Heading towards a future of sustainable real estate

Heading towards a future of sustainable real estate

Energy supply for

urban regions is of critical importance for future functioning of society and economy. Current energy supply for important economic urban areas such as high-density office building centres often applies pressure on the environment. Great amounts of energy are generated by polluting sources, such as oil and ore. Considering the current unsustainable situation with climatic changes and the energy dependence of these important office buildings, new renewable energy sources seem to provide opportunities to create a more sustainable situation. This research will therefore state information regarding renewable energy systems that could be applied locally in large office buildings. The interdisciplinary research consists of multiple literature studies and expert enquiries focussing on the two disciplines of Planning and Business Studies. The research will also contain specific focus on the Edge building in Amsterdam and a comparison with the city of London . The research results in an advice for Europe’s densest office building areas such as the business districts in Amsterdam and London. Research indicates that strategies regarding renewable energy should go beyond 2020 for companies in order to react adequately.

Bart van Manen: 10777318 Boris Duijst: 10791612

Menno van Gameren: 10742417 Tutor: R. Bakker MSc

Supervisor: dr. K.F. Rijsdijk Word count: 7399

Table of Content:

Introduction...3

Justification of an interdisciplinary approach...5

Theoretical framework...6

Sustainability & Planning policies...6

Trias Energetica...7

The basics of real estate...8

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)...9

Techniques for producing renewable energy...10

Methodology...11

Methods and justification...11

Considered methods...13

Results...14

Policy...14

International policy...14

Investments in renewable energy...15

Promising techniques...15

Conclusion...16

Discussion and recommendations...17

References...19

Introduction

The world energy demand is rising and will remain to do so for the coming years [ CITATION IEA16 \l 1043 ]. This brings well known problems regarding the environment [ CITATION IPC13 \l 1043 ]. CO2 levels are rising, and climate is changing [ CITATION IPC13 \l 1043 ]. This brings several problems related to quality of life to our current society. This research will however not focus on the problems deriving from climate change[ CITATION IPC13 \l 1043 ]. It will focus on interventions that could stop or reverse current trends. The main topic of this research will therefore be the use of energy within our society. Energy is used in huge portions every day and a large share of this is due to office buildings in the commercial sector. Energy usage in this sector is high because of continues human activities involving various forms of technology. Moreover, the energy use in this sector has been increasing from 1990 to 2010 [ CITATION IEAS16 \l 1043 ]. This can be seen in figure 1[ CITATION IEAS16 \l 1043 ]. Figure 1 shows that the energy use has increased from 441413 GWh on yearly basis in the EU to 845920 GWh on yearly basis. This data indicates that the commercial and public sector is part of the environmental problems that occur in the current day society. This data emphasises the importance of decreasing the energy usage in society and office buildings in particular to reduce CO2 emissions [ CITATION IPC13 \l 1043 ].

Figure 1: Use of energy of commercial and public services [ CITATION IEAS16 \l 1043 ]

Sustainable or more sustainable ways of generating electricity should be implemented all through society in order to achieve a decrease in carbon dioxide. The percentage of sustainable produced energy has been growing in the last couple of years [ CITATION IEA14 \l 1043 ]. However as can be seen in figure 2 there still is a huge part of the total energy in the EU generated by more traditional energy producing methods such as coal, gas, oil and nuclear power.

Figure 1 and figure 2 show that there is a great challenge in the commercial and public sector. The buildings which house this sector could be used in order to produce more sustainable energy, substantially decreasing energy usage as illustrated in figure 1. Using this strategy will provide sufficient amounts of sustainable energy to the office-building sector in the coming years. This will be the key concept of this research. Additionally, the implementation should be as efficient as possible to decrease the effort and costs. In order to analyse the substitution of conventional energy by renewable energy the following research question is stated: To what extent can sustainable energy resources be implemented more efficiently within large office buildings in the Netherlands, in order to make these buildings more self-sufficient? The self-sufficient aspect is important to this research because this will increase issues regarding energy security, which could be an issue within the

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Use of electricity of commercial and public services

Netherlands when gas supplies run out. Four different sub-questions will support this research question and the research itself. The first sub-question is as follows: What is the current Dutch policy regarding renewable energy? The second sub-question is: How does the Dutch policy compare to foreign policies? This question focuses on possible shortcomings in Dutch policy compared to other countries and of course implementable improvements. Following this question, the third sub-question is: To what extent are companies willing to invest in renewable energy? The last research question that will be answered is: What are the most promising techniques to implement renewable energy in office buildings? This question explicitly focuses on the scientific relevance of the research question, investigating current techniques that could be used within office buildings.

By researching these questions our research will hopefully contribute to the hiatus in knowledge that currently exists on this combined topic between real estate, planning and sustainable development. The main source of information will be multiple expert enquiries with specialists The eventual goal of this research is to identify problems and opportunities in order to create a better climate for integrating renewable energy systems within Dutch office-buildings.

Justification of an interdisciplinary approach

Current (world) problems are often too complex to address, using only one discipline or academic field. For instance, the issues deriving from climate change cannot solely be addressed by the chemistry, biological or physical fields of research. The insights of one discipline provide a solution or research result, which is scoped from the view of only one discipline. This can cause the research to be too narrow. Therefore, a research which integrates all academic fields involved with the problem regarding climate change, is required to come to a solution or even to address the problem properly. Nowadays, more and more of these, so called wicked problems arise. These problems include a vast range of issues that either find its origin in different fields of research or have overlapping subjects that need to be regarded by different sciences. Some of these wicked problems (for example; climate change) can lead to several more problems of similar nature, but on a different levels or scales. This implies that interdisciplinary approaches to research become necessary to address the problems. The same accounts for this research. The research on the implementation of sustainable energy in office buildings in order to make them more self-sufficient needs an integrated interdisciplinary research approach. The research on a renewable energy system, can be addressed by different academic fields. For this research two academic fields are used to address the research and its possible difficulties. Business and Planning are these two fields. Using these different academic fields, more insights that benefit the research can be provided. Business can give insight in the feasibility of the sustainable implementation and the decisions that will be made on economic reasons. The academic field of Planning can research whether or not the current infrastructure and rules and regulations can be used to create more sustainable real estate. With this integrated interdisciplinary research, the problem can be addressed properly and come to a viable result.

Theoretical framework

The following paragraphs will state a systematic overview of literature, scientific theories, definitions and concepts that contribute to the following question; ‘’To what extent can sustainable energy resources be implemented more efficiently within large office buildings in the Netherlands, in order to make these buildings more self-sufficient?’’. The various key theories to address in this research will subsequently be elaborated on. These theories derive from the two main disciplines addressed in this research; Planning and Business.

The framework will consist of information on which the usage and implementation of renewable energy systems is gratified. It will contain various theories that offer insights in the technologies, systems and consequences behind renewable energy. Subsequently, the links between different scientific approaches and concepts will also be clarified in order to create a synoptic overview of the required knowledge. The resulting argumentation and knowledge should provide a base to authorise the implementation of sustainable and renewable energy resources in large office buildings. It is evident that maintaining critical towards the origin and relevance of all existing theories is important.

Sustainability & Planning policies

As mentioned before, climate change is an important topic for many governing institutions, as well as non-governmental organisations. It is known that the fossil fuel energy producing industry together with the consumption or usage of fossil fuels is one of the most pollution industries (Höök, Sivertsson & Aleklett, 2010). Energy production is the dominating source of anthropogenic greenhouse gasses (GHG), particularly carbon dioxide (Höök et al., 2010). Given that the production and consumption of fossil energy is a major contributor to the emission of GHG, its impact on global warming is evident (Lashof, 1990). According to Perez-Lombard, Ortiz and Pout (2008), usually three main sectors in energy consumption are identified: industry, transport and ‘other’. In the last mentioned agriculture, service sector and residence are included. However, Perez-Lombard (2008), states that the energy consumption of buildings, both residential and commercial, have exceeded the energy consumption of these major sectors. Between 20 and 40 percent of the total energy usage, comes from buildings (Perez-Lombard, 2008). This is of course also dependent on location and density of built form (Steemers, 2003). Office buildings are accountable for a great part of this energy usage. In the United Kingdom (UK), office buildings account for two percent of the total energy consumption (Perez-Lombard, 2008). Three reasons for the increase of energy consumption in office buildings are given by Perez-Lombard (2008): substantial increase of total built area of office buildings, leading to an increase in the requirements of artificial lighting, IT equipment use and air-conditioned area and general building uniformity. Building Uniformity leads to general implementation of energy systems without attention to specific building needs.

As illustrated, the usage of energy within office buildings is of importance, but is largely dependent on city policy. Therefore it is important to know how urban areas and specifically the cities behave towards sustainability, renewable energy and energy use. In other words, what are the regulations and plans regarding these issues? James (2015) defines urban sustainability as interplay between four pillars. On the basis of these four pillars (figure 3), economics, ecology, politics and culture, urban sustainability or development are defined as different important aspects (James, 2015). For this research the pillar of ecology is most useful, since it focusses on energy use, emissions and built form. The importance of a more sustainable way of thinking is obvious in the way it is sketched in the introduction. The emission of GHG and the following consequences of climate related issues demand a more sustainable way of thinking, in which cities play a role as well (Lashof, 1990). In this case the extremely high energy use in office buildings (Perez-Lombard, 2008). By embracing these sustainable ways of thinking in cities, the negative implications of climate change could be mitigated. Many countries around the world already embarked on a more sustainable way of designing their cities. For example large European cities such as Amsterdam and London (City of London, 2016).

Within the Netherlands some national policies have been applied during the last decades in order to decrease the energy usage of (office) buildings. On top of that, these national policies are applicable to mitigating effects of climate change as well. The government has assigned energy labels to every use structure within the Netherlands. The intention of this labelling is to raise awareness and stimulate people to make their house more energy efficient. These labels also stimulate companies since investing in a good energy labels proves to be good future value (RVO). The most important Dutch national policy however is the so-called BENG-policy (Bijna Energie Neutrale Gebouwen). This policy is directed at al buildings that will be built from 2020 and onwards (RVO). From this moment in time al buildings must have an energy

neutral construction and are therefore almost energy neutral. An important side note to this policy has to be taken into account; this has been created in order to achieve goals set in the energy agreement of Paris. Which states that CO2 pollution within the Netherlands has be reduced by 80% (PBL). Achieving this goal will also imply that existing structures need more energy efficiency or renewable energy as well. Other Policies where renewable energy benefits from not set up by governments, the BREEAM (Wouter Blom, Appendix 2) with policy for example. This policy also labels energy usage of buildings but from a corporate perspective, this ensures companies of certainty surrounding energy usage. Which they can translate to their costumers eventually. But also on regional level some policies, or intentions are formed by governing organisations. A good example is the structural vision of the Amsterdam City council, which states that Amsterdam should be economically and renewably strong by the your 2040 (Gemeente Amsterdam, 2011). Energy usage and CO2 emissions play a crucial role in achieving this goal set by the city. Such governing literature should provide opportunities for renewable energy. Other European cities, mostly in Western Europe have also opted a strategy that highly values renewable energy and CO2 reduction. The city of London for example, encourages residents, companies and the city itself to create a more sustainable way of thinking and designing the city. The London governmental institutions have set up ideas on how to create more space for sustainability in the city. It contains ideas on air quality, environmental protection, sustainable design of buildings and on waste and recycling (City of London, 2016). These plans are comparable to the Dutch policies and the policies of Amsterdam.

Trias Energetica

In accordance with the importance of acting upon environmental change and the insights on pollution of office buildings, building in a more sustainable way is given more attention (Brouwers, 2005). In the section above, Perez-Lombard (2008) provides evidence for the urge to more sustainable built forms. He specifically states that buildings or office buildings are accountable for 20 to 40 percent of total energy use. Through four three level-based measurements, more sustainable building is tried to be achieved. For these level-based measurements, four compartments are indentified: energy, water, materials and space (Brouwers, 2005). Following the Trias Politica of Charles de Montesiquieu from 1752, Lysen (1996) introduced Trias Energetica for the compartment of energy. Trias Energetica is designed to provide means to deal with energy more efficiently and in a more sustainable way. The Trias Energetica introduced by Lysen (1996) is a three step-based model to

Figure 3: Circles of Sustainability: Urban Profile Process (James, 2015).

improve sustainability in energy supply in the Netherlands. The step-based model contains of the following three steps: 1. A continuing improvement of energy efficiency; 2. A bigger use of sustainable energy sources; 3. A cleaner use of the remaining fossil fuels.

The step-based model by Lysen (1996), can be seen as rather vague since the three steps are not in order of sustainability; following the model the three steps are all interchangeable. Therefore Duijvenstein (1997) came up with a more structured model, specifically for building industry, in order of preference. Where the most preferred measure at first and the least favoured as a last resort. Duijvenstein (1997) determined the more specified measurements as the following: 1. Use less energy by taking energy saving technologies; 2. Use sustainable energy sources as much as

possible; 3. When there is still an energy demand left, then use fossil fuels as efficient as possible. The three measurements identified can also be seen in Figure 4(Note: Figure 4 is in Dutch).

The method of Trias Energetica identified by both Lysen (1996) andDuijvenstein (1997) is most relevant for this research on finding possibilities to implement more sustainable and renewable energy resources in office buildings. The Trias Energetica is more or less a guideline to building more sustainable. Brouwers (2005) elaborates on a total of four step-based models, one of them being Trias Energetica. The other three step-based models are identified as follows; Trias Hylica, Trias Hydrica, Trias Toponoma.

The basics of real estate

The real estate market plays an important role in determining the possible success of implementing renewable energy and issues such as Trias Energetica within an existing building. Either measures fitting the current real estate paradigm. This will be elaborated in the following part. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is involved as well, since the value of CSR within company policies, influences there real estate strategy. Further explanation of CSR will follow below. Moreover, it is even more important when a new building is developed from the start. Understanding the current state of the real estate market and theories within the Netherlands is therefore critical when assessing implementation techniques of renewable energy. Currently, the Dutch real estate market is under increased scrutiny because of recent financial and crisis related events (Evans, 2004).

During the last decades the real estate business in the Netherlands has been prone to an increasing amount of investment. This especially accounts for office buildings at the periphery of large urban regions. Governing bodies within cities used land-value -raising techniques to acquire fast money (Evans, 2004). Patches of land, often adjacent to city borders or important infrastructure, where bought cheap from farmers by the city. The city than changed the ground (or zoning) plan from “agricultural use” to “office space development”, resulting in a vast increase of land value. The Patches were then sold to investors who would build office buildings using low risk constructions (Evans, 2004). The situation that consequently arose contained rich city councils and plenty of empty office buildings with little new investors. The excessive amount of office buildings on the Dutch market caused a negative climate for new developments. Additionally, this situation was increased by the financial crisis. This theory causes extra need for precaution when various options are considered. Especially when risky techniques with higher costs, such as integrated renewable energy are planned. However, as mentioned, the crisis played a considerable role in the described situation. Nowadays,

more initiatives and projects are in development (For example The Edge building in Amsterdam Zuid). Creating an increasingly positive investment landscape in regard to certain initiatives. This is, in addition, reinforced by governmental regulations that stimulate the construction of energy-neutral buildings and the usage of renewable energy. This governmental initiative was started in order to meet the goals set by the climate treaty in Paris (Rijksoverheid, 2014).

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)

Not only do governments, citizens or cities, such as Amsterdam, carry the responsibility to act upon environmental issues, businesses do have to participate in mitigating the negative impacts as well. In a sense, one could argue that mitigating climate related implications is part of a social responsibility for governments, cities, businesses and citizens. This part focusses on the responsibility of businesses to take action that contributes to social welfare. The actions of firms that contribute to social welfare, beyond what is required for profit maximization, are classified as Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) (McWilliams, 2000). Furthermore, when businesses embrace CSR into their company policies, it allows businesses or firms to choose for a wider

range of policies to follow. CSR allows firms to focus more on stakes of environment and matters of social origin (McWilliams, 2000). This is all beyond the will to maximize profits. CSR is affiliated with several other theories within business studies. CSR is not only beneficial to social welfare if carried out by businesses. Naturally, businesses have to profit from their chosen company policy. It is proven that consumers and investors have a clear preference for social responsible corporations; corporations that have embraced CSR in their policy (McWilliams, 2000). Given these advantages for both businesses and social welfare, CSR has become an important element for management (McWilliams, 2000). Considering the levels of

CSR embraced in business policy, it is proven to depend on its size, level of diversification, research and development, advertising, government sales, consumer income, labour market conditions, and stage in the industry life cycle (McWilliams, 2001). Businesses tend to act in favour of profit maximization. However, with the theory of CSR, firms carry the responsibility to act upon environmental issues and social issues. Figure 5 shows the three force in which CSR can be summarized. Continuously evaluating the responsibilities for social factors, environment and profit maximization is key for firms to adequately apply CSR as a part of their policies. The theory of CSR is important for this research since it allows possible insights in how businesses and firms deal with their social responsibilities, such as acting upon environmental issues.

Figure 5: The three force model for corporate social responsibility.

Techniques for producing renewable energy

Now the importance of acting upon environmental change is emphasized in the previous parts, the techniques to make office buildings more sustainable can be discussed. It is clear that all actors in the process of creating more sustainable office spaces, governmental institutions, businesses, cities and citizens, need to participate to enhance to feasibility of it. According to the literature, some renewable energy techniques seem most feasible. These will be elaborated on in this part of the theoretical framework. The seemingly most feasible techniques are the following: solar energy uses, wind energy uses and geothermic uses

Firstly, the solar energy uses in office buildings. It is self-evident that the solar energy uses will consist in the form of solar panels or windows. There no other form of gaining energy from solar power found yet. Since office buildings located in business centres, are usually vertically built high-rise office buildings. Therefore these buildings consist of a relatively small roof space in comparison with its glass body. This could prove to be especially inconvenient for the placement of solar panels on the roof. However, the large glass body of a high-rise office building provide a great opportunity for the use of solar windows or solar panels on the sides of the building. As an example, one could look at the Edge building located on the Zuid-as in Amsterdam (Wouter Blom, Appendix 2). This building makes use of solar panels on the south side of the building to provide in the buildings energy demand. Currently, there is a rapid development in solar window techniques visible (Chow & Li, 2009). Solar windows techniques Inc. is currently researching the possibilities of solar windows and is according to their research promising. A similar technology is thought of by Physee, the power windows. These windows convert sunlight into electricity to be used for charging phones, laptops, cars and also provide energy for building energy uses.

Wind energy as a resource could also be opted as a solution, in favour of increasing the amount of renewable energy produced and used in an office building. Wind energy is however, slightly more difficult to implement. Wind energy sources, such as wind turbines, demand more space to be utilized compared to solar energy sources. In order for wind turbines to supply in energy efficiently, wind speed, the area of air space, the specific mass of air and the height at which the rotor is placed are important (Ataei et al., 2015). Two of these factors are influenced by the location in which they are situated. The area of air space is highly dependable on the density of the office buildings, if the windmill is located near or even next to office buildings. On the other hand, tall office buildings, already provide in height for the windmills, if placed on the top of a building. The height will positively influence the amount of energy that will be produced. Since siting and the total space needed for windmills is an important aspect for windmills as a solution to succeed, an off-site wind park seems to be a more viable solution. Yet, the question remains to what extent wind energy is capable to supply in sufficient energy to let office buildings operate at their maximum rate.

The third, possibly, feasible renewable energy source is geothermic uses. With the use of geothermal techniques energy can be produced as well. Barbier (2002) defines geothermal energy and the geothermal energy uses as the energy obtained from Earth’s heat. Lund and Freeston (2001) listed several uses of geothermal energy, of which the heat pumps, space heating and cooling are the most relevant for this research. With the Earth’s heat buildings could be warmed in colder days, without using fossil fuel created heat. Underneath the surface of the office building, wells and pipelines can be built to guide water to the warmer areas below the Earths surfaces. Here water can be stored to obtain heat from the Earth. If needed, the water can be pumped up and be distributed through the buildings heating system. Naturally, if water can be heated underground, it can also be cooled in storages closer to Earth’s surface. With both uses of geothermal energy, buildings can be heated and cooled in a more sustainable way than heating with fossil fuel driven forcer or cooled with air conditioning.

Methodology

Firstly, it is necessary to stretch importance of the integrative method within this paper. The core problem in this research is rather complex as indicated. Complex problems, such as implementing sustainable energy resources in office buildings, require insights of different disciplines to address it properly. As a result of the interdisciplinary aspect in researches as mentioned above, it can be difficult to find common ground in the findings of these disciplines. Since the research on the efficient implementation of renewable and sustainable energy resources in large office buildings is conducted on the basis of two academic disciplines, the findings of each discipline has to be integrated to one single result. In order to find common ground within different academic disciplines, the findings can be integrated with the use of certain integrative techniques (Newell, 2001). Sommerville & Rapport (2000) identified five different techniques of integrating insights from different academic disciplines. These five components are arranged in the table below (Table 6; Integrative techniques).

In most interdisciplinary researches, one or more of the integrative techniques identified by Sommerville & Rapport (2000) can be applied to the research conducted. The five techniques given in the table (Table 6; Integrative techniques) are somewhat organized in steps. In other words, the first integrative technique ‘redefinition’ is applied first, subsequently the second integrative technique ‘extension’ is applied and onwards. However, the order in which the integrative techniques are used, is not mandatory. For a specific interdisciplinary research one or more techniques could be found to be inapplicable for the research at hand.

Techniques: Clarification:

1. Redefinition Redefinition involves modifying or redefining related concepts in different disciplines to bring out a common meaning, and to create a common vocabulary.

2. Extension Extension expands the meaning of an idea beyond the domain of one (sub)discipline into the domain of another (sub)discipline.

3. Organisation Organisation identifies commonality in concepts (or assumptions); redefines them; and organises, arranges or maps the causal links between them.

4. Transformation Transformation uses concepts (or assumptions) that are not merely different, but opposite, and transforms them into (continuous) variables.

5. Theory expansion Theory expansion modifies a theory so that it can address all of the causation factors pertaining to the problem, involving more factors or variables.

Table 6: Five techniques of integrating different disciplinary insights (Crelis Rammelt pp.(2016) / Repko (2012 / Sommerville (2000)).

Methods and justification

The basic scientific research method, containing a hypothesis or research question, data collection, conclusion and discussion is used within this interdisciplinary project. Since the basic scientific research method is generally known in scientific society, this methodology will focus on the interpretation of these aspects and the various underlying research methods. The research methods

used will of course be explained and elaborated upon, additionally there will also be a statement to authorise the usage of these methods. Subsequently, an explanation of various research methods that were not used within this research will be included. This will be stated in order to emphasise decision-making process that led to the chosen direction.

The foremost research methods used within the interdisciplinary research project are literature review based research and expert-inquiries, additionally; these two methods are supported by some spatial mapping in order to verify findings. These types of research methods are regarded as qualitative data. Some quantitative data, for example in the form of statistics is less applicable because of the large policy aspect within our research. Policies are difficult to summarize within compromised statistical data. Literature reviews have proven to be a dependable research method within science. Assumptions and statements based on literature can be considered as a trustworthy bas for further research, assuming that the used literature is peer-reviewed and thereby verified by other scientists. Literature review based research also holds the advantage that vast amounts of information and knowledge are accessible without costing great amounts of time and/or afford.

The literature reviews within this research have focussed on governing regulations regarding green energy stimulation and implementation within the Netherlands, or in other words; the planning discipline within this research. Literature as such is most often written in governing language and is not of scientific nature. Subsequently, a different reading technique is requested and will thus be applied on government literature. The regulatory nature of these statements causes some statements to seem non-conclusive or unclear. This is mostly due to the use of jargon and the presence of considerable amounts of references to regulatory acts or previous statements. As a consequence it is often not clear at first sight what a statement actually implies. It is therefore of great importance to create a broad overview of all involved regulations and literature. This will lead to an adequate understanding of a statement’s implications.

Within the discipline of business, literature reviews also had an important contribution to the research. The business research mainly builds upon scientific literature that describes multiple difficulties and opportunities that business models face in general (See McWilliams, 2000, for example). These theories have been acknowledged and used by businesses. They are of importance to this research because companies would perform the implementation and maintenance of renewable energy systems, it therefore has to be (economically) sustainable in the long term. After all, the goal of this research is to conclude with a positive answer/ advice on how green energy systems can be implemented in office buildings. Additionally, empiric information stating market chances of new businesses, especially within the (renewable) energy sector can contribute to strategies that will lead to a successful business model. Such empiric knowledge is mostly based on market experiences and recent market events.

The second method used within this research consists of expert inquiries or interviews. The Interview method was chosen in order to obtain information specifically and directly applicable to our research, and to clarify issues that needed further explanation. An interview, especially face to face, can provide interesting and previously unknown knowledge (Agarwal, 1990) This is due to the possibility to interact or elaborate on specific issues while they are being told. Additionally, the personal interaction during an interview can cause insight into informal information that would have remained unknown otherwise. Another advantage of the expert inquiry method is the option for further references. It is common for experts to have connections with other experts within their business or scientific discipline, which could prove useful for further research.

The expert inquiries are meant to provide insight into the underlying mechanisms that are involved when renewable buildings are developed and exploited. The experts that where interviewed are, in order of inquiry, Wouter Blom, Marco Praagman and Matthieu Elshout. Wouter Blom was contacted while finding a good example of a building that implements renewable energy in

Amsterdam. Wouter Blom is involved with development of The Edge Building in Amsterdam-Zuid via the company OVG. He therefore has important insights into the real estate market of renewable buildings within The Netherlands, this is highly useful for our research. In contrast, Marco Praagman is involved in “normal” real estate business, not specifically renewable real estate. Praagman was contacted because it is important to have a complete insight and different views of a certain topic. When researching, Praagman’s name was prominently represented in the real estate business and was therefore contacted. Mathieu Elshout was contacted after receiving his credentials form our expert tutor. Elshout’s insights provide yet another side of the (renewable) real estate business. These new insights exist not only because of the expertise deriving from working a considerable period in the real estate business, but also from the fact that Elshout is currently operating in the greater London area. This implies that it is also possible to compare the differences between the UK en Dutch real estate market. All Three experts therefore provide interesting varying view on the (renewable) real estate market in the Netherlands.

The strategy used in the interviews aims to expose insights into certain cases and the business wherein they operate. The questions are assembled in such a way that the inquired can answer according to personal line of thought. In other words, the person is free to create his or her own answer without biased questioning. In addition, different questioned than planned are prone to be asked when a person provides interesting insights. This will influence the course of the interview, which could prove interesting. The expert inquiries will involve various insiders from the sustainable development business. These businesses predominantly include real estate development. Further information regarding the inquired experts, including profession and name, will be stated during the results paragraph.

The combination of the expert inquiries together with the literature research provide a solid base on which this research can be build. It has to be stated that the considered methods below where plausible options but did not fit this research, making the used methods the most optimal execution of this research.

Considered methods

It is important to clarify, or at least notice, why certain research methods were not chosen. First of all, as addressed earlier, no quantities data is present within this interdisciplinary research. This is mostly due to the absence of actual research, or fieldwork conducted. Fieldwork has of course been conducted in the form of expert inquiries, the resulting data is however difficult to transform into numeric data. Research that would lead to quantitative data, applicable for statistics, is difficult within the involved scientific disciplines. Additionally, real estate research is often case specific and difficult to quantify.

Furthermore, researches are often based upon computer modelling. An applicable computer model within spatial researches is GIS (Geographic Information system). This program is used the image certain spatial differences or implications. However when a spatial research specifically focuses on structures (office Buildings) the scale of GIS is too large. Or to simplify, structures are often too detailed to depict correctly while using GIS. Other spatial imaging such as maps with highlights will, in the contrary, be used to clarify geographic location or surroundings.

Results

In the results of this paper the sub-questions stated in the introduction will be answered, in order to answer the main question of this paper. The main question that will answered is the following: To what extent can sustainable energy resources be implemented more efficiently within large office buildings in the Netherlands, in order to make these buildings more self-sufficient? The four sub-questions that will be answered to do this, are: 1. What is the current Dutch policy regarding renewable energy; 2. How does the Dutch policy compare to foreign policies?; 3. To what extent are companies willing to invest in renewable energy?; 4. that will be answered is: What are the most promising techniques to implement renewable energy in office buildings? As said before during this paper interviews and literature studies where used to answer these questions.

Policy

The question: ‘What is the current Dutch policy regarding renewable energy’ was answered mostly by the experts that have been interviewed. Currently the Dutch policy consists of two important parts according to our experts. In the first place there is the labelling of different buildings. These labels are for energy efficiency, but there are also labels that do address water usage, health, waste and materials (Breeam). ‘Initiatives like Breeam state lots of rules and points. This gives labels and labelling is really important’ ‘Labelling is great and the use is expanded more and more.’’ ‘What is measured is managed’. Even though ‘By gaining knowledge on the sustainability of your building, it is possible to work on and invest in sustainability, spread over several years.’. By measuring sustainability, a comparison between different kinds of buildings, on the level of sustainability is possible. According to the experts these initiatives are really important in order to measure sustainability, however a too difficult labelling system could be counterproductive. This because the different labels could create a non-transparent situation for customers. ‘PWC has a building that has a 93% score on the Breaam scale. The Edge currently has 98% score, this is the highest score for a building in the world.’. This gives an advantage for those who invest in sustainable real estate. By showing the label that is given to a building, a company can show that they are working on CSR. Either by investing in sustainability or as a method for gaining public relations (PR). PR is one of the reasons that companies invest in sustainable real estate, according to Marco Praagman (Appendix 3). ‘There exist 3 reasons for investment in sustainable real estate: 1. Director or CEO that is personally involved in sustainability; 2. PR or image; 3. Profit reasons.’. When stating this Mr. Praagman (Appendix 3) referenced to a story of when he was working for a multinational that needed to improve their image. They generated this by trying to implement as many as possible sustainable inventions into the new building they were about to move in. This shows that there is more to gain from sustainability than only a cleaner environment. Secondly, there are rules such as the Energy Performance Coefficient (EPC), which can be seen as an energy label. The EPC is one of the most important and useful rules in Dutch real estate; ‘EPC is a great tool’. In some specific cases the EPC is made mandatory to a certain level. This gives a stimulus to sustainability investments in order to comply to the given rules. So both the rules and regulations are the very important policy tools that the Dutch government uses in order to stimulate sustainable real estate. However the analyses of Marco Praagman shows that if the Dutch government is willing to increase investments in sustainable real estate, they should increase the standards for the regulations. The Dutch government could also increase the amount of restricting rules. However the

International policy

The second sub-question that needs to be answered is: How does the Dutch policy compare to foreign policies? The Dutch policy concerning rules and regulations is already stated in the last paragraph. In the UK there are also rules and regulations that stimulate renewable incentives. ‘Not Every company pays enough attention to sustainability. One thing that every company should take in mind is that in 2018 only buildings with a higher energy label than a F or G may be sold or rented. This kind of regulations are definitely stimulating sustainability,’ Mathieu Elshout (Appendix 4) stated. This combines rules and labelling like in the Netherlands. This shows that the policy that is implemented in the Netherlands could be just as effective as the policy from the UK. However the UK policy also has its flaws according to Mathieu Elshout (Appendix 4): ‘I personally hear a lot of complaints from sustainable real estate developers that the UK government is withdrawing some rules concerning sustainability. The rules consisting the energy labels will definitely stay.’. Consistency is important for investors, due to consistency, long-term decisions could be made easier, because the policy factors are constant. The answer to this sub-question indicates that the UK policy on sustainable real estate is comparable to the Dutch policy. However the Dutch government should be aware of the possible problems when eliminating certain rules and regulations after a while.

Investments in renewable energy

The third sub-question that needs to be answered in order to answer the main-question is: To what extent are companies willing to invest in renewable energy? As said before Marco Praagman (Appendix 3) states that there are only three reasons to invest in sustainable real estate. These three were: 1. A personal involved director or CEO; 2. PR or working on an sustainable image; 3. Profit from the investment into sustainability. The first point stated by Mr Praagman (Appendix 3) can be elaborated upon more. Currently companies are more and more involved in CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility). Wouter Blom (Appendix 2) from OVG states that OVG is also working on more sustainable entrepreneurship: ‘The ambition of OVG is to make real estate more sustainable. We definitely do not do this for profit reasons’. Mr Praagman (Appendix 3) also states that more companies have the same vision on their company: ‘Sustainability is mostly introduced by the customer.’ ‘Locations like the Cloud Amsterdam must be sustainable. Bigger companies demand sustainable real estate.’. PR or image has already been elaborated on in the answer of the first sub-question. The third point Mr Praagman (Appendix 3) states is that profit is one of the biggest stimulus for companies to invest in sustainable real estate. He mentions the following: ‘Sustainable real estate is mostly a profit calculation.’ Mr Elshout (Appendix 4) states: ‘Off course sustainability investments has its costs, however in the end you might benefit from it in a financial way. There are gains like a lowered energy use, higher rents and less risk.’. This all taken into account, personal involvement, PR and profit are the three reasons why companies are willing to invest in renewable energy and sustainable real estate. The points posed by Marco Praagman could be placed in the CSR theory. According to the CSR theory (McWilliams, 2000) there are more incentives than the three stated above. CSR is also about taking responsibility for your own actions. So responsibility should be added to the reasons why to invest in sustainable real estate.

Promising techniques

The last sub-question to be answered is the following: What are the most promising techniques to implement renewable energy in office buildings? Theoretical framework provides in three seemingly most feasible techniques; solar energy uses, wind energy uses and geothermic uses. Wouter Blom (Appendix 2) states that solar energy is used in the current office OVG houses, ‘We have solar panels

on the roof of our building, but also on the south side of the building. However this is not enough to supply the whole building of enough energy. That is why we placed 4000 m2 of solar panels at the UvA and the HvA.’. Mr Blom (Appendix 2) states that this is one of the solutions for the problems concerning the lack of space, which is one of the biggest issues regarding solar energy. However, he also mentions it is better to generate all electricity necessary at the building itself; ‘The best way is to produce the energy at your own building.’. This in order to keep control over your own energy production. Currently the efficiency of solar panels is still improving. This in combination with the rapid expansion of its usage and the already wide spread usage makes it the most promising technique [ CITATION IEA14 \l 1043 ]. Both geothermal techniques and wind energy resources are promising, yet wind energy is rather difficult to implement at the same location as the offices. The implementation at the building is almost impossible because of the height of the turbines. Which is, according to Wouter Blom (Appendix 2), less favourable. However, geothermic uses can be used at location making this more suitable when trying to increase sustainability of buildings.

Conclusion

With the sub-questions in this paper answered, the main question is to be answered. To what extent can sustainable energy resources be implemented more efficiently within large office buildings in the Netherlands, in order to make these buildings more self-sufficient? When taking the whole paper into account, the main question can be answered. Sustainable energy resources can be implemented on a large scale in the Netherlands in order to make large office buildings more self-sufficient. The technologies to do so are already available and are already used in different locations as stated above. Furthermore different rules and regulations are in place in order to stimulate the investment in sustainable real estate. The Dutch government stimulates this innovation by these rules and regulations. Currently solar energy is the best applicable source of renewable energy. Because it is possible to generate energy at the buildings location. As a conclusion there are four incentives. In the first place: a personal involved director or CEO. Secondly, PR or working on an sustainable image. Furthermore, profit from the investment into sustainability. And lastly, there is the responsibility that cooperation’s should take because of their position in society.

Discussion and

recommendations

When reflecting upon the creation and working process of this interdisciplinary project some setbacks occurred, leading to shortcomings and possible points of

improvements that could be useful in future researches. Within this reflection these points will be clarified and elaborated upon. Secondly the reflection will also state a brief overview of future researches that could be based upon this research, or could be performed in order increase the credibility of this research by using it. The foremost issue that occurred while creating the research strategy was related to issues surrounding group members and cooperation. Due to circumstances it was not possible to continue for one of our group members, this occurred in relatively late stadium, somewhat compromising the further strategy of our research. To illustrate some of the problems that were encountered some explanation is useful. The largest setback was related to the interdisciplinary degree of this research, the group-members dropout caused the disappearance of the beta aspect within this research. Remaining group members focussed on planning and business aspects, both gamma disciplines and sufficient for an adequate research but a beta discipline would have added further depth to the research. Another problem that occurred due to this event was the sudden rethink of the further strategy. Beta related data collection within this research, such as statistics and technical knowledge, are difficult to connect with the disciplines of planning and business. The contrary accounts for beta related technical research, which was unfortunately not present within this research anymore. As a consequence some relatively decisive decisions had to be taken far into the research process. In practise this implied that the main source of information had to shift towards qualitative data deriving from expert inquiries, instead of both inquiries and beta related data. Additionally a shift from London focus towards a focus on the Netherlands had to take place. This is, to be clear, not a bad form of performing research. The ultimate result was, however, a relatively short time to perform the expert inquiries. Which is problematic because setting up an inquiry appointment takes time. The amount of expert inquiries (three) is therefore somewhat compromised.

It is also useful to briefly elaborate upon the results deriving from this research that fail to meet our expectations. Albeit not problematic, some information stated by the expert inquiries did not comply with what was expected, or desired for the relevance of this paper. The foremost lack in terms of results is found in the absence of a clear governmental strategy within the Netherlands. A strategy reaching far further than 2020 is not concrete which causes difficulties when stating an advice of any kind. This does not only account for this paper but also for the various real estate and housing companies that would prefer to anticipate and plan their future moves. Another disappointing result lays in the fact that companies are generally not willing to invest in renewability out of ethical considerations. A clear stimulation is necessary to move companies in the right direction in most cases. It would have been welcome to find more willingness in this area. On the other side, these findings emphasize the importance of this research. An advice focussing on the research question could be formulated as follows: Sustainable energy resources can be implemented on a large scale in the Netherlands in order to make large office buildings more self-sufficient. The technologies to do so are already available and are already used in different locations. Furthermore, different rules and regulations are in place in order to stimulate the investment in sustainable real estate. The Dutch government is already working on different rules and already has some in place, however we advise the Dutch government to work on more rules that particularly focus on existing structures. Also we like to advise the Dutch government to work on a vision on sustainable real estate that goes further than 2020, in order to let companies know what the regulatory strategy will be in the following years. In order for companies to react to these strategies we would like to advise them to work on a sustainability strategy, which involves not only sustainable real estate but also a strategy on the corporate responsibility for its pollution and its social behaviour. This could be in the form of a CSR (Corporate Social Responsibility) assessment.

This leads to the second section of this discussion; suggestions for further research. The results in this research are predominately based upon gamma related disciplines, as explained. Future research could therefore focus on the technical side and physics related to the renewable energy systems that would have to be implemented. It is possible that some area of improvement is to be found within this discipline that could eventually simplify the planning and business aspect of implementation. Further research could also focus on computer modelling of certain renewable energy systems within office buildings. This could be useful to clarify problems of improvements before actual implementation of construction. Computer systems such as ArcGIS and even SketchUp could be used to create and test such issues. Lastly, further research could focus more on specific cases of current renewable energy implementation within office buildings. This could account for good comparison with the Edge building in Amsterdam that played a role within this research.

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Appendices

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Appendix 2:

Interview with Wouter Blom Development Manager OVG Interview was in Dutch Wat doet OVG als bedrijf?

OVG lost een huisvestingsprobleem op van huurders. Deloitte wilde verhuizen en hadden dus een nieuw gebouw nodig. Het idee was dat de verschillende kantoorpanden van Deloitte worden ingeruild voor een centraal gebouw. Deloitte heeft dus aan OVG gevraagd of wij voor hun een gebouw kunnen ontwikkelen, financieren en bouwen. Bedrijven willen geen risico alleen een sleutel. The Edge is daarna verkocht aan een Duitse belleger.

Wat is de ambitie van OVG?

Ambitie bij OVG is om project ontwikkeling duurzamer te maken. Niet per definitie vanuit een bedrijfskundige reden. Echter is in de afgelopen jaren de vraag vanuit de sector gegroeid. Wij zijn bij OVG vroeg begonnen met kijken en investeren in duurzame ontwikkelingen. Doordat wij zo vroeg zijn begonnen hadden we al een voorsprong als het gaat om duurzaamheid. The Edge is het

paradepaartje. Dit kon gerealiseerd worden doordat de huurders dit ook graag wilde. Hierdoor was er veel mogelijk en hebben we een erg duurzaam pand opgeleverd.

Op wat voor een manier wordt duurzaamheid gemeten bij het ontwikkelen van een duurzaam gebouw?

Er bestaan verschillende manieren van meten. Breeam methode is het meest gebruikt. Breeam beschrijft verschillende categorieën. Er zijn 9 categorieën. Aan de hand van de scoren op de verschillende categorieën, krijg je een score uitgedrukt in een percentage. Het percentage wordt uiteindelijk vertaald in een hoeveelheid sterren. Wereldwijd waren er al projecten met 4 sterren. Er was nog nooit een 5 sterren gebouw. Dit betekende voor OVG een mooie uitdaging. Kunnen we niet de hoogste score voor duurzaamheid ooit. PWC heeft in de tussentijd een gebouw waarvan de score 93% was. The Edge heeft momenteel 98%. Dit is de hoogste score ter wereld.

Blijft een zeer lastig vraagstuk want sommige bedrijven willen wel eigen keuzes blijven maken. Als je niet langer kan beschikken over de materialen waarover je zou willen beschikken wordt het lastig. Hoe wekken jullie bij The Edge jullie energie op?

Wij hebben zonnepanelen op het dak, maar ook op de zuidkant van het gebouw. Dit is echter niet genoeg om het gehele gebouw te voorzien van energie. Daarom hebben we 4000 m2 zonnepanelen geplaatst op de gebouwen van de UvA en de HvA. Dit is ook wel genaamd verplaatsing van de energieopwekking. Het is een tussenoplossing. Als iedereen dit gaat doen heb je een probleem want dan is er uiteindelijk geen dakoppervlak meer beschikbaar. Het best kan je het toch op het eigen gebouw energie opwekken. Een bedrijf wat dit probeert mogelijk te maken is Fysee. Dit zijn twee TU Delft studenten. Zij proberen momenteel energie op te wekken uit glas. Ze specialiseren zich in Transparant glas waar stroom uit opgewekt kon worden. Techniek dateert uit jaren 70 maar heeft lang stilgelegen.

Zijn er al plekken waar dit toegepast wordt?

Bedrijven hebben geel groen of blauw glas. Dat is als een glow in the dark ster. Er zijn ook technieken waarbij de cellen heel dun worden en die opnemen in het glas. Rendement is daarbij heel klein. Product is al wel helemaal ontwikkelt. Power Windows (product waarbij energie wordt opgewekt vanuit transparant glas) is nog niet uit ontwikkelt. Ze gebruiken voor het opwekken van energie maar een beperkt stuk van het spectrum. Dit geeft een efficiëntie voordeel. OVG helpt actief mee in de ontwikkeling want ze geloven in de Power Windows. Voorlopig zal het niet geïmplementeerd worden in dit gebouw omdat het momenteel van een Duitse belleger is. Echter als de gebruikers allemaal een aanpassing willen dan gaat er wat veranderen. Het product heeft wat dat betreft wel een belangrijk voordeel innoveren kan eenvoudig door het glas gewoon simpelweg te herplaatsen.

Innovatie heeft wel de toekomst. Zeker de wat eenvoudigere innovatie. Regelgeving wordt namelijk steeds scherper. Nieuwe gebouwen moeten energie neutraal zijn. Dit alles om uitstoot terug te dringen. Daarbij neemt de efficiëntie van panelen iedere dag toe. Ja kan als je 10 jaar geleden gekocht hebt kunnen beter weer vervangen.

The Edge kijkt voornamelijk naar energie besparing als je kijkt naar de Trias Energetica. The Edge verbruikt zo min mogelijk energie. Alles is LED. De lampen zijn niet verbonden aan 230 Volt stroomkabels maar datakabels. The Edge wekt meer op dan dat het gebruikt wanneer het goed zonnig is. Rekenkundig gezien zo veel mogelijk opwekken. Een van de manieren om in de toekomst meer energie te besparen is gebruik maken van verschillende soorten stroom. Zonnepanelen wekken gelijkstroom op en maken daar wisselstroom van. Dan wisselen het type stroom weer als het richting de laptop gaat . De adapter doet dit voor je. Hierbij wordt de adapter heet, en gaat er dus energie verloren. In de toekomst is gelijkstroom gebruiken misschien wel veel efficiënter. Dit door bijvoorbeeld je laptop direct aan te sluiten op een paneel verwerkt in het glas naast je bureau.

Zojuist zij u al dat de techniek al in de jaren 70 uitgevonden is. Waarom is er in de tussentijd dan niks mee gedaan?

Sinds de Jaren 70 is er weinig innovatie geweest. Want er was geen vraag naar. Dit omdat alles de afgelopen 40 jaar om geld gedraaid heeft. De overheid bemoeit zich eindelijk met duurzaamheid van gebouwen en je ziet meteen dat er iets gebeurt. Tesla is bezig met grote batterijen die van groot

belang kunnen zijn voor het gebruik van duurzame energie. Ik denk dat het mogelijk is dat batterijen een steeds grotere rol gaan spelen in de maatschappij. In Utrecht gebruiken mensen de auto als opslag voor hun energie. Heel vet idee de auto accu als opslag.

Reduceren van gebruik is en blijft een van de speerpunten. Mobiel proberen je basisgebruik te verlagen. Bijvoorbeeld door de licht intensiteit in de basis lager te zetten. Pas wanneer je aangeeft meer licht nodig te hebben kan je dit makkelijk met je mobiel veranderen. Vaak is het over 5 jaar pas een mooi product. Hierdoor investeert niemand in de ontwikkeling van het product en ontwikkelt het zich over 5 jaar pas.

Zijn er in Londen gebouwen die net zo duurzaam zijn als The Edge?

Gebouwen in Londen zijn er vast, Breeam komt namelijk uit London. In west Europa en Scandinavië zijn we veel bezig met duurzaamheid, zeker in vastgoed. Projecten met ruiten worden waarschijnlijk door ONYX Solar gedaan.

Wat is jouw favoriete stukje innovatie in The Edge?

Verlichtingssysteem wat aangesloten is op het datanetwerk is wel mijn favoriet. Koppeling tussen het klimaat en je mobiel is wat ik persoonlijk erg mooi vindt. De uitdaging is dan ook om te zorgen dat het gebouw je stuurt. Bijvoorbeeld ga aan de zuidkant zitten als je het altijd koud hebt. Hetzelfde kan met geluid, licht en het vinden van elkaar. Is de vergaderruimte gebruikt? Dan weet iedereen wat er schoongemaakt moet worden. Meer met je informatie doen en je gebruiker sturen. Zo efficiënt mogelijk je energie gebruiken. Bijvoorbeeld een etage afsluiten als het rustig is op kantoor.

Werken aan een gebouw doormiddel van de TRIAS Energetica. Dat is het belangrijkst van allemaal. Nieuwe producten proberen toe te passen en dan kijken wat het wordt. We investeren ook wel eens in producten die uiteindelijk niet haalbaar blijken te zijn. Dat hoort er bij anders kan je niet voorop blijven lopen wat duurzame innovatie betreft.

Appendix 3:

Interview with Marco Praagman Technisch directeur Impact Interview was in Dutch

Hoe zou u de huidige stand van de Nederlandse vastgoedmarkt beschrijven?

Lastige vraag. Twee onderdelen binnen de woningmarkt. Je ontkomt niet aan duurzaamheid. Binnen de kantorenmarkt is er een groot deel wat het doet met restauraties. Zeker niet altijd een duurzame oplossing. Duurzaamheid komt meestal uit de klant. Locatie zoals de Cloud Amsterdam moet duurzaam zijn. Grotere partijen eisen gewoon een duurzaam pand. Er zijn veel panden die niet duurzaam zijn. Grotere partijen en goede locaties zijn een goede combinatie voor duurzaamheid. Duurzaamheid is vaak een rendement ’s berekening. Echter zit er geen duurzaamheid ’s motief achter. Bewustwording is zeker nodig, het is nog niet in de gehele markt aanwezig. We zijn op weg maar het kan een stuk beter. Een belangrijke rol is hierin weggelegd voor de overheid. In de woningmarkt zijn er bepaalde verplichtingen waaraan je moet voldoen. Dit stimuleert. Wel initiatief nodig maar niet te veel want anders kans op leegstand. Regelgeving is de belangrijk vorm van stimulus vanuit de

overheid. Subsidie is ook zeker een optie. Het laatste wat de overheid beter kan en zou moeten doen is voorlichting geven. Doorvoeren van maatregelen die niet veel kosten is momenteel erg belangrijk Hoe is duurzaamheid vertegenwoordigt in de vastgoed markt?

Initiatieven zoals Breaam geven heel veel regels en punten. Dit zorgt voor een label, dit is erg belangrijk. Er zit echter wel een slechtere kant aan het labelen. Zo is het in sommige gevallen

verplicht voor een bedrijf om te werken met een lokale partner. Maar misschien heeft het bedrijf altijd zaken met een partij uit Limburg gedaan terwijl ze in Amsterdam willen gaan bouwen. Dit kan zorgen voor moeilijkheden. Vaak willen bedrijven bij hun partner blijven en legt dit de nadruk op verkeerde delen van duurzaamheid. Soms gaat het te ver wat de regels betreft. Er zijn altijd wel groenen partijen bij die alle regels volgen.

Wat is het huidige Nederlands duurzaamheidsbeleid voor vastgoed?

EPC (Energie Prestatie Coëfficiënt) is een heel goed instrument. De labels zijn erg goed en worden gelukkig verder doorgevoerd. De overheid probeert grip te krijgen op duurzaamheid. Blijft een spelletje tussen de markt pushen en het verliezen van de marktpositie. Het is een race to the bottom. Wereldwijd gelijke regels voor duurzaamheid zou een eerlijk spelveld moeten opleveren. Misschien ook niet. Het is een heel ingewikkeld speelveld. Iedereen is anders en heeft andere. We willen gewoon de meeste winst. Het moet rendement uitkomen.

Momenteel is er weinig bewustwording. Elektrische auto’s doen mensen enkel omdat het ze geld bespaart. Sinds 1996 ben ik met duurzaamheidseisen bezig geweest. Bewustwording is niet vergroot maar er is wel vooruitgang en gaat steeds beter wat rendement betreft.

Hoe is dit beleid in vergelijking met buitenlands beleid?

We lopen wat mij betreft in Nederland gewoon achter. Frankrijk en België zijn ze er voor mijn gevoel helemaal niet mee bezig. Wij hadden het idee dat we er mee bezig waren. Maar dat valt als je naar de cijfers kijkt wat mij betreft behoorlijk tegen.