Amelanders discussing sustainable heat
During a first round of discussions about the heat transition on Ameland, many questions were asked. That was also the intention. Ameland is investigating various options to provide the island with heat in a sustainable way. While that is happening, the municipality wants to hear from as many residents as possible what they think about sustainable energy and sustainable heat. And what questions they have.
During the first four discussion evenings, in February and March, a total of approximately 125 Amelanders came together to exchange ideas about sustainable heat for their homes. Natural gas will no longer be available from 2035. Ameland is currently investigating various options to provide island households and businesses with sustainable heat, as shown by the presentations by Erwin de Boer and Luc van Tiggelen from the municipality. Geothermal energy (geothermal heat), hydrogen and various solutions with heat pumps are being investigated. These options are quite drastic for the island and most of them are only feasible if many households participate. Yet it is undesirable to oblige households to do anything; In principle, homeowners decide for themselves about their own home. That is why it is important to exchange ideas about the future energy supply now, so that everyone can soon make the right decisions for themselves.
During the meetings in the villages, many questions were asked about the technology, costs and reliability of the future heat supply. The municipality showed which technical solutions are currently being further investigated, what is already known about them and what is not yet known. The conversations were also about control: who will be at the controls? Is that a large energy company or is it the Amelanders themselves?