About ECN

Conducting research in the use of sustainable energy
Europe, and The Netherlands in particular, needs all possible options to achieve its climate objectives. That means researching the use of sustainable energy, energy conservation and clean use of fossil fuels, fields in which ECN makes significant headway. Take for instance the solar cell module development, the wind farm aerodynamics, the second generation production of Green Gas from biomass, and CO2 capture whether combined or not with hydrogen production. In fact, in the field of CCS (CO2 capture and storage) the Netherlands make important progress.

The R&D world of energy technology is a vast world. ECN is proud of its broad range of experts working in this world. You will have to visit a lot of countries to find a comparable institute demonstrating a similar variety of research activities.



Organisation and funding
Research activities at ECN are directed towards efficient use of energy and infrastructure, deployment of renewable energy sources, clean conversion of fossil fuels and development of energy analyses and policies. While targets for the near and medium term have been set in Europe, substantial further acceleration of new technologies is required to meet the long term goals.
ECN aims to carry out groundbreaking research that will have a major influence on energy transition and brings technologies to every stage of development.

The strength of ECN lies in it’s portfolio, which enables the development of new generations of technologies. Many technologies have reached maturity in recent years, increasingly resulting in third-party economic activity.
ECN focuses on the needs of government and industry. In addition, it conducts contract research for companies and governmental institutions and to a large extent for the European Union. ECN also generates income via licenses and spin off companies. Moreover ECN collaborates intensively with outer knowledge institutes and universities.