BF

B.H.J. Frijling

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Integrated Technical, Legal, and Organisational Understanding and Guidance for Connecting Third-Party Energy Applications

Dutch public electricity grids are increasingly constrained by congestion, while public transport operators (PTOs) and municipalities manage public transport electricity infrastructures with substantial unused capacity. This thesis explores how these assets could contribute to congestion relief by connecting (third-party) energy applications, while safeguarding power quality and reliable public transport operations.

The study first identifies and characterises candidate application types and their integration-relevant properties that influence technical feasibility and grid impact. It then analyses the main legal implementation constructions and their practical implications (Installation, Cable Pooling, Closed System recognition, and Direct Line), and distinguishes Congestion Management as an alternative approach that can relieve congestion without adding new external connections. Expert consultations and stakeholder interviews and surveys are used to assess what matters most in practice, map stakeholder’s roles and their views, and to further clarify how the system functions and where misalignment occur.

Synthesising these outputs results in a structured system overview and shows that the current situation is complex. The sector lacks a shared system understanding, sufficient internal capacity and knowledge to execute the required tasks, and stakeholder alignment, which currently hinders effective and responsible deployment of the infrastructure; this is compounded by a narrowed focus on legal constructions. Differences in network architectures and governance settings, stakeholder involvement, and legal options strongly influence what is feasible and how projects must be organised. The primary contribution is therefore a consolidated synthesis that clarifies the system and provides practical guidance for organising the process, structuring stakeholder involvement, and strengthening relevant technical and legal knowledge.

Finally, the thesis provides an additional outline for a context depended modular MCDA-based prioritisation framework that can be developed to prioritise candidate applications. The recommended decision sequence starts with technical screening to avoid unacceptable operational risk and disproportionate impacts on the public transport electricity infrastructure, before societal objectives are evaluated. It ends with a legal assessment to select a viable and the least complex connection method. Overall, effective use of public transport electricity infrastructure for congestion relief is shown to be primarily an organisational and governance challenge. ...