“The turning point is right here, by the hill.” That’s not just the turning point during René Paas’ — King’s Commissioner in Groningen — weekly rowing route. It’s also a turning point for the energy transition: just outside the city of Groningen, near the hill in Dorkwerd, lies a field full of solar collectors. These panels provide heat for nearly 3,000 homes — year-round. No gas. Just sun. Makes sense, right?
Where it all started
Using solar heat to warm homes — it sounds like common sense. And yet, it took eight years to bring this project to life. “In 2017, Novar and K3 began discussions about a sustainable solution for K3’s sludge depot. Around the same time, WarmteStad was looking for a new heat source. The gas tap had to close. I knew about very innovative large-scale solar thermal applications in Denmark — and I had a real aha-erlebnis: why not here too?” — Jelmer Pijlman, Director, Novar (via Solar Magazine). That simple question became the spark.
Pioneering: magnificent and challenging
“Pioneering is inspiring — but it’s also tough. You need more than a good idea. You need endurance. But maybe even more important: you need each other. That we succeeded — here, in Dorkwerd — says a lot. About the people behind this vision. About Novar, a can-do company from Groningen. But also about this region, our drive, and our history. Our experience with fossil fuels and gas drillings is exactly why we choose to do things differently.” — René Paas, King’s Commissioner in Groningen.
And it was different. Questions poured in: “What is it? What does it do? Is there nuisance? What are the risks?” — all very legitimate concerns, says Jelmer Pijlman. “And no, we didn’t have all the answers right away. A lot of knowledge had to be exchanged between Novar, K3, the municipality, the province, WarmteStad, and neighbours. The first collector wasn’t installed until September 2023.”
We had to figure a lot out along the way. — Jelmer Pijlman | Director, Novar
Thanks to TVP SOLAR SA, this piece of high-tech is now up and running in the Netherlands. Their CEO, Piero Abbate, told one of the newspapers: “Because of the weather, we couldn’t start construction until November 2022. People told us, ‘You’re not used to Dutch rain.’ I replied: ‘It’s not the rain — it’s your mud!’”
Fine-tuning a first-of-its-kind
This project had no blueprint to follow. Every step was new. What started with one aha-moment is now a functioning, integrated heat system — the result of guts, collaboration, and commitment. And we’re just getting started. The technology opens up major opportunities: “We’ve been running for a while, and the system is working well overall. Still, many factors influence the park’s performance — like insulation, energy generation, storage, and delivery. It’s a complex system that needs extremely precise data-driven control. What happens inside the technical control room is crucial. In the coming period, we’ll focus on learning and optimizing.”
— Jelmer Pijlman.
A blueprint for the energy transition
“This park proves something vital: it’s possible. It works. That’s why I’m now calling on municipalities, provinces, companies — and all others: the ball is in your court. We’ve shown it can be done. Now it’s your turn.” — René Paas.
Groningen, WarmteStad, K3 Delta and others chose the right path — not the simplest one. They went bold, not small. Proactive, not passive. And that’s exactly what the energy transition needs: trailblazers who change the system by simply doing. “As for me,” says René Paas, “I’ll be rowing again on the Reitdiep this Saturday — all the way to the hill. That’s where I’ll look up and think: what used to be a finish line, is now a promising beginning.”
