Meet the Society: The Energy Club

The organisation is part of the Delft Energy Initiative (DEI), which they describe as “the portal and (sparring) partner for companies, government agencies and other stakeholders in society wanting to make use of TU Delft’s broad and detailed knowledge in the energy field.”

According to Rob de Jeu, Chairman of the Energy Club, their main goal is to help students find the place where they belong in the energy sector. De Jeu, who is pursuing a master’s in sustainable energy technology, is an example of this. “I was interested in energy and felt an urge to get involved,” he said. “I believe in sustainable energy and wanted to find where I fit in.” De Jeu explained that they try to connect students with projects, research and companies. He also mentioned that aside from their main goal the Energy Club strives to support integration between Dutch and international students at TU Delft. And the organization leads by example when it comes to integration, with three Dutch and three internationals on the current board.

With more than 700 scientists working on energy at TU Delft, there is a large wealth of expertise to benefit from. The Energy Club tries to bridge the gap between students, professors, researchers and members of the energy industry. Specifically, they help professors and students get new energy projects started, they help other students find existing projects to work on and provide a platform to interested parties to exchange information.

One example of a current project is Delft Team Vortex, a group that is trying to create a fully wind-powered car. Another group called South Pole Solar Powered is trying to determine if it is possible to drive a solar powered vehicle to the South Pole.

Each year the Energy Club sponsors various events, like lectures on current energy topics and visits to energy related projects and companies. The largest events include the Dutch Cleantech Challenge, the All Energy Day and the Energy Festival. The latter event is held every September in front of the Aula Conference Centre, where they display energy projects from the university and host an evening with drinks and socializing.

For more information on getting involved with the Energy Club or to subscribe to their newsletter visit www.energyclub.nl.

This is part of our ongoing series Meet The Society which highlights different student groups and societies at TU Delft. If you’d like to suggest an organisation for us to cover, please email us at deltainternational@tudelft.nl.