Sem Oxenaar uses his strong expertise in (EU) energy and buildings policy to support RAP’s work on heat decarbonisation and energy efficiency. Part of the Europe team, he leads RAP’s EU work on district heating, and enjoys venturing into related topics such as energy communities and industry.
Before joining RAP in 2022, he worked for REScoop.eu — the European federation of citizen energy cooperatives — leading their work on building renovation. As part of this role Oxenaar advocated on behalf of energy communities and cooperatives in Europe with the EU institutions, and was part of the Steering Committee of the Coalition for Energy Savings.
Earlier, Sem Oxenaar worked for DRIFT, a research and advisory institute at Erasmus University Rotterdam that focuses on sustainability transitions. There he supported mainly public-sector clients with climate and energy policy questions, did research on topics such as prosumerism and fossil fuel phase-outs, and taught courses to students and professionals on the energy transition.
Oxenaar holds a Master of Science in integrated natural resource management from Humboldt University of Berlin and a bachelor’s in liberal arts and sciences, with a concentration on environmental economics and policy, from Amsterdam University College in the Netherlands.
In addition to his native Dutch, he speaks fluent English, German and French. Sem is based in Brussels, Belgium.
How Sem Oxenaar is Energizing Change
Warming up to it: Principles for clean, efficient and smart district heating
Decarbonisation of heating must accelerate if we are to meet European Union (EU) climate and renewable energy… Read More +
How to reap the benefits of district heating? Make it local
The city of Groningen in the Netherlands has long been home to Europe’s largest fossil gas field. Read More +
What are you working on that is most crucial to RAP’s mission and why is it crucial?
Finding ways to decarbonise our buildings while at the same time keeping heat affordable. A third of all energy use in Europe is for space and water heating. To meet our climate targets we need to decarbonise this by 2040. That is only 15(!) years to renovate millions of buildings and replace existing gas and oil based heating systems with heat pumps and clean district heating. A very tough challenge, but crucial in solving the climate crisis and making sure everyone can keep their home warm in winter and cool in summer.
What is something that makes you feel hopeful about the future?
The Solar PV boom, the adoption of the IRA and the Fitfor55 package, the growth of energy cooperatives and prosumers, the strong policy action taken in response to the energy crisis following Russia's invasion of Ukraine. It all shows that collectively we are capable of putting in place the social, policy, and technical innovations that we need to make the energy transition work.
When I was 5, I was pretty sure I'd be a chef when I grew up.