Renewable energy will soon be of great importance because our energy demand is ever-rising while our energy sources are running out. Alternative ways of producing sustainable energy and saving energy in smart ways are being developed in Twente. For example, Twence’s biomass energy plant, the Solar Car and Solar Boat from the student teams of the University of Twente and smart solutions to generate energy from waste such as pig manure and wood chips. This is how Twente contributes to a better future. Twente has the ambition to create a circular economy that not only recycles products and systems but also renews energy sources.

Due to our energy needs, our footprint is enormous. "Traditional" energy, for example, nuclear energy being a fossil fuel, often has negative environmental effects, thus affecting the climate. The main cause is the CO2 emissions of these traditional sources. Our prosperity level has risen, and this increases our energy demand. Energy reduction will not compensate for our increase in demand. The solution is to switch to renewable energy sources. They do not deplete when used and therefore are the only source that providing a sustainable future. The use of renewable energy sources does not harm the environment and future generations. They are truly clean sources. 

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Twente can support society with a range of smart solutions when we as a society acknowledge our shared responsibility. Twente has accepted its responsibility to contribute to global challenges with smart innovations. Agendas of entrepreneurs, government and research and educational institutes are determined by the shared ambition to contribute to a sustainable future. Sustainable use of energy is our motto. With it, we hope to answer essential questions:

• How might we generate energy more sustainably?
• How might we develop alternative energy sources using innovations? With them, how can we avoid energy shortages in the future?
• How might we not only save but even improve the environment with green energy?

More and more alternative energy is generated in the Netherlands, but in the European context, the Netherlands is lagging. The national aim, as laid down in the Energy Agreement, is to have 14 per cent of energy generated from renewable sources by 2020. Last year, the share of sustainable energy has grown from 6.6 to 7.3 per cent (source: energieopwek.nl).

It is expected that the objectives will not be met. Nevertheless, all sorts of actions are taken to promote using energy sustainably. For example, subsidies are available for corporates, it is encouraged to produce sustainable energy, and the government supports entrepreneurs developing new technologies for sustainable energy.

Facts argue that Twente not only has an excellent landscape to identify energy sources, Twente also has the knowledge to develop smart solutions. With such smart solutions, Twente influences the important decisions that are made to produce and save energy in the future. This way we reduce the footprint as much as possible. Global impact!