'It's important to combine both economics and engineering in the energy transition.'
"In high school, I was already a broadly oriented person and liked both engineering and economics. Therefore, I studied Mechanical Engineering during my bachelor’s period, where I broadened my knowledge with half a year of economics and business economics during the minor. Furthermore, thermal engineering and the energy transition interested me greatly. The Master's in Sustainable Energy Technology (SET) gave me the perfect opportunity to combine these disciplines. That's the main reason why I ultimately chose this Master's.
Specialising
During the first year, besides the specific SET courses, I further specialised by following several financial engineering courses as well as cost management and engineering, where cost management is applied practically in engineering projects. Personally, I believe it is important to combine both economics and engineering in the energy transition. If both conditions are not met, a feasible project will be quite hard to achieve.
I did my master's thesis externally at the Apollo Vredestein plant in Enschede, which is a manufacturer of tyres. I researched if it is possible to increase Apollo Vredestein’s sustainability by replacing natural gas-based steam production by biomass-based steam production using a corporate biomass supply chain. The technical, economical and societal aspects are considered because these kinds of projects must meet technical process requirements, require financial feasibility and must not create local opposition while potentially a biomass plant could be installed onsite.
Furthermore, local biomass requires less transport, generally increasing sustainability. Presently, it is expected that fossil fuel prices will continue to increase, making biomass a more attractive option. In the long term, this could potentially create availability risks which could be (partially) absorbed by a corporate biomass supply chain. After I finish my studies I am planning to work in the Netherlands where I want to contribute my part in the energy transition."