Andr茅 Faaij appointed Professor of Energy System Analysis
Andr茅 Faaij has been appointed to the position of Professor of Energy System Analysis as of March 1st, 2021. The chair was created by TNO and embedded in the Copernicus Institute for Sustainable Development鈥檚 Energy & Resources section at the Faculty of Geosciences.
The climate challenges facing the world today make a transition to another energy system absolutely essential. Prof. Faaij will therefore study the full breadth of the energy system. His research questions will focus on issues such as identifying optimal processes and accelerating the energy transition. This will require new models, databases and interdisciplinary methods. The development and application of these tools should eventually lead to well-founded decisions at every level, from the local scale (such as the built environment) and regional (such as industrial clusters), to the national and international levels (for example in the North Sea region). It will also help avoid major social conflicts while maximising the potential benefits of the energy transition.
Utrecht alumnus
Andr茅 Faaij is no stranger to Utrecht. He studied Chemistry and Environmental Sciences and earned his PhD here. He worked as Professor and Scientific Director of the Copernicus Institute until 2014, when he was appointed as Distinguished Professor of Energy System Analysis and as Scientific Director of the New Energy Coalition at the 木瓜福利影视 of Groningen. In 2018, Faaij was named Scientific Director of TNO Energy Transition.
Strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability
Andr茅 Faaij鈥檚 research falls under the university鈥檚 strategic theme Pathways to Sustainability, and specifically within the hubs 鈥楾owards negative emission industry鈥 and 鈥楾ransforming infrastructures for sustainable cities鈥. This provides a link to , the Netherlands鈥 largest research institution in the field of energy. The new chair therefore guarantees a more thorough integration of the expertise present at TNO and Utrecht 木瓜福利影视. 鈥淭he energy transition is extremely urgent and affects all of society鈥, explains Wilco Hazeleger, Dean of the Faculty of Geosciences. 鈥淎ndr茅 Faaij is the absolute best person to link our knowledge with TNO鈥檚 applied research. His appointment will allow us to make a major contribution to innovations that facilitate the energy transition.鈥
Sustainable development
The Copernicus Institute of Sustainable Development studies processes and opportunities for innovative change towards sustainability. Within the institute, the Energy & Resources group focuses on the question of how a sustainable energy system can be realised and accelerated in a world faced with climate change and increasing scarcity of resources (such as water, raw materials and land).