Guillermo Borragán Pedraz looks beyond technology alone
When people talk about the energy transition, the conversation often turns to technology and electrification:
more heat pumps, more solar panels, cheaper batteries, and better-connected grids. Guillermo Borragán Pedraz looks at the problem from another angle, one that matters just as much: consumers. Why do they make certain choices and not others? What makes them renovate their home, save energy, or adopt a new technology? And how can policy better respond to that reality?
Guillermo studied cognitive psychology in Spain and later specialised in decision-making, modelling,
and data analysis during his PhD at Université Libre de Bruxelles. Environmental questions had long been on his mind, and over time, he felt a growing need to use his expertise in a way that could contribute to a more sustainable world. At a French start-up, he worked on energy savings and demand management from the user’s perspective. He found that work fascinating, but missed the world of research. Guillermo went looking for a place where science and real-world impact could go hand in hand, and found that at EnergyVille/VITO. “Here, I don’t have to choose between rigorous research and societal relevance,” he says. “At EnergyVille, we have the space to go deep, while staying in close contact with policymakers and civil society.”
Today, his work sits at the intersection of energy use, behavioural modelling and policy. His models take into account more than costs or payback times. They also look at social influence, ingrained habits and the different motivations people bring to decisions about sustainable technology. He studies, for example, why one neighbourhood adopts solar panels faster than another, or why some families move ahead with renovation while others hesitate. The goal is to help policymakers design measures that are better aligned with the human side of the energy transition.
One of his highlights in 2025 was the team’s first scientific publication built around that systems-based approach. The study showed how closely factors such as financial support, regulation, ease of implementation, and consumer engagement are connected when it comes to successful energy policy. In 2026, he is particularly looking forward to a new project that explores how policy can help people and sectors reduce overall energy use.
Outside work, Guillermo’s search for sustainable choices is just as concrete. Together with his family, he is building an energy-efficient farmhouse in Limburg and creating a largely self-sufficient place, complete with a food forest and water-saving solutions. “I’m experiencing first-hand many of the things I used to only read about in the literature,” he says with a smile. “In construction, you really see how important coordination is, and how quickly things slow down when everyone focuses only on their own part of the puzzle instead of the bigger picture.”