THE HAGUE, May 28 (Xinhua) -- As the Netherlands races to meet ambitious climate targets, Arnhem is positioning itself as a testing ground for the energy transition. In the eastern Dutch city, decarbonization challenges are being tackled through industrial production, electricity research and education facilities.
Known as a center of the Dutch electricity sector, Arnhem is home to major grid operators, energy technology firms and research institutions. Today, the city is trying to turn that legacy into a model for climate innovation built around an integrated ecosystem.
Arnhem's efforts come as pressure is mounting on the Netherlands to meet legally binding climate goals. Under the Dutch Climate Act, the country aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 55 percent by 2030 compared with 1990 levels and achieve climate neutrality by 2050.
Local stakeholders say meeting those goals will require advances not only in renewable energy, but also in electrification, energy storage, grid management and industrial cooperation.
At the center of Arnhem's strategy is Cleantech Park Arnhem, a 90-hectare industrial campus transformed from a mid-20th-century manufacturing site into an energy transition hub.
The park, acquired by a private real estate company in 2003, now hosts around 140 companies and roughly 3,000 workers involved in hydrogen systems, battery recycling, electric mobility, charging infrastructure and circular manufacturing.
Rather than operating as a conventional business park, the site functions as a "living laboratory," where companies can test, manufacture and scale technologies in an industrial setting.
"Our focus has mainly been on developing ecosystems," Maurice den Biesen, business development manager at Cleantech Park Arnhem, told Xinhua. "It is not just about one building or a shared office space, but about creating an environment where companies can grow and collaborate."
The park narrowed its focus around 15 years ago to sectors linked to clean tech, the circular economy and energy transition technologies.
A defining feature of the park is its integration of education into industrial development. HAN University of Applied Sciences operates engineering workshops and laboratories where students spend several days each week working directly on industrial projects.
"Students work directly with neighboring companies on actual prototypes and systems," said Iwan van Bochove, project manager at HAN University. "This gives companies early access to talent and gives students practical experience that significantly boosts employability."
Cleantech Park Arnhem initiated Connectr Energy Innovation in 2020, together with HAN University and the East Netherlands Development Agency.
"When we started Connectr, we developed a mission around the idea that '2030 is tomorrow'," said Maarten de Vries, innovation manager at Connectr Energy Innovation.
"Our idea was that energy transition and entrepreneurship can go hand in hand," he said. Unlike traditional incubators focused primarily on office space or venture funding, Connectr Energy Innovation links governments, researchers, startups and established companies through testing facilities, innovation programs and financing support.
"We try to bring together public and private parties and tailor support to what companies actually need," De Vries said.
Supporting the broader ecosystem is Electricity Campus, home to institutions including Dutch transmission system operator TenneT, energy consultancy DNV and internationally recognized testing laboratories.
For decades, the site helped validate electrical technologies used across the Netherlands, shaping Arnhem's reputation as a city for testing and certification.
"Arnhem has this DNA," De Vries said. "If you want to test something, validate it and prove it is trustworthy, this is the place to do it."
Research at the campus increasingly focuses on digitalization of electricity networks, smart substations, predictive maintenance and grid optimization, all seen as critical for a more electrified economy.
Yet Arnhem's ambitions also face a contradiction increasingly shaping the Dutch energy transition: the faster electrification advances, the greater the pressure placed on the power grid.
Across much of the Netherlands, grid congestion has become a major obstacle to economic growth and decarbonization, with some companies waiting years for new electricity connections.
"This has become a serious economic problem," De Vries said. "In almost all parts of the Netherlands, obtaining a new grid connection has become difficult."
"We need faster procedures, but we also need to use the grid more intelligently," De Vries said, pointing to battery storage, flexible demand systems, local energy hubs and shared grid capacity as possible solutions. ■