Maarten van den Heuvel

I have felt involved in our environment and the deployment of renewable energy for many years. Since 2006, as director of Cirmac International, I have been actively involved in realizing worldwide projects for biogas reprocessing into green gas from both biogas and landfill gas. This green gas is used in various ways but also fed directly into the natural gas grid.

At Bredenoord in recent years (from 2014) I co-direct the development and deployment of innovative products, which achieve a significant reduction of both fuel and CO2 emissions at our customers. We do this with various systems, but central to this are our mobile storage systems (battery) in various forms. These products are used both stand-alone and hybrid. In this way we try to adequately help steer the energy transition of which we are all a part.

Boudewijn den Herder

I am Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) at Essent. After a career at Unilever and Heineken, I have now been working in the energy sector for more than 8 years. In that time a lot has changed enormously.

More and more solar and wind are coming onto the grid, and you never know exactly how much. That's why you need flexibility. Consumers are buying electric cars and they are purchasing heat pumps. Companies are electrifying and increasing their demand. Local generation by households and businesses is increasing accordingly. Both consumption and production are growing and cannot be predicted perfectly, this creates imbalance and an overcrowded grid.

So with large-scale and small-scale energy storage, we are less at risk. Because we can store energy when there is a lot of wind and/or sun, and discharge the battery again when we need it, we avoid having to buy expensive energy. This helps tremendously in keeping energy bills more affordable over time. When there are eventually enough batteries in the high-voltage grid, fossil-fuel power plants can be turned off. So energy storage not only provides benefits for consumers and the grid, but also helps in achieving our climate ambitions.

Robert Kleiburg

I have been working on the energy transition for more than 25 years, first at Shell, ECN and since 2017 as founder and director of Recoy. During this period, wind and solar energy have become competitive with fossil fuels. Now the challenge is how to properly integrate these variable energy sources into our energy system. This requires energy flexibility including energy storage.

At Recoy, we help our clients value energy flexibility in the various electricity markets in order to get the business case as good as possible for flexible assets such as batteries (stationary as well as in electric vehicles), e-boilers (possibly with heat storage), electrolysers (possibly with hydrogen storage), etc. Also at ESNL, I am committed to getting the business case acceptable to investors and financiers of energy storage.

Koen Broess

Dr. Koen Broess has a PhD in biophysics and a master's degree in chemistry. He is responsible as segment leader energy storage & EVs for business development in North Europe. He is also key account manager. He has more than 11 years of experience in energy storage projects, new services and business models in the energy market and has set up and coordinated several (inter-)national projects. He is responsible for quality control of proposals and involved in the development of the battery safety test center. On national level, he was involved in the Dutch climate agreement, roadmap energy storage and the roadmap of electric vehicle batteries for the Dutch government. He is member of the working group for the Dutch ministry of Infrastructure and water management for battery safety and regulations. He is member of the executive board of the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE).

Marco Kirsenstein

As Program Manager Energy, Sustainability and Circularity at FME I deal with vision development and issues that are of concern to our constituents. FME is an interest group for the technology industry.

From my engineering background (mechanical engineering), I am interested in the technology being developed at companies. From my experience at FME where I was previously active as Branch Director and Senior business developer for 17 years, I can translate to active programs, projects and platforms. For example, together with relevant stakeholders I developed the Fieldlab Industrial Electrification (FLIE) and also, for example, the Electrolyser Makers Platform, EMP-NL.

I will support ESNL from my knowledge and experience as a general board member.

Fokko Mulder

After studying physics in Leiden, I received my PhD on a solid state physics topic (cum laude). For about twenty years I have been associated with TU Delft doing research on energy storage materials, since 2008 as a professor at the Faculty of Applied Physics. The research includes battery materials, hydrogen storage and production methods. In terms of teaching, I helped shape the new master's in Sustainable Energy Technology at Delft, and have been teaching various energy storage-related courses there since 2006.

The intention is to work on electricity storage and conversion solutions that should eventually be applicable on a large scale; the systems should be able to contribute to the coming energy transition. Hence, research is going into more efficient hydrogen, lithium or sodium-based batteries, and the production of hydrogen and ammonia as fuels and as industrial feedstock. I am (co-)author of about 150 publications in international scientific journals and of several patents. Furthermore, I am involved in committees of NWO, NVAO, and an international working group within the 'EU-SET Plan' in the field of battery research and development, among others.

Siebe Geerts

After my bachelor's degree in engineering (2011), I worked as a production manager for several years, including in my parents' company (RENA; development and production of control electronics and LED technology). An internship in Canada, and a long trip through North and South America stimulated my interest in international business. Therefore, I took the plunge and left for China, where I lived and worked for 5 years. The first years active in supply-chain & manufacturing, then moved on to product development and product management within a fast-growing startup.

Meanwhile, my dad had sought and found another challenge, "something with Thermal Energy Storage. After studying the (potential) role of Thermal Energy Storage in the energy system of the future, I decided to come back to the Netherlands, and make a contribution to the heat transition with HoCoSto.

My first period at HoCoSto was mainly operational: preparing and supervising some pilot projects. This is now shifting more towards facilitating the growth of the company. We are building a young and ambitious team, with common interests in innovation, technology and sustainability. We focus on scaling up the application of peak and seasonal buffers in collective heat systems, complemented by smart controls and optimal energy management.

Margien Storm van Leeuwen

Drs. Margien Storm van Leeuwen studied Chemistry at Utrecht University. She worked at DSM, NedStack and Bredenoord and worked as product manager, purchasing manager, sales manager, business development and held various positions in management teams. She loves the combination of new technology and marketing in the field of energy transition. Thus, she worked with various plastics, coatings, fuel cells, aggregates, batteries, PV and renewable fuels. Currently, she is Chief Commercial Officer at QuinteQ, a young high-tech company focused on developing, manufacturing and marketing the most advanced flywheel that fits the emerging need for robust storage technology in defense, subways and trains, fast-charging plazas for larger electric logistics, ports and cranes, and various microgrids in industry with infinite cycles and circularity.

Nadina Baghina

Realizing sustainable projects and contributing directly to the environment are my main focus. After my Bachelor in Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, I decided to follow my passion for sustainability and graduated from the Master in Sustainable Energy Technology at TU Eindhoven in 2012. After several years of doing projects in the field of grid security, I came across battery storage projects, which I am still working on after different roles over time. I find electrical storage a fascinating topic that is central to the energy transition. It is therefore also essential in realizing our One Planet Plan at Eneco: the flexible capacity that storage can provide is necessary for fluctuating renewable generation. After extensive experience in the technical and operational area of battery systems, I am now responsible at Eneco for the development of our grid scale battery projects in the Netherlands and Germany, and together with our Belgian team have recently realized our grid scale battery system in Ville sur Haine.

What I hope to add to the ESNL board is my practical and international experience, to go the extra mile in the Netherlands in realizing (electric) storage projects.

Ruud Nijs

I really want to help make the world a little better, and I want to do it in a corporate way.

Since 2018, I have been the CEO of GIGA Storage. GIGA storage develops, manages and invests in large-scale battery storage in Europe. Investments are made in projects for both grid stability and optimization of energy supply.

Prior to that, I focused on sustainable finance and Artificial Intelligence (including neural networks). I had the opportunity to work at both ABN Amro bank and Rabobank for many years, with my last role at Rabobank being Director of Corporate Social Responsibility. I have also had the opportunity to sit on various Investment Committees of sustainable funds and have been involved in entrepreneurship in developing countries through BID Network and IFAD.

Energy storage, in my opinion, is incredibly important to keep our electricity grid stable and ready for the future, where much more real green energy is generated in many places around the country.

Jeroen Neefs

Sacha Schmitter

Claudia Willems

Pauline van Rees

Nadine Bazin

Stan van den Broek

Marijke van Duin

Electricity Storage Working Group

In this working group led by board member Robert Kleiburg, member companies are working on the industry's position on various electricity storage topics. ESNL uses this input in conversations with stakeholders and publications such as position papers. Participants are active with different technologies, such as stationary batteries, mobile batteries and residential storage, but technologies such as flow batteries or mechanical electricity storage are also represented. Within the working group, theme groups focus on concrete obstacles in laws and regulations for electricity storage. Central themes include the business case, licensing and flextenders.

Market Information Working Group

As a young and fast-growing trade association, ESNL represents the energy storage industry in the Netherlands. In recent years, the industry has increasingly expressed the need for an up-to-date picture of the latest developments in the market. This prompted the start of a Market Information Working Group. In mid-2022, this working group was formed and this first industry analysis was created.

Safety Working Group

The PGS-37 committee, in which ESNL participated, has developed a safety framework for energy carriers containing lithium ion. To ensure that the safety framework meets the needs of the storage industry, ESNL and its members established a Safety Working Group. This working group has advised the PGS-37 committee over the past period.

The purpose of this framework is to establish a safety standard for both existing and new battery systems with capacities greater than 20 kWh. The published measures apply to systems with a maximum capacity of 400 MWh. For larger systems, customization is required, requiring a risk analysis. The safety framework distinguishes between energy storage systems based on enclosure (Typical 1 - 3) and based on placement (Typical 4 - 6). Most measures apply only to certain types of systems.

Cybersecurity

Cybersecurity is generally less known in senior management but extra important for critical parts of the energy system, and that certainly includes energy storage. ESNL lies to its members on an ongoing basis and monitors the latest developments in Europe and the Netherlands. If you are interested in more information or would like to sign up for this topic, please send an email to info@energystoragenl.nl.

Heat Storage Working Group

The energy transition requires a tremendous shift in supply and demand of renewable energy. This is why Energy Storage NL (ESNL) advocates a level playing field for all storage technologies, with all their different applications and timeframes. Heat storage plays a very important role in the energy transition. This is because heating and cooling are responsible for more than half of the total final energy consumption in the EU, and the share of electricity used for heating and cooling is expected to increase in the coming years.

The role of sustainable heat storage in the energy system is evolving, as is its (large-scale) implementation. As a result, the topic does not always enjoy the urgency needed to meet the 2030 and 2050 climate goals. The heat storage working group can make an important contribution to market activation and increasing awareness of heat storage. The high-quality network of companies and knowledge institutions in this field offers opportunities to set targets for (long-term) heat storage now, which promotes the energy transition in the short and long term.

Molecule Storage Working Group

The transition to renewable energy requires significant changes in both the supply and demand of renewable energy sources. For this reason, Energy Storage NL advocates the need for a level playing field for all forms of energy storage, regardless of their specific applications and storage duration. Molecular energy storage plays a crucial role in the future energy system for several reasons. Nevertheless, the role of sustainable molecules in the energy system is still in a development phase, as is their large-scale storage. As a result, the topic is sometimes not considered urgent, while urgent action is needed to meet the climate goals for both 2030 and 2050.

The molecular energy storage working group has the potential to contribute significantly to market development and increase awareness of molecular energy storage. This is enhanced by the high-quality network of companies and knowledge institutions engaged in this field. It already provides an opportunity to set targets for long-term molecular energy storage, which in the long term will facilitate the transition to renewable energy.

Sounding Board Policy

Within Energy Storage NL, members have a say in our advocacy through the Policy Sounding Board Group. The main purpose of the Sounding Board Group is to strengthen coordination between ESNL and public affairs advisors or interest representatives of member companies, where substantive discussions take place in the other working groups. In addition, the sounding board group is an important platform for picking up input on position papers and letters addressed to members of parliament or ministries.

The sounding board group consists of representatives of Energy Storage NL member companies, striving for a balanced representation of various sectors and organizations within the industry. The members have experience in public affairs, policy advocacy and affinity with the goals of ESNL.

It is possible to sign up through info@energystoragenl.nl The Sounding Board Group meets approximately twice a year, taking into account the dynamics of the policy landscape. In addition, the sounding board group is consulted based on current events and the policy monitor.