No small potato

Boiling potatoes is really wasteful, well, at least according to Ad van Wijk, CEO of Econcern, and a rapidly growing Dutch company dealing with sustainable energy.

"A person creates a lot of energy in a pot filled with water, throws in the potatoes for a while, and afterwards, throws away the hot water. That's a waste of a lot of energy," van Wijk says.

Why don't we prepare potatoes in the microwave? Or store the hot potato water and reuse it?

On a lunch of the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year 2008 event held in Monte Carlo in June, van Wijk, a PhD at Utrecht University and 2007 Netherlands Ernst & Young Entrepreneur winner is busy proposing his energy-saving ideas with other winners from elsewhere in the world.

Econcern's aim is clear. The dream touted by Henry Ford, a car for every American, resembles van Wijk's: a sustainable energy supply for mankind.

"I intend to create a mind shift. We should not only think of innovative ways to produce sustainable energy, but also of smart solutions in the use of energy." says van Wijk.

Ernst & Young's Entrepreneur of the Year competition recognizes and encourages entrepreneurship around the world, and build a forum for the exchange of their ideas.

According to the judging panel "Van Wijk has expressed his vision to bring remarkable innovation to us all in a profitable and successful way. The risk he took at a time when it was not clear if the path towards sustainable energy would result in a passing trend or long-term solutions makes him a true entrepreneur".

He founded Ecofys, still part of Econcern, in 1984 to offer research, consultancy services and product development in energy saving and renewable energy solutions. In 1997 van Wijk decided to leave his academic career and devote himself fully to entrepreneurship.

The jury had no doubt that van Wijk will lead his company to become one of the foremost sustainable energy companies in the world.

As a combination of scientist and entrepreneur, van Wijk has established Econcern branches in Beijing, Hong Kong and Wuhan.

It employs about 1,000 professionals in 20 countries across the world.

The company established a joint venture with the solar water heater and vacuum tube manufacturing company Himin Solar Energy Group Co, Ltd based in Shandong province.

They also purchased solar modules from the Suntech Power Holdings Co. Ltd, a New York Stock Exchange listed company.

His Beijing branch is developing wind power project in Inner Mongolia and waste dump energy project in Wuhan.

He proposed an animal manure project to Liu Yonghao, president of China New Hope Group at the meeting in Monte Carlo.

"There is a lot organic waste from companies producing food and we can make biogas in the future in China" said van Wijk.

In the Netherlands, Econcern operates installations that convert pig and cow manure into biogas. In northern Holland, an Econcern-assisted factory utilizes wood for the production of its electricity needs. In the same area, last year, Econcern took over a plant that produces biomethanol, an alternative fuel product that can be added to gasoline.

Van Wijk sees many possibilities for saving energy. Take for example an installation being built by Econcern in the Caribbean island of Curacao for reducing fossil energy consumption by air conditioning for a chain of large hotels.

The company uses ice cold water pumped from a depth of 600 meters as a coolant for air-conditioning systems for buildings near the sea. It consumes up to 90 percent less electricity and 50 percent cheaper than a regular system. It only takes a bit of technology and the energy consumption of the hotels is halved

Van Wijk says the Curacao project has potential for other warm coastal areas like Hong Kong and other southern parts of China.

"A lot of Chinese companies want to be our partners since we have a lot of knowledge about energy saving and renewable energy," van Wijk says.

He is planning to bring more eco-friendly projects to China. However, he said it's hard to find and retain the right talent to do the project in China.

But Econcern is not doing badly. It is becoming the largest company in the world fully dedicated to sustainable energy. Budgeted net revenue in 2012 will be 8 billion euros, with a net profit over 1 billion euros.

For its fast expansion, Econcern relies on two financially powerful shareholders: the conglomerate SHV, owned by the Dutch renowned trading family, Fentener van Vlissingen, and Cofra holding, an investment company owned by the Brenninkmeijer family who are also owners of the C&A clothing chain.

In May 2008, Rabobank, an Amsterdam based venture capital firm and Delta Lloyd, a social and community-minded financial service provider formed a joint venture to become a core shareholder in Econcern.

(China Daily 06/23/2008 page5)