A recent meeting at Wijkerbroek Solar Park in Wijk bij Duurstede brought together various stakeholders for inspiring knowledge exchange. Attendees walked through the mud on the solar farm.
Utrecht, Sisca Broersma, May 2024, Fotocredits: Adrie Gouweleeuw
Our asset manager Constanze Kero gave a tour of the Wijkerbroek Solar Park, which is expected to be completed by the end of July, and talked about the technical aspects of the solar installations. Representatives from the energy cooperatives: Duurzame Energie Coöperatie Zoetermeer (DEZo), EigenWijkse Energie Coöperatie (EWEC), the Zoetermeer local council, the Wijk bij Duurstede local council and Sunvest (the developer) were there. A number of enthusiastic students from Maastricht University were also present. Sunvest is currently working with Maastricht University on a project about stakeholder participation in the operational phase of solar parks. Sunvest saw this as a suitable opportunity to acquaint the students with energy cooperatives and take a look at the solar park.
Meanwhile, much knowledge was exchanged by attendees. Discussions included the participation opportunities of energy cooperatives, the challenges of financial participation, and the recent legislative changes of solar on land. In addition, from EWEC’s perspective, opportunities for small-scale green power applications were also discussed. In fact, EWEC owns 52 charging points in Wijk bij Duurstede, Cothen and Langbroek. They were able to share their experiences with DEZo on the charging station projects and on the cooperation with Sunvest in the Wijkerbroek Solar park project.
Generations of renewable energy
According to Adrie Gouweleeuw, general manager of EWEC, the talks were particularly fruitful. Besides participation opportunities, another important issue came up: how can our youth be more involved in sustainable energy projects? The topic has been on the minds of the EWEC board for some time. They mentioned that projects such as Wijkerbroek are being realised precisely for future generations and it is therefore essential to involve young people. Currently, the Province of Utrecht is researching and setting up a youth fund with the aim of promoting youth participation in solar and wind energy projects.
Sunvest also sees the importance of involving young people in our solar projects and therefore, through this collaboration with Maastricht University, is trying to connect students with stakeholders and give them an insight into the developments of renewable energy. The future of renewable energy lies with these generations. This successful meeting illustrated how cooperation between different stakeholders can lead to progress and innovation in renewable energy.
For more information on Wijkerbroek solarpark project, visit www.ewec.nl/projecten/zonnepark-wijkerbroek-sunvest/
