I’m Jaap Waverijn, PhD student at
the Groningen Centre of Energy Law...
and also connected to the Private Law
Department of the UG Faculty of Law.
My research focuses on how to reduce
the costs of renewable energy projects.
In particular, I look at projects at sea...
because there’s great potential
for renewable energy at sea.
What I really like about my research,
is that I research which laws...
can reduce the costs of renewable
energy projects.
And thereby contribute
to combating climate change.
Because we have to make great
investments in renewable energy...
reducing the costs will be vital...
to install and to construct enough
renewable energy plants...
to effectively combat climate change.
The cost of renewable energy sources,
such as solar and wind...
has already dropped greatly
by technological innovation.
But the cost of borrowing money
is disproportionately high.
An offshore windfarm can cost
as much as one to two billion Euros.
So the interest rates you have to pay
over ten to twenty years are enormous.
We can reduce these interest rates
by introducing specific legal solutions...
to problems and issues
that I've identified in practice.
This is what I focus on in my research.
Groningen is an ideal place
to carry out energy research.
There are many initiatives
and research centres...
which look at all the different aspects
of the energy sector.
