USEF: From a foundation to a movement – interview with Frits Verheij
Frits Verheij, founding father of USEF, has recently changed careers and therefore handed over his responsibilities as member of the USEF Board to DNV GL’s Petra de Boer. We talk with him about his own journey, from humble beginnings and the eureka moment, to the USEF of today. “It all began with the Smart Energy Collective, in 2010, which aimed to develop pilot projects based on a generic smart energy design, in response to two Netherlands smart energy projects dating back to 2007. The collective was originally made up of 20 companies but there was great interest, with more joining until we peaked at 30 companies.”
From humble beginnings
“It all began with the Smart Energy Collective, in 2010, which aimed to develop pilot projects based on a generic smart energy design, in response to two Netherlands smart energy projects dating back to 2007. The collective was originally made up of 20 companies but there was great interest, with more joining until we peaked at 30 companies.”
“We selected 5 projects to work on but soon realised that there was a significant difference between developing a project and developing a generic design. Project development is really about getting stuck in and doing, whereas developing a generic design requires more conceptual thinking and discussing to get the full picture right. With this in mind, we split into smaller groups, each with its own distinct focus.”
Going universal – the eureka moment
“The eureka moment was really when we decided that, rather than make a generic design for our 5 projects, we should aim to create a universal design that could, in theory, be applied to all smart energy projects. It was obvious immediately that, to achieve this, we would need a legal entity and a single brand so that we could work to make it both recognisable and credible.”
“For me, one of the key challenges for USEF was trying to decide on the level of detail and complexity to include in the framework. By its very nature, it was always going to be technical but this had to be balanced with the need to present it as something which could be understood by all the potential key players and decision-makers in a smart energy future, many of whom are not technical people.”
Being recognised as unique and an authority
“There have been many highlights in my USEF journey: being part of something new and exciting; working in cross-functional groups made up of utilities, DNO’s, IT companies, technology providers and consultancies. Ultimately though, my greatest satisfaction comes from the fact that USEF is now recognised as delivering something unique when it comes to flex integration. I believe that government bodies and authorities genuinely do see the USEF Foundation as an authority on the subject. They regularly ask for insight which they have told us is of great use for the transition to smart energy.”
A new personal direction
We asked Frits about his new role. Apparently this is threefold: “I have started my own company which has already been hired by the Dutch Innovation Consortium on Urban Energy, an organisation focused on bringing together the research organisations, industries and other commercial companies, and governmental bodies to stimulate innovation and further develop the urban energy agenda. My position there is Vice Chairman of the Board but, for the first 3 months, I will be acting Chairman to cover a sabbatical leave. “
“I am also working for the research organisation, TNO, where I actually began my career 30 years ago, obviously in a very different role. This time, I am tasked with growing their energy business. After August, this will account for 80{0b8b8d742062eef5b9eaec5ce01762ad596b8d05fafd31ff31e1e032fb5f3863} of my time with 20{0b8b8d742062eef5b9eaec5ce01762ad596b8d05fafd31ff31e1e032fb5f3863} left for my own company.”
Recognised as best practice – a huge achievement!
When asked to summarise his USEF journey and hopes for its future, Frits said: “After a great 15 years at DNV GL, the time felt right to move on. Actually, the hardest part of my decision to leave was accepting that I would also have to leave USEF. I’m thrilled about the links that USEF Foundation now has with Brussels and The Hague. I believe that the framework is recognised in both places as best practice for the development of the flex market and would like to think that I was in some way instrumental in helping to achieve that. I also hope to be able to offer future support in that direction if I can.”
“My greatest hope is that USEF will become best practice for the whole of Europe in relation to using flexibility to drive the shift from centralised to decentralised energy. I believe the adjustment in strategy last year will help to facilitate this. The workstream approach, with the Aggregator and DSO workstreams already underway, is definitely the right direction.”
My greatest hope is for USEF to grow from a foundation into a movement
“Ultimately, I hope that USEF will become not just a foundation, but a movement – made up of many people and organisations working together, sharing knowledge and passion, whether as users or ambassadors. I believe that this is possible. Last week I chaired a conference. There was a special moment, where someone who didn’t know me very well talked to me at length about his smart energy project which is based on the USEF platform. It was perfect timing. I felt such a great sense of achievement, not just for myself but for everybody involved in USEF. We’ve come a long way and I’m confident it will continue.”