Energy Transition

The world is facing a climate crisis. Due to global warming, we are already experiencing serious problems with extreme drought and heat, floods, fires, tornados, and melting ice on polar caps. A major cause of climate problems is the current fossil-fuel-based energy system. 

Addressing this issue requires an energy transition. The system change demands new structures, from infrastructure to legislation, and profound changes in behaviour, routines and practices of citizens, businesses and governments. 

Significant changes are required

This concerns for example changes in environmental laws for businesses, the switch to electric transport, house insulation, using new energy sources to heat buildings, and making the energy system more resilient to attacks and extreme weather. Given the many changes required, action is needed across society. For the energy transition to succeed, it is important that everyone can participate.

But here is a challenge: citizens with lower incomes are disproportionately affected by these measures or cannot keep up with them. Similarly, some companies are hit harder than others. As a result, the energy transition increases socio-economic disparities. The ideas and concerns of all citizens must be heard to enable a fair and just energy transition, and broad involvement from companies and citizens is needed for an effective energy transition.

Sustainable energy future

The Energy Transition Honours Programme is designed to equip students, our future experts, with the knowledge and skills needed to drive sustainable change. It provides master students with the insights, tools, and interdisciplinary approach necessary to shape a just and sustainable energy future. 

The international and interdisciplinary honours programme "Energy Transition" is open to master's students from Erasmus University Rotterdam, TU Delft, and Leiden University. (Note: The number of spots available for TU Delft and Leiden University students is limited). The programme consists of interactive seminars, and a practical assignment in which students work on a real life problem/challenge that a company or public organisation is dealing with. Recent topics have included: strategies for combatting energy poverty; energy justice, and the role of banking in the energy transition.

Contribute to the energy transition

Through the assignment, the programme provides students with the opportunity to collaborate with a company or public organisation in the energy sector on a real-life issue. Students develop important skills and experience by working in practice, and they concretely contribute to the energy transition. Our current partners are: 75Inq, 015 Duurzaam, Eneco, Greenchoice, NCOD consultancy, Port of Rotterdam, Programm Sustainable Businessparks, RVO, Sterk uit Armoede, TopSector Energy, Ministry of Infrastructure and Water, Energiesamen.