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The Power of Large Technological Visions : the Promise of Hydrogen Energy (1970-2010)

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The Power of Large Technological Visions : the Promise of Hydrogen Energy (1970-2010) The power of large technological visions : the promise of hydrogen energy (1970-2010) Citation for published version (APA): Dignum, M. (2013). The power of large technological visions : the promise of hydrogen energy (1970-2010). Technische Universiteit Eindhoven. https://doi.org/10.6100/IR759497 DOI: 10.6100/IR759497 Document status and date: Published: 01/01/2013 Document Version: Publisher’s PDF, also known as Version of Record (includes final page, issue and volume numbers) Please check the document version of this publication: • A submitted manuscript is the version of the article upon submission and before peer-review. There can be important differences between the submitted version and the official published version of record. People interested in the research are advised to contact the author for the final version of the publication, or visit the DOI to the publisher's website. • The final author version and the galley proof are versions of the publication after peer review. • The final published version features the final layout of the paper including the volume, issue and page numbers. Link to publication General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal. If the publication is distributed under the terms of Article 25fa of the Dutch Copyright Act, indicated by the “Taverne” license above, please follow below link for the End User Agreement: www.tue.nl/taverne Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us at: [email protected] providing details and we will investigate your claim. Download date: 01. Oct. 2021 The Power of Large Technological Visions The promise of hydrogen energy (1970-2010) Marloes Dignum 2013 This research has been made possible by: Advanced Chemical Technologies for Sustainability (ACTS) program of the Netherlands Organisation for Scientific Research (NWO) and Eindhoven University of Technology, School of Innovation Sciences. ISBN 978-90-8891-682-3 Copyright © 2013, Marloes Dignum Cover design: Shirley Willemen Published by: Uitgeverij BOXPress, ‘s-Hertogenbosch All rights reserved. No parts of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the author. The Power of Large Technological Visions The promise of hydrogen energy (1970-2010) PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad van doctor aan de Technische Universiteit Eindhoven, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr.ir. C.J. van Duijn, voor een commissie aangewezen door het College voor Promoties, in het openbaar te verdedigen op dinsdag 10 september 2013 om 16:00 uur door Marloes Dignum geboren te Tilburg Dit proefschrift is goedgekeurd door de promotiecommissie: voorzitter: prof.dr.ir. J.W.M. Bertrand 1e promotor: prof.dr.ir. G.P.J. Verbong 2e promotor: prof.dr.ir. H.W. Lintsen copromotor: prof.dr. J.W. Schot leden: prof.dr. J. Grin (UvA) prof.dr. G.J. Kramer (UL) prof.dr.ir. H. van Lente (UU) prof.dr.ir. A.W.M. Meijers To the future Acknowledgements The future is an intriguing concept. It is unknown to all of us, yet, covered with expectations. This is the case with technological envisioning as well as in our private lives. The ideas you hold for the future can influence the decisions of today. When I started this research, I was also taken by many expectations. I expected to enter a world of science that would allow me to discover new fields that were not known to me. To broaden my understanding and to unravel insights that had not been known before. These expectations allowed me to take steps into the realm of science, to discover new things step by step, and to craft this thesis one day at the time. However, this journey of science proved much more than that. As with all large endeavors, you cannot anticipate each step. And you may encounter barriers that were unforeseen at the beginning. The long journey that crafting a Ph.D. thesis entails and the unforeseen barriers that arise during this path, result in a close interrelation between your private life and your work. Fortunately, I had great support on both sides. When I started at Eindhoven University of Technology, I entered a vibrant academic community. There were many (in)formal meetings to discuss work, books, articles, and more. This atmosphere greatly helped me in shaping my academic background. My supervisors were very important in this process. Geert Verbong and Harry Lintsen stimulated me to discover my own research interests and to shape my research in accordance to these interests. I greatly enjoyed our meetings together and the open discussions we had on these occasions. The meetings were inspiring and had an open(minded) atmosphere. Geert, thank you for your great support. Throughout the entire process you were there with advice, support, and guidance. You always managed to provide several layers of advice including overall scope regarding the direction of the research and more detailed advice. Your advice was very helpful. I also appreciated that you were always able to squeeze in some time for me in your busy schedule. Harry, you were there from the start and I experienced your participation as very supportive. During our meetings you were always able to take a new angle on the topic. Towards the end of the process, the frequencies of our meetings increased, and you taught me the skill of crafting a manuscript into a book. The atmosphere in the department was very stimulating. When I started my Ph.D., there were frequent meetings with the ‘reading club’ to discuss papers and new insights. I thank Johan Schot, Rob Raven, Frank Geels, Johanna Ulmanen, Niels Schoorlemmer, and Bram Verhees for having great discussions in this period. In later years, Saurabh took the initiative for arranging these interesting meetings, which resulted in an equal intellectual challenge. The academic journey also took me outside Eindhoven. Throughout the project I received feedback on intermediary results from Gert Jan Kramer. Thank you for these i inspiring conversations on hydrogen in a larger perspective. The discussions on expectations that I had with Harro van Lente were also of great importance to my research. The meetings varied from an instantaneous conversation on a conference to more elaborate discussion sessions. Great support also came from John Grin. His enthusiasm for my research always gave me an additional boost to work towards new results. Throughout the years of my research I also experienced - and greatly needed - the professional support outside the academic environment. I am much indebted to all people who were willing to dedicate their time for an interview. I also felt very welcome at the University of California in Davis and Berkeley University of California for my fieldwork. The Danish Energy Museum provided me with important historical material and the California Fuel Cell Partnership helped me to become increasingly acquainted with the hydrogen and fuel cell field in California. All this support was absolutely essential for establishing this thesis. Writing a thesis is a lot of hard work, but it is also a lot of fun. Much of this excitement of writing a thesis comes from the interaction with colleagues. Inspiring conversations often happen at semi-informal settings such as a conference dinner or a walk to bus. Some of such contacts also helped me professionally during parts of this research. I would like to thank Richard Hirsh, Sjoerd Bakker, Björn Budde, Siri Hall Arnøy, and many others for their inspiration and support. A similar mixture between relaxation and intellectual challenge (the balance differs per person) was also present in interactions with my colleagues in Eindhoven. The highlight on the relaxation part might arguably be the meetings with the Lentil Cooking Club. Many thanks to Evelien, Boukje, Sadaf, Yuti, Suyash, Johanna H., Lilianne, and Frans. I also enjoyed the lunches at the department and the conversations at the corridor. Special thanks to: Koen, Arjan, Rudi, Henny, Frank V., Fred, Mila, Erik, Auke, Andreas, Önder, Mieke, Rinnie, and Letty. Privately, I also experienced great support. I am fortunate enough to be surrounded with lovely friends with whom I can discuss everything and whose doors are always open. I would like to thank: Shirley, Christianne, Martine, Caroline, Carmen, Janny, Annelies, Indra, Ron, Inge, and Frank S. for their everlasting support. I realize it’s a privilege to being able to thank so many people. Sometimes, it is impossible to thank someone. I would like to raise the memory of my mother, Tineke, and my partner, Maarten. They were of great importance in my life and they helped me to become the person I am today. Their memory also makes me aware to be thankful for having my family around me: my brother Erik and my father Nico. Words cannot express my gratitude to my father. He has been there for me in all phases of life and during all hardship and prospers. Without
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