The energy transition is the greatest infrastructure challenge of our time. Across the Netherlands, new medium-voltage substations must be installed to meet growing electricity demand. But where do you place one? Every location has consequences — technical, social, ecological and financial. To make that dilemma tangible, Innovom built The Distribution Substation: an interactive game in which you take on the role of environmental manager.

The game

In The Distribution Substation you are presented with a neighbourhood — complete with houses, schools, shops and green spaces — and tasked with finding the best location for a new substation. Spoiler: the perfect location doesn’t exist.

For each location you investigate scores across five axes: technical, social, nature & environment, spatial and cost. You read the pros and cons, hear from stakeholders — from concerned neighbours to critical ecologists — and ultimately make a choice. Afterwards you receive an environmental report with your total score and your profile: are you a Technocrat, a Mediator, or perhaps an All-rounder?

Four scenarios, four challenges

The game contains four different neighbourhood types, each with their own dynamics:

  • 1930s neighbourhood — Narrow streets, vocal residents and a protected cityscape. Public support weighs heavily here.
  • New development — Everything seems possible, but future plans and developer interests make it complex.
  • Village centre — A close-knit village where everyone knows each other. Every choice is politically charged.
  • Business park — Technically simple? Not with expansion plans, cable congestion and conflicting interests.

Why a game?

At Innovom we find that the complexity of environmental management is difficult to convey in a presentation or report. The Distribution Substation makes that complexity tangible. You feel the dilemma: the technically best location is socially unfeasible, the cheapest option requires tree removal, and the location without resistance is too far from the grid.

That is exactly what an environmental manager does every day: not searching for the perfect solution, but the least bad one — and then building support for it.

Using it in projects

The Distribution Substation is not just a game. We use it as a conversation starter at stakeholder meetings, as an introduction for new project team members and as an awareness tool for clients. In five minutes it shows what environmental management entails — better than any PowerPoint.

Try it yourself

Play The Distribution Substation and discover what type of environmental manager you are. Curious how we apply this approach to real projects? Get in touch with Innovom.