Thomas te Lintelo
Consultant
Thomas is a passionate and curious team player with a keen interest in sustainability, the energy transition, and the circular economy, sectors to which he wants to contribute positively. Drawing on his diverse experience, he has technical and analytical skills, and, with a pragmatic approach, he focuses on achieving concrete, effective results. With a down-to-earth but cheerful attitude, he steers organizations towards improvement.
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How three energy leaders analyze the puzzle of our future energy system during WTC 40hrs
The transition from a fossil-driven energy system to a renewable system is not an abstract vision of the future; it is the task that is currently unfolding at full speed, in Europe and beyond. Access to clean energy for everyone requires new solutions as well as a robust distribution network capable of carrying these ambitions. That we are facing a challenge of unprecedented complexity, and that we must look for new solutions, the audience at WTC 40hrs was unanimous on that.
During a panel discussion hosted by Korik Alons, Co-Founder & Energy Transition Lead at nlmtd, three leaders took the stage: Mick Valentin (Investment Associate at Rockstart), Arash Azami (Founder of Unify.Energy), and Roel van Diepen (Investment Director Benelux & UK at InnoEnergy).
Their shared mission: to unravel the “wicked problems” of the energy transition and outline possible breakthroughs.
A transition that will never truly be 'finished'
All three guests have been looking under the hood of the energy system for years. Looking at current problems yields one crucial conclusion: the energy transition is not a project with an end date. According to Azami, “we will always be in transition” because technology, politics, and societal dynamics are constantly changing.
Yet the urgency is greater than ever. Because, as Mick Valentin emphasizes, we have an excellent foundation for renewable energy production, but without a solution to grid congestion, the system will grind to a halt. The grid is already at its limits, creating a bottleneck for further green growth.
Roel van Diepen card in addition to a different challenge: Europe is in its energy supply chain too dependent on imports, first from fossil resources, now increasingly from electrification technologies such as chips, batteries, and other electronic components. “Without European manufacturing, we remain vulnerable,” he argues. The recent example of Nexperia, and the Chinese grip on critical technology, shows that clearly.
“Without European manufacturing, we remain vulnerable”.
Roel van Diepen, Benelux & UK at InnoEnergy
Breakthroughs: technology, people, and ecosystems
When the conversation shifts to solutions, people see an opportunity in energy becoming increasingly local. Where centralized generation and large-scale distribution were the norm for decades, new energy communities, local storage, and decentralized markets are now emerging.
But according to Azami, part of the key also lies in digitization: “Electricity is not only hardware, but it is also software. We can solve problems with cables, but also with smart algorithms.”
That combination means going back to the drawing board, not only technically, but especially socially. Because new systems require a different way of thinking, acting, approaching things, and working together. When someone in the audience asks whether it is a matter of technology or implementation, the panelists recognize that many solutions already exist. Still, too few people understand how the system works, let alone how to influence it.
Consequently, when Korik asks what it takes for true breakthrough innovation, all the panelists point to the same foundation: people.
Arash Azami describes how Unify. Energy organizes festivals as accelerators for innovation. Precisely such a free environment, with new rules (or the temporary lack thereof), can generate speed and create the right dynamics to achieve breakthroughs. Roel van Diepen adds that people need to take a holistic view and that successful ventures succeed only when the whole ecosystem is considered. You don’t just build a battery factory; you also need land, permits, customers, and capital. And that capital is far from always there, even when the innovation and demand are clear. Mick also addresses the daring of looking ahead by investing before markets exist. Examples range from startups in rare-earth materials to energy-efficient cloud computing, sectors that are currently in their infancy but will most likely grow, driven by the huge Electricity and materials demand that AI creates.
Challenging bureaucratic obstacles
Mick also sees a cultural challenge: The Netherlands excels in rules, on top of regulations. Sometimes necessary, but too often a brake on entrepreneurship. Roel confirms that many industrial projects therefore shift to other countries, where the conviction and willingness of political leadership is higher.
When panelists are asked how we can overcome significant systemic barriers, Europe comes to mind. Arash’s plea: create a pan-European investment environment that focuses on the desired outcome rather than the process in between. Now, countries make their own rules to manage risk, but in doing so, complexity increases and speed decreases. Roel also sees multi-level integration as inevitable: if Europe is to remain an industrial bloc, energy transition must also be organized across borders.
Someone in the audience wonders what our leaders must unlearn to make this possible. “Prejudices and dogma that we are not aware of,” indicates Arash. According to Arash Azami, we need to distinguish between what is a ‘given’ and what is a choice. Phasing out fossil energy is no longer a choice.
The hacker mindset
Despite difficult-to-influence challenges, a wait-and-see attitude and finger-pointing appeals to no one. Mick emphasizes that change starts with ourselves: “A stable political environment with clear long-term visions is crucial. It starts in your own country, and there you can vote in certain sizes.” He further states that we must continue to address our critical selves: “Be aware, but trade there also on an individual level.”
Azami also looks at the role of citizens. “We are users, and users have a lot more influence than they think.” He advocates a hacker’s mindset: “Not waiting for the system to change, but themselves put to work.” This can be done, for example, by getting started locally, using storage, shared generation, and collaboration.
We are users, and users hold more influence than they realize.
Hopeful undercurrent
Toward the end of the conversation, Azami zooms out. He sees an undercurrent of cooperation that extends beyond competition, and that very thing makes him optimistic:
“We should not only look at the foam on the waves while reading the news, but also look at the undercurrent, that is precisely where a lot of great things are happening.”
The panel discussion showed above all how complex the energy transition is, but also how great the scope for innovation and cooperation is. A future with affordable, sustainable, and reliable energy requires a new way of thinking: local and European, technological and social, individual and collective.
What became clear: the breakthrough does not start with one technology, company, or government. It begins with their connection.
