The beginning “Some 20 years ago,” explains Theo Venema, Senior Business Developer at WarmteStad, “the municipality of Groningen set a goal to be carbon neutral by 2035. Putting the city onto a sustainable heat grid seemed an obvious way; the question was how best to do it. Groningen’s decision to develop a heat grid as a municipality, at this scale, was ahead of its time for the Netherlands, so we needed to look abroad, specifically to Denmark, for inspiration and best practices. Denmark’s system, however, is well-established and has developed over decades. In contrast, Groningen lacked the time, the infrastructure, and the supportive legislation, and had to deal with a completely different sociological background.” In the 1960s, the Netherlands switched from coal heating to gas-fired boilers. It was cheap, relatively clean, and provided a reliable and affordable heat source. Even as consumers have become more aware of climate change and become increas- ingly keen to make a difference, switching away from gas has been difficult. Affordability is one obstacle; habit, the sociolog- ical factor, is another. So how can WarmteStad’s experience
help other municipalities, government organizations, energy companies, and housing associations start to make the shift even more quickly than they did in Groningen? Theo Venema and Marco Attema, Senior Strategic Advisor for Energy Transi- tion at the municipality of Groningen, have four tips. Start with small steps. The municipality of Groningen was one of the first to develop a heat transition plan, aiming to connect 50 to 75% of its house- holds to the heat grid before 2035. This would mean 50,000 to 75,000 homes would be on the grid. The goals were aimed high, and the time frame was short, yet there was a clear real- ization that they could only be attained by taking small steps and leading the initiative themselves. In 2014, the municipality joined forces with the Groningen Wa- ter Company to create WarmteStad. As a public company, it aims to produce, supply, and exploit sustainable heat at man- ageable costs for socially responsible returns. “The water com- pany could share its experience regarding grid infrastructure and 24-hour services,” explains Attema, “while the municipality
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