Rotterdam in development

58 R O T T E R D A M I N D E V E L O P M E N T | 2 0 1 8 n terms of elements from the sustainability palette, energy is one of the easiest to tackle. “It can change very quickly,” Molenaar confirms. “Together with the Municipality of Rotterdam, we are working hard to make homes gas-free. Around 10–15% of our homes are currently gasless; most of those homes are connected to Rotterdam’s heating grid. We also use hot- cold storage installations, heat pumps and solar panels. Ultimately, we will have to grow towards a completely new energy system,” Molenaar emphasises. That energy system must not only be gasless, but must no longer release damaging CO2 in the production of electricity and heating. “We can use a variety of sustainable energy sources in that system, and mix them up together. Then it’s a question of taking advantage of wind energy, solar panels, geothermal and all kinds of other sources. Using the heating map, we can get an idea of the right approach for each area.” COOPERATION She shows a print of a heating map, showing which energy system can best be installed in a residential area such as Pendrecht. At the same time, the heating map shows that cooperation is necessary for the energy transition: the housing corporation needs other players such as the municipality, property owners, fellow corporations and energy companies in order to reach their goals. “Cooperation and an area-specific approach are very important,” says Maria Molenaar. “We can draw up heating maps by linking our own data to the information held by the municipality and the energy companies. That means we’ll be able to determine how things stand with the infrastructure for surplus heat and see which sources can be linked together. I think there’s still room to strengthen that cooperation. The municipality is already an important partner, but it has its own infrastructure in neighbourhoods where we have homes. There’s an opportunity to create links for other utilities, and then you see a chain reaction. The right approach can vary from area to area. An integrated approach is paramount, allowing the partners to look past their own interests.” The plans Woonstad Rotterdam has are ambitious, and making them a reality will require money: Woonstad Rotterdam has calculated that it will take €1.5 billion to make the housing stock sustainable up to 2050. That comes to about €50 million a year. Maria Molenaar: “But we can’t raise that amount of money. Of course we can’t – we’re just getting started. Many solutions are currently still expensive and will definitely become cheaper over time. We are also looking to The Hague to help make our entire housing stock CO2 neutral. That requires significant investment, and it would help in finding that investment if something could be done about the landlord charge, which is imposed on the housing corporations to reduce the national debt and improve the housing market. In the coalition agreement, the cabinet is releasing €100 million a year through the landlord charge across the entire housing corporation sector, to make homes more energy efficient. That’s a drop in the ocean. Woonstad Rotterdam alone is already investing an extra €20 million a year in increasing sustainability.