Recently, Ronald Huisman, Professor of Sustainable Energy Finance at Erasmus School of Economics, joined NPO Radio 5 to explain recent developments within the company RET. The Rotterdam tram and metro company has surplus electricity, and plans to sell it to the Municipality of Rotterdam, among others.
Public transport company RET is now offering surplus electricity from its network to other businesses in Rotterdam. The company, which operates trams and metro lines, often has excess power due to its large energy infrastructure. By making this energy available to companies, RET aims to contribute to a more efficient and sustainable use of electricity. The initiative allows businesses to tap into RET’s power supply, much like using an extension cord, ensuring better energy distribution across the city.
According to Huisman, this new plan is unique within Europe. Earlier, he concluded that too little attention was paid to energy storage within the energy transition. ‘It was mainly more wind and solar energy, but little about its storage,’ he argues. The initiative is a very good development: surplus power can be used to charge company cars, for instance.
- Professor
- More information
You can listen to the full episode from NPO Radio 5, 20 January 2025, here.
