Last Friday more than 75 professionals attended a conference in Wieringerwerf to get updated on various aspects concerning energy producing water defences. Energising deltas organised together with De Nieuwe Afsluitdijk this meeting called ‘Van dijk naar Energiedijk’.

Central theme was how to combine energy from water technology with our famous delta technology? The economic potential of energy from water is great. Not only energy from tidal streams but also from salt gradients is more and more in the spotlight. Joop Oude Lohuis (Ecofys) presented the results of a study on the market potential of innovative energy from water technologies commissioned by the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Infrastructure & Environment. “Tidal energy and salt gradient energy can be applied all over the world. In short, it offers a great export potential.”
Arwin van Buuren, Professor Public Administration at Erasmus University Rotterdam adds: “However, involved parties should not underestimate the complexity of public-private partnership”. He developed a governance model for the project ‘Energising deltas’. ” From the establishing of this turbine pilot plant we can learn a lot about succesfull public and private partiescooperation.
The concluding plenary discussion resulted in the following recommendation: “Let’s work out the opportunities in the Dutch home market to boost the development of our promising technologies. The Dutch Water Board (RWS), the product developers, the grid operators should meet each other more frequently to facilitate pilot and demonstration projects.

More pictures of the conference can be found on the Facebook account of Energising deltas: Deputies perform the opening act of the tidal turbine array & Conference.