Solarplaza Summit | Energy Storage The Netherlands

Jan Jakob is a Partner at Dentons, heading the Public Law practice in Amsterdam and co-leading the Europe Energy sector group. He specializes in environmental law and energy regulations, guiding clients through the complexities of developing renewable energy assets. With deep expertise across solar, wind, biomass, and hydrogen projects, he advises developers, investors, and financial institutions on everything from securing permits to navigating M&A and project finance transactions. Known for his highly practical approach, Jan Jakob helps stakeholders manage strict emissions regulations and ESG standards to successfully bring complex clean energy projects to life.

Fleur Greetham has 25 years of experience consulting in the Dutch energy market. Having started out advising on the BritNed interconnector before moving on to CCGTs/CHPs she now advises on all types of RES, BESS and other forms of storage, heat, waste and P2X for major utilities, integrated energy companies, developers, financial investors and Dutch policy makers together with her colleagues located in Rotterdam and Utrecht. Relevant project experience includes commercial and technical due diligence and strategic studies across battery storage portfolios and early-stage flexible storage pipelines, European BESS market overviews for clients including utilities, infrastructure investors and energy service providers.

Engineer, innovator, and CTO with 20+ years in renewable energy. Pieter leads the development of dynamic energy systems at ELIX and shares his expertise through professional energy storage training at a leading institute in the Netherlands.

After more than 10 years of working for the grid in Europe and Africa, Cécilia continues to advance the energy transition at enspired. In her role as Senior Sales Advisor, she is responsible for customers, projects, and strategic partnerships in the Netherlands, Belgium, France, and Iberia.

Michael is the CEO of Alfen N.V., a leading Dutch company at the heart of Europe’s energy transition. With over 24 years of experience in the sector, he specializes in scaling energy transition companies across Europe, North America, and China, including previous leadership roles within major multinationals like Shell and Bekaert. In his current role, he focuses on advancing smart grid solutions, large-scale energy storage, and EV infrastructure to drive long-term grid reliability and sustainable growth. Michael holds a Master of Science in Environmental Technology from Imperial College London.

Jakoba van der Mei works as an Investment Director at StartGreen Capital. StartGreen Capital has over €600 million in assets under management and provides both entrepreneurs and project owners financing for the energy transition and the circular economy. Her personal focus is on wind energy, solar, battery storage systems and energy infrastructure. Previously she held roles within investment banking in London and projectfinance at SMBC where she financed 1.9 GW of offshore and onshore wind. Jakoba is responsible for the acquisition, deal execution, and portfolio management of the ASN Energie & Innovation Fund.

Tugay Akbulut is a policy officer at the Ministry of Climate Policy and Green Growth. He focuses on the topics grid congestion, energy storage and energy innovation for our current and future energy systems. Tugay is particularly interested in the coordinated integration of chains of different energy carriers and end-use sectors into one sustainable, reliable, affordable, and safe energy system. Prior to joining the Ministry, Tugay worked for the Authority Consumers and Markets in the Energy Department with a focus on district heating and regional grid management.

Lotti Klasen is Project Finance Manager at GIGA Storage, where she focuses on financing large-scale battery storage projects across various jurisdictions including the Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. She is currently leading the financing of 1 GW of battery energy storage systems, driving tangible impact in the energy transition. Before joining GIGA, she held roles at Rabobank in both Europe and North America, structuring deals across a wide range of renewable energy and infrastructure sectors, from BESS, and geothermal energy to interconnectors and battery manufacturing. Lotti thrives where sustainability meets finance, leveraging her global perspective and deep sector knowledge to finance the technologies that will define the energy systems of the future.

Jeroen Zanders is the Head of Macquarie Capital’s Infrastructure & Energy Capital (IEC) business for Benelux and Germany. With over 18 years of experience, he specializes in the development and financing of Energy Transition, Digital, and Social Infrastructure. Jeroen has led landmark transactions totaling billions in value, including the 1400MWh Mufasa BESS and the €1.2bn Blankenburg Tunnel. He serves on several Macquarie boards and holds an MSc in Financial Economics from Erasmus University Rotterdam.

Iulia Pisca is a Structurer at Eneco Energy Trade, where she focuses on flexible assets and renewable energy markets. With a background spanning energy policy research and market analysis, including roles at the Clingendael International Energy Programme and PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment Agency, she brings deep insight into European energy dynamics. Iulia’s combined experience in market structuring and long-term policy trends makes her a valuable voice on how to integrate renewables and flexibility into evolving power markets.

After finishing his master degree in business economics at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen, Harold started his career as commercial banker in 1996. Harold has worked at several Dutch banks, and has fulfilled rolls in relationship management, structuring management buy outs, risk management and general management. After a post-doc study Corporate Social Responsibility at Erasmus Universiteit, he joined the Triodos Renewables Energy team. Harold’s main focusses are solarprojects and heat- and coldstorage projects in the Dutch market. As Triodos is a frontrunner in renewable energy since their origination in the 1980s, Harold is very interested in financing new technologies. His main goal is to contribute to fighting the climate change.

Pia van der Feltz has 20+ years of experience in origination, structuring, execution as well as relationship and portfolio management of infrastructure and project finance transactions with financial institutions in New York, London, Vienna and the Netherlands. Since 2011 she has been actively involved in a large number of renewable projects in the Netherlands and other European countries at Rabobank. Within the Project Finance team she is currently executive director and team lead relationship & portfolio management for the mid Europe region with the Netherlands being the biggest country. Recently she worked on several larger solar PV projects based on a combination of subsidy schemes, corporate PPAs and merchant revenues, as well as on co-location BESS projects and is closely involved in the relationship management of the Dutch project finance clients of Rabobank.Rabobank was one of the first financiers in the offshore wind sector, is currently also very active in BESS financings and has built up a strong portfolio in renewable energy, giving a distinctive advantage in terms of knowledge and experience for our clients and for new projects. Photo credits: Irene Vijfvinkel, Zie-hier.nu

Ernst de Wiljes is CEO and co-founder of Birdview Energy, a company that develops data-driven software and modelling tools for energy investment decisions, with a strong focus on battery storage, co-location with solar and wind, and grid congestion. His work focuses on combining electricity market models, grid constraints and dispatch optimisation to build realistic revenue forecasts and business cases for energy storage and renewable energy projects. Ernst has a background in engineering, data analysis and energy project development. With Birdview Energy, he is building tools that help investors, developers and energy companies make better decisions in an increasingly volatile energy system with growing congestion and flexibility markets.

Elisabeth leads Ember’s research on European grid infrastructure for decarbonisation. With nearly a decade of experience in EU energy policy, she is an expert in power system planning and in aligning infrastructure development with Europe’s decarbonisation, competitiveness, and energy security goals. Her work explores how grids can enable renewable integration, electrification, and how digitalisation - particularly the rise of data centres and AI - is reshaping the energy system. Elisabeth is also a co-convenor of the Stakeholder Reference Group, advising the European Network of Transmission System Operators (ENTSOs) on long-term network planning and scenario development.

Djoeke Schoonenberg is an Adviseur Regulering at Alliander, where she works on regulatory questions shaping the Dutch energy system. Before joining Alliander, she was a consultant at Andersson Elffers Felix, advising in the public domain. Djoeke started her career in academic research, completing a PhD in theoretical astrophysics at the University of Amsterdam. Her mix of analytical depth, public-sector consulting experience, and current regulatory expertise makes her a strong voice on the policy and market frameworks guiding the energy transition.

With a career in solar spanning nearly two decades, Martin has accumulated broad international experience across business development and market expansion. Having held leadership roles across EPC, trading and consultancy companies in Europe and Latin America, he now leads sales and business development efforts for meteocontrol in the DACH region.

Timothy Alders is a Systeemstrateeg at Stedin, where he works on shaping the future Dutch energy system with a focus on flexibility, infrastructure optimisation, and long-term system design. With academic backgrounds in Applied Physics, Sustainable Energy Technologies, and Economic and Consumer Psychology, he combines technical insight with a deep understanding of human behaviour in the energy transition. Through Stedin’s Toekomstmakers programme, he contributed to projects ranging from household flexibility and battery adoption to the 2050 energy system vision. Timothy brings a systems-level perspective on how technology, markets, and people must come together to build a climate-neutral energy system.

Valérie van Hagen works as an Innovation Advisor at the Dutch grid operator Stedin, where she is focused on innovations that ensure storage will become an integral part of the electricity grid and energy system. Previously, she led Statkraft's business and project development team for BESS, hydrogen and long-duration storage (LDES) in the Netherlands where she spent over six years accelerating the renewable energy landscape. Her drive is focused around translating the future system-level energy needs and challenges into scalable innovations that meet current system challenges as well. Her cross-sector expertise and continuous focus on innovation in the energy sector make her a challenging voice in any discussion around integrating flexbility and storage innovatively into today's and tomorrow's grid.

Willem Stitselaar is a former investment banker with over 25 years of experience in the infrastructure investment industry. He has an extensive background in financing large infrastructure development assets, with a strong focus on the Energy and Digital Transition sectors. Until recently, Willem served as Senior Managing Director at Macquarie Capital, where he spent 17 years building and leading strategic initiatives. During his tenure, he founded and scaled development platforms and businesses that played a key role in advancing the European energy transition and digitalisation efforts. He has a proven track record in capital raising, investing, and managing successful exits. Prior to joining Macquarie, Willem held positions at ABN AMRO Infrastructure Capital Europe and PricewaterhouseCoopers in London. He holds an MSc in Economics from the University of Amsterdam.

Mark van Zon is Director of Project Finance at ABN AMRO, where he leads financing for large-scale energy and infrastructure projects. With over 15 years of experience, including nearly 11 years at KPMG Corporate Finance, Mark has advised on and structured complex deals across the energy transition landscape. His deep understanding of financial risk, bankability, and investor dynamics makes him a key contributor to conversations on scaling clean energy. At ABN AMRO, he helps turn innovative energy projects into bankable realities.

Aron has 6+ years of experience in the European flexibility markets. At Flexcity, a leading European route-to-market provider and BESS optimiser managing a portfolio of 3.5 GW, he leads the offering on BESS and renewables for the Benelux and French markets. Before joining Flexcity, he worked at a UK-based advisor supporting investments in BESS and renewables.

Rens Savenije is the Commercial Director at Ventolines. With over 12 years of experience, he has led large projects and teams in the renewable energy sector. Rens will join a panel on regulatory and market challenges in Dutch energy storage, covering market trends, policy changes, cybersecurity risks, non-EU technology integration, spatial regulations, and financing models. Ventolines is an integrated service provider in the sustainable energy sector, supporting clients at every stage. We have achieved more than 2 GW of sustainable energy capacity for our clients and manage an asset portfolio of over 1.5 GW. We delivering solutions for wind, solar, energy storage, and system integration projects.

Sander has over 15 years of experience in renewable energy project development. He currently serves as head of project development at energy supplier Vrijopnaam. In this role, Sander focuses primarily on the development and operation of DSO integrated solar parks, often combined with co-located battery storage systems. His work is driven by the goal of creating maximum value for Vrijopnaam’s customers, enabling them to actively participate in and benefit from all production and storage assets.

Nicolas Gréant is the COO and co-founder of Reeload, a specialist electrotechnical contractor building the grid infrastructure that powers the energy transition, one site at a time. From transformer station to battery storage installations, fast charging infrastructure and solar electrical works, Reeload handles design, installation, commissioning and long-term maintenance across the Benelux for grid operators, energy developers and fleet operators. Nicolas brings over 15 years of international energy experience, installing floating and ground-mounted solar parks up to 30MW and having worked across industrial energy projects in Asia and Europe.

Elina Bosch holds a Master’s degree in Energy Engineering and has been working since 2019 as a Senior Analyst at the Becquerel Institute, a Belgian consultancy company specialized in solar photovoltaics. Her expertise spans key aspects of the solar PV sector, including market dynamics, regulatory frameworks and techno-economic analysis for conventional and emerging solar PV applications. She is actively involved in research and consultancy projects, supporting research centers, organizations, and companies across various countries by providing strategic insights, analyzing the competitiveness of PV business models, and tracking regulatory developments affecting the sector.

Tom Kuiper is Business Development Manager at Rolls-Royce Solutions, responsible for utility-scale BESS across the Benelux. With a background in engineering and international business, Tom brings over a decade of experience in renewable energy, spanning solar, microgrids, and energy storage across Europe and Asia-Pacific. His career has evolved from solar and off-grid systems in Australia to leading commercial growth strategies for advanced BESS solutions in mature European energy markets. Combining technical understanding with commercial strategy, Tom works closely with utilities, developers, and investors to structure bankable, high-performance storage projects that address grid stability, flexibility, and long-term asset optimization. Outside of his professional work, Tom is an active beekeeper, reflecting his broader commitment to sustainability, environmental stewardship, and resilient ecosystems — principles that also underpin his approach to energy transition and energy storage development.

Jesse heads Aurora’s Research and Advisory team for the Dutch and Belgian markets. His expertise is the economics of renewables, flexible technologies, and energy policy, with a proven track record as a market advisor on several strategic studies and transactions for developers, investors, and policy makers. Prior to joining Aurora, Jesse worked for Eneco in Rotterdam.

Bouke van der Weerdt is the Chief Technology Officer for Huawei’s Benelux Solar division, seated in the Amsterdam office. With over 14 years of experience in power conversion technology for both terrestrial and space applications, photovoltaic applications became the common thread in his professional career.Huawei, in the industry mainly known for smartphones, enterprise IT and telecom products, is now also the #1 global supplier for string inverters with an installed portfolio exceeding 90GW in 2018. Huawei’s solar portfolio delivers complete inverter solutions from 2kW residential applications up to utility-scale solar farms as large as 1GW using exclusively string inverters.In his current position as Solutions Manager, Bouke is responsible for the customer’s technical requests within the Benelux sales team. “My job is to help the customer find the best solution for his application, using Huawei’s extensive product portfolio. These solutions extend far beyond the classical PV module – inverter interface, into more data-driven approaches where digital communication becomes key to the long-term success of the installation.”

Guy worked as quality, safety and project manager for Hydrogenics from 1999 to 2007. During this period he was closely involved in the development of the alkaline electrolyser and the first R&D models of the PEM electrolyser. Between 2007 and 2019, Guy worked as operations director for a large EPC company active across Europe in the development, construction and operation of PV plants, where he gained extensive experience in PV and built an extensive global network of specialists. In 2019, he founded his own company, Navitas Projects, where he provides technical and financing consultancy for renewable energy projects in Europe.

Dr. Koen Broess holds a PhD in biophysics and a master’s degree in chemistry. He is the Chief Commercial Officer at S4 Energy, managing strategic business and market development. Before joining S4, he spent over 15 years at DNV, where he was responsible for the strategic growth of the energy storage business in Europe. At the national level, Dr. Broess contributed to the Dutch climate agreement, as well as the energy storage and electric vehicle batteries roadmap for the Dutch government. He is a member of the working group for the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management focused on battery safety and regulations. In 2023, he chaired the Dutch working group on grid fees for energy storage. He has been a board member of Energy Storage Netherlands (ESNL) since 2021 and served as an executive board member of the European Association for Storage of Energy (EASE) from 2020 until April 2025.

Andreas is a renewable energy executive with over 25 years of international project leadership experience, including more than 15 years in utility-scale solar PV and energy storage. He has delivered more than 1 GWp of large-scale projects across Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and East Asia, holding senior roles in EPC execution, project development, and corporate leadership. His expertise spans CAPEX optimization, grid-connection processes, and the integration of BESS with utility-scale PV to enhance yield, reliability, and lifecycle economics. He combines hands-on construction experience with strategic program management in multi-country portfolios and complex grid environments.

Barbera is a Data Scientist at Edmij, where she develops algorithms to determine when and how flexibility should be used. Her work focuses on optimizing solar, wind, and battery assets by selecting the right strategies and markets, while accounting for local conditions. As a one-stop shop, Edmij combines multiple roles (BRP, BSP, CSP) in the energy value chain to help clients make the most of their energy assets.

Timon Dubbeling is a Senior Energy Regulator at the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets, where he leads on congestion management, balancing markets, and the integration of flexibility into European electricity markets. With over a decade of experience across public and private sectors - including roles at the International Energy Agency and TOTAL/SunPower - he has worked on everything from market design to large-scale solar project development. Alongside his regulatory work, he teaches electricity market design at Sciences Po in Paris. Timon brings a uniquely comprehensive perspective on how market rules and system integration can enable a reliable, flexible, and decarbonised power system.

Wilko is a lawyer and has ample experience in regulated markets and competition law. His main focus is the energy sector. He works in cases relating to the energy transition, grid congestion, and tariff regulation. Prior to joining the ACM, he worked as an attorney in Stek’s regulatory team. Wilko holds LLM’s in both European law and law & economics.

Versatile experimental physicist with a passion for energy transition. My scientific background and heart for sustainability fuel my commitment to bridging research and society. As a flexibility and storage consultant, I apply expertise to model and analyze techno-economic questions on a system level. Dedicated to collaboration, I strive to connect minds and work together in shaping a sustainable energy system of the future.

Anders Hove is a Senior Research Fellow at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, focusing on China’s role in the global energy transition. He brings over two decades of experience across energy policy, finance, and technology, including nine years on Wall Street and twelve years in Beijing. Before joining OIES, Anders directed the Sino-German Energy Transition project at GIZ and was a non-resident fellow at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. With expertise in storage, solar, and smart grids, he offers a rare global perspective on the evolving energy landscape.

Jan Willem has over 20 years of experience in the energy market and worked for some of the larger utilities. Early 2020, Jan Willem sold his previous companies Greenspread and Greencrowd to private equity concern NPM Capital. Since his departure in October 2020, Jan Willem works as an independent consultant at Stratergy. Stratergy advises funds, banks, utilities, and large consumers and producers of energy and specializes in maximizing asset value and minimizing financial risk.

Erik brings over 15 years of experience in energy and flexibility markets. He combines a deep understanding of market design with hands-on experience in building energy tech companies and has a strong vision for how to grow Balanz into a European powerhouse. Erik believes a new type of energy company — built on low variable costs and smart, data-driven strategies — can operate up to four times more efficiently than traditional BRPs.

Cillian is a policy expert at Form Energy, where he leads government affairs and regulatory strategy to accelerate the deployment of multi-day energy storage. He focuses on shaping energy market designs and legislative frameworks that recognize the value of long-duration storage in achieving 100% carbon-free grids. With an extensive background in European and international climate policy, Cillian works closely with policymakers and grid operators to remove barriers to deep decarbonization. His expertise lies in bridging the gap between innovative hardware technology and complex energy policy to ensure a reliable and affordable clean energy transition.

Dee is a Project Manager at Solarplaza, where she leads high-impact renewable energy events focused on Agri-PV, Floating-PV, Energy Storage, and more. Drawing on a decade of experience in sustainability, Dee excels at facilitating collaborative discussions and driving knowledge sharing among industry leaders. She focuses on advancing the energy transition by connecting key stakeholders and fostering practical insights within complex sustainable markets.