentralized technologies like solar panels, wind turbines, and battery storage. This shift increases the need for space and places greater demands on the energy infrastructure. These developments underscore the need to integrate energy and spatial planning. However, the two domains currently operate independently. Energy infrastructure is typically installed after spatial developments, often resulting in delays due to unavailable grid capacity. The integration is further complicated by a fragmented stakeholder landscape with diverse interests, distributed responsibilities, and communication barriers. Improving collaboration is essential for effective integration. This research explores stakeholder perspectives on how to better align energy and spatial planning in the province of Gelderland. The central research question is: What are the perspectives on how to improve the integration of spatial planning and energy in Gelderland, the Netherlands? To define these perspectives, Q-methodology was used, in combination with literature review, desk research, and interviews. 

The first perspective (“Directive Design”) advocates for a proactive, top-down governance approach in which higher governmental bodies. It emphasizes the importance of governance process and structure, and transparency in sharing information. The second perspective (“Relational Pragmatism”) underscores the importance of informal collaboration between key actors—such as grid operators and spatial planners—in achieving effective integration. In addition, a balance between short-term and long-term goals is essential. The third perspective (“Adaptive Alignment”) advocates for a long-term, goal-oriented approach with a focus on stakeholder involvement—such as relevant stakeholders related to the specific issue. Effective communication, understanding, and trust is essential. In this perspective, the province and the grid operator are considered more influential. 

The results of the research also determined some areas for further research. These recommendations consider expanding the scope of the research, analyzing a more in-depth cross-sector analysis including the interdependencies, and focusing more in-depth on what energy integrated into spatial planning may look like. Beyond the defined perspectives, the research confirms that the integration of energy in spatial planning is not solely a technical or procedural challenge, but a political issue, making the integration largely dictated by political considerations. Therefore, further research regarding political decision-making in energy and spatial planning would be interesting. Furthermore, further research may be interesting to determine the roles of key stakeholders without formal authorities, such as grid operators and RES regions, in a political issue. Finally, further research is interesting regarding the influence of professional background on the view of stakeholders.