Renée Heller PhD is professor of Energy and Innovation within the Faculty of Technology and the Urban Technology research program of the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences since 2020. Before that she was senior lecturer in Sustainable Energy Systems within the Engineering program and the aforementioned research program. At the AUAS, she conducts research into the integration of EV, PV and heating technologies in the electricity grid, energy-positive areas, and building-related integration of PV.
Renée graduated in physics in 1995 on the faster production of a-Si solar cell layers. She also graduated in general literature. In her PhD research at Utrecht University (2000), she conducted research into hydrogen storage in thin metal layers. After this, Renée started working at Ecofys, a consultancy agency in the field of energy saving and sustainable energy. Here she was responsible for the R&D of a spin-off company in the field of closed horticultural greenhouses. Heat pumps, heat buffers, soil storage, cooling and combined heat and power were combined into a system that saves energy and ensures higher production. From 2011 she was unit manager of the unit Built Environment and later Integrated Energy Systems. She has done many assignments as a project manager, including residential areas and business parks. At the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences she started in 2014 as project manager Bachelor Engineering in which she was responsible for setting up an integrated Engineering course.