Jeroen de Veth is team leader of Team Technical Services as of December 2022. Jeroen succeeds Bouke Vogelaar, who wants to focus more on projects within Pondera as a senior consultant. Jeroen joined Pondera in November 2021 as a specialist in system integration and flexibility solutions, including hydrogen conversion and the deployment of various types of electrical energy storage.
We asked Jeroen a few questions to get to know him better.
How did you end up at Pondera?
I have known Sergej and Eric since the early days of Pondera, when they were one of the first in the Netherlands to work on an EIA plan for a biodigester for which I did a lot of consultancy work; after that project we stayed in touch. A couple of years ago Pondera hired me for a some jobs involving biomass and system integration. That cooperation worked out well, and at the end of 2021 the question came up whether I would like to continue my work at Pondera.
What did you do before working at Pondera?
I studied electrical engineering, followed by a fast-tracked degree in technology policy. For much of that time, I worked Saturdays and vacations at an installation company where I got well acquainted with the practical side of electrical engineering. Through a graduate internship I went to work at the Renewable Energy Project Office, where I was allowed to work as a consultant on projects to accelerate renewable energy in the Netherlands. We got a lot of questions from national politics and after a few years, this led me to work at the secretariat of the standing committee for Economic Affairs in the House of Representatives. In 2010 I made the switch to fully independent consultancy. In the years that followed I was able to work as a consultant or project leader on many great projects in the field of biogas, system integration and energy storage.
What developments would you like to take up with your team?
With my broad experience, I have become a specialist in the field of system integration and energy storage. I would like to make a difference by being able to guide our customers on flexibility solutions, including conversion to hydrogen and the deployment of various types of electrical energy storage.
We are working on many exciting innovative projects and last year, we expanded our energy modeling to storage. With a Battery Revenue Assessment, we map out the yield potential of a storage system in a given situation. We have also started simulating hydrogen production from renewable sources, helping clients to remove risk from projects. I’m in my element when I can constantly come up with creative solutions, and finish the puzzle together with my team, from the initial idea to the actual realization of a project.
What developments do you see in the future of your work field?
Currently, we see that the market expects a lot from energy storage and flexibility. It is important to keep a close eye on those market changes so that we can anticipate them. Where are batteries going to make a difference, how are things developing in the field of hydrogen?
The world of renewable energy is constantly changing, and I constantly see new opportunities and challenges We expect the big growth of renewable energy to come from developments offshore.. To anticipate this growth, we are investing in the quality of the Wind Resource Assessment team and our services around wind measurements with Lidar technology.
The heat market will also develop strongly in the coming years. In the future, we will see more and more heating of homes and office buildings by heat networks or partially electric solutions. These are often complex, logistically challenging projects, which I am looking forward to.
What gives you energy?
Besides all the exciting projects I work on, I also really enjoy coaching my team members and sharing my expertise and knowledge with them. Of course, my life is more than just work. To keep moving, I like to play badminton and you can regularly find me on my racing bike, but I also enjoy relaxing at home on the couch or drinking wine with friends. I visit Alsace at least once a year to buy a few boxes of beautiful white wine from the winegrowers there. Those visits are also a great opportunity to brush up on my French!
