Jan-Joost Schouten
Department Head Hydro Dynamics en Offshore Technologies
I love the drive people have here. I’m very inspired by them. Every day, they make me think “I enjoy cycling over the bridge and going to work.”
As head of a department, I am responsible for thirty professionals with different backgrounds and areas of expertise. People work on their own applications and I notice there is a lot of energy.
Offshore energy is my department’s main focus. Offshore wind is an especially important topic, but in recent years there has also been an increasing focus on floating solar panels .
Working on the complete picture
When it comes to the development of offshore wind, we also pay attention to biodiversity in the North Sea and water quality. The construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms has an impact on water and life in the North Sea. These are aspects that we as Deltares also consider. We understand the interests of other stakeholders, and take those interests into account in a balanced way in our research and project development. It’s something that I care for personally; the plight of nature and animals is something that has always been close to my heart.
The societal aspect is something I consider more broadly. We need to reduce our consumption. This will eventually lead to a decrease in demand for renewable electricity and a lower demand for electricity in general. At the moment, energy consumption and demand is only increasing. But wind alone cannot meet that demand.
Leading by example
I am also concerned with minimising my own footprint. After all, no matter how many windmills we build in the North Sea, no matter how many solar panels we install, something really has to change in our behaviour and energy consumption.
We’ve transformed our 1920s house to make it climate neutral. It’s been a big investment. I kept track of all the developments and then shared them. I hope to inspire other people, but also to share the lessons I learned on this journey. There are more examples where I make personal choices that are in line with what I do in my work. Choices in which the impact on both nature and climate are an important factor.
If you look at the complexity of the global issues that we face as asociety, you realise you have to work together to come to a solution. We can't do this alone.
Sharing knowledge is important in the work we do at Deltares. If we have certain knowledge, sharing it with others automatically results in an interaction with that other person. They, in turn , give something back that makes us smarter. At the same time, sharing knowledge also generates trust. If you are open and honest, you are the ideal cooperation partner.