ESG Maps Pro Brings Solar and Energy Hub Insights to Drenthe Municipalities

Making businesses and business parks more sustainable can feel overwhelming. Solar generation, grid congestion, energy demand and cooperation between businesses are all part of the same transition. However, when those challenges are brought back to individual roofs, plots and locations, the opportunities become easier to see.

That idea was central to the Inspiration Afternoon event in Fluitenberg, focused on making businesses and business parks in Drenthe more sustainable. ESG Maps joined the Province of Drenthe, municipalities, entrepreneurs and other organisations involved in the regional energy transition to show how spatial data can help turn broad sustainability ambitions into more concrete starting points.

The ambition is there. The harder question is where to begin.

The Inspiration Afternoon event opened with keynote speaker Tijmen Sissing, known as the Trashpacker, who focused on the power of taking small steps together towards a cleaner and more sustainable future. That message closely reflects the challenge faced by business parks: the energy transition can seem enormous when approached as one problem, but it becomes more manageable when organisations look at it roof by roof and plot by plot.

Drenthe already has a network of municipalities, businesses and organisations working on those challenges. During the event, examples included pioneering work by the Municipality of Emmen at De Tweeling, the Municipality of Tynaarlo’s approach to accelerating solar energy and knowledge sharing through the Community of Practice. As a result, the Inspiration Afternoon was not about creating ambition from scratch. It was about connecting existing ambition with practical ways to move forward.

Knowing you need to become more sustainable is easy. Seeing where the opportunities are is harder.

During the Inspiration Afternoon, Egbert Griffioen demonstrated how municipalities and park managers can use ESG Maps Pro as a strategic instrument. The platform helps translate large sustainability goals into specific locations by showing where relevant opportunities may exist.

For example, municipalities can use ESG Maps Pro to see which roofs are suitable for solar, identify potential locations for energy hubs that could help address grid congestion and approach entrepreneurs with data rather than assumptions. Consequently, conversations about sustainability can start with a clearer picture of the actual buildings, plots and opportunities involved.

This changes the discussion from a broad question such as “How do we make this business park more sustainable?” to more focused questions: Which roofs show solar potential? Where might an energy hub be worth exploring? And which businesses should municipalities or park managers speak to first?

When grid capacity is under pressure, location becomes part of the solution.

Grid congestion is one of the challenges facing businesses and municipalities in Drenthe. Therefore, identifying potential energy-hub locations was one of the practical ESG Maps Pro applications demonstrated during the Inspiration Afternoon event.

The platform does not determine whether an energy hub should ultimately be developed. Rather, it helps reveal locations that may be worth exploring further. The same principle applies to rooftop solar. Showing that a roof is suitable does not replace the technical, financial or organisational work needed to realise a project. Instead, the map gives stakeholders a fact-based place to start.

In this way, ESG Maps acts as a connecting layer between sustainability data and the people who need to act on it. The Drenthe case describes data as the foundation for initiatives ranging from provincial support for industrial energy leaders to assistance for entrepreneurs through Ik Ben Drents Ondernemer (IBDO).

Drenthe already has the people and programmes. ESG Maps helps make the opportunities visible.

A key takeaway from the Inspiration Afternoon was the level of cooperation already present in Drenthe. The Province, municipalities, PVB, IBDO and the Community of Practice are all contributing to efforts that help businesses respond to sustainability and grid-congestion challenges. Therefore, the opportunity is not simply to add another initiative, but to give existing efforts clearer spatial insight.

Importantly, the relationship continues beyond the event. Municipalities in Drenthe can access ESG Maps Pro through the partnership between ESG Maps and the Province of Drenthe, without additional cost to the municipality.

That means municipal teams can continue exploring solar suitability, potential energy-hub locations and other sustainability opportunities within their own areas. Instead of relying only on general targets, they can use spatial data to support more focused conversations with businesses and other stakeholders.

The Inspiration Afternoon was one event. The spatial insight can support what happens next.

The Inspiration Afternoon brought together organisations already working on the sustainability of Drenthe’s businesses and business parks. ESG Maps Pro added a spatial perspective by showing how municipalities and park managers can identify where potential opportunities are located and where the next conversation may need to begin.

Ultimately, the value is not simply another sustainability map or a one-off event. It is the ability to move from “we need to become more sustainable” towards the more practical question: “Where should we start looking?”

Want to explore solar and energy opportunities in your municipality or business park?

ESG Maps brings sustainability data together in interactive maps, helping municipalities and organisations identify opportunities and support more data-driven conversations.

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