What research is needed to accelerate the development of Multi-Commodity Energy Hubs in the Netherlands? On behalf of Topsector Energy – System Integration and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency (RVO), Common Futures developed a Knowledge & Innovation Roadmap that identifies, categorises, and places the key research questions for Multi-Commodity Energy Hubs on a timeline. The roadmap provides a structured foundation for research activities starting in 2025.
Why Multi-Commodity Energy Hubs?
An Energy Hub is a local energy system in which sustainable generation and demand are intelligently coordinated. Current initiatives primarily focus on electricity, for example to address grid congestion. But in the future, so-called Multi-Commodity Energy Hubs (MCEHs) – which integrate multiple energy carriers – could also contribute to sustainability, affordability, reliability, and efficiency. Not just locally, but for the energy system as a whole.
Background of the study
As part of the System Integration programme, Topsector Energy aims to accelerate innovation around energy hubs. Common Futures was therefore asked to develop a roadmap that clarifies which questions need to be answered, and how the corresponding studies should be scheduled in order to enable the development and scaling up of MCEHs.
What did we do?
The roadmap is based on a literature review and interviews with 21 experts from a variety of organisations, including TU Delft, Triodos, and local hub coordinators. In total, 60 questions were identified, grouped into six main questions and sixteen themes:
We presented the roadmap to 60 stakeholders, who were immediately able to link it to their own work on energy hubs. The report can be downloaded via the menu on the right-hand side of this page.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or to exchange ideas!
