Rob van der Horst

Rob van der Horst is Director of Alliander Next Grid. This part of Alliander is dedicated to building and scaling system‑changing energy ventures. One of his focus areas is accelerating the shift from a centralised electricity system to a resilient, decentralised architecture. Rob oversees ventures such as ENTRNCE, lowering entry barriers for new flexibility providers and driving the development of local energy markets. Firan is another key venture, developing heat and hydrogen infrastructure and facilitating energy hubs and decision making around local energy-architecture challenges.

As former CEO of ENTRNCE, Rob has more than 10 years of experience in decentralized energy markets and the challenges that these emerging markets face. He was also responsible for the Energy Hub program that Alliander conducted over the past two years.

At Arnhem Electricity Week, Rob brings a strategic view on how decentralised flexibility, local optimisation and interoperability can collectively enhance Europe’s energy security and make microgrids work as one.