Recharge Earth 2025 — Digital technologies & the energy transition

How can digital technologies make the energy transition not only faster, but also fairer and more inclusive? ⚡

Digital transformation is a key enabler of the energy transition. Technologies such as AI, blockchain, and tokenization don’t just accelerate technical progress; they also make the transition more sustainable and people-centered. At ECDA, we support this mission through professional programs, collaborative research, and innovation projects that connect academia with industry and decision-makers.

🚀 At Recharge Earth 2025, the Netherlands’ leading energy transition conference, we spent two inspiring days exchanging insights with innovators, experts, and partners. The event was a true showcase of collaboration — from startups and field labs to governments, energy producers, grid operators, banks, academics, and young innovators — highlighting that the energy transition is a collective effort.

Thank you to everyone who joined our session on “Decentralized Energy Communities as a driver for a fairer energy landscape”, led by our Executive Director Marcel van Oosterhout 🟥 and Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition Managing Director Malou Kroezen, with speakers:

  • Yashar Ghiassi-Farrokhfal, our Academic Director of Smart Energy & Sustainability and Associate Professor at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University,
  • Alex Bausch, Executive Chairman at 2Tokens,
  • Tine De Moor, Professor of Social Enterprise & Institutions for Collective Action at Rotterdam School of Management, Erasmus University,
  • Kennard C. Brandenburgh, Chief Commercial Officer at Distro Energy.

Some key takeaways:

Decentralized energy hubs and the growth of energy cooperatives strengthen energy sovereignty, reduce the barriers to investing in renewable energy production, and keep the transition affordable and more inclusive.
Grid congestion is one of NL’s biggest challenges — local organization of energy supply and demand, reducing peak loads on the grid, and facilitating smart connections are key to a future-ready system.
Tokenization, blockchain & AI facilitate building trust and transparency, enabling new peer-to-peer energy models and incentives for sustainable behavior.
Legislation is lagging behind in facilitating the transition.
Banks and local governments can take a share in the establishment of local cooperatives and energy hubs, thereby reducing initial financial risks.

We were also excited to welcome you to our Erasmus University Rotterdam and Convergence | TU Delft-Erasmus MC-EUR booth, together with our partners from the Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition and the Convergence Center for Energy System Intelligence. Thank you for all the meaningful conversations.

If you want to learn more about tokenization and energy transition, check the link in the comments section to read about the upcoming Masterclass on Digital Energy, organized together with Erasmus Centre for Energy Transition and 2Tokens, and by Power of the Many.