The Energy research Centre of the Netherlands (ECN) is the leading centre for energy research and development in the Netherlands. ECN conducts technology and policy research to find solutions to meeting social needs for energy services in a safe, efficient and clean way. ECN comprises 700 staff, structured into eight business units: Solar Energy; Wind Energy; Biomass; Energy Efficiency; Clean Fossil Fuels; Fuel cells, Renewable Energy in the Built Environment, and Policy Studies. ECN Policy Studies is submitting this Expression of Interest.
The unit Policy Studies has 73 employees and offices in Petten and Amsterdam. Its mission is to contribute to a more sustainable energy supply by conducting high level policy research and offering advice to governments, companies and public organisations. The unit has established a strong position with respect to its advising role in Dutch energy and climate policy, excelling at (quantitative) analyses of the effects of policy instruments and market regulation. The unit is regularly involved in the decision-making process of Dutch energy and climate policy. The amount of work for the European Commission has increased considerably, presently encompassing about half of the unit’s portfolio, with a considerable increase in involvement in policy recommendation recently. A small share of the unit’s work entails global issues and offering advice with respect to energy policy in developing countries.
Expertise and capacity
The ECN Policy Studies unit has a large record on work concerning policy and regulatory aspects of CO2 capture and storage, as well as on the social acceptance of CCS and other energy technologies. ECN coordinated IPCC’s Special Report on Carbon dioxide Capture and Storage. Recent and new relevant projects concerning public awareness of CCS and other energy technologies include the FP6 ACCSEPT and CreateAcceptance projects, and the FP7 projects NearCO2 and Changing Behaviour. ECN Policy Studies has recently worked on CCS assignments for the European Commission DG Environment. These concerned the development of a regulatory framework for CCS in the EU, work on Monitoring and Reporting Guidelines for CCS in the ETS, and on public acceptance issues related to using CCS as a mitigation technology in the Clean Development Mechanism. ECN has a vast experience in coordinating complex EU projects in interdisciplinary consortia.