Groups and cooperatives of citizens for Renewable Energy Sources in Europe Dirk Knapen, REEScoops Zagreb Energy Week, 15.2.2012

1. REScoops
Groups and cooperatives of citizens for
Renewable Energy Sources in Europe
15/02/2012
Zagreb Energy Week

2. Who is standing in front of you?
 Dirk Knapen, Flanders, Belgium
 Actively involved in sustainable energy sector
since 1994
 Trainee at Nordic Folkecenter in 1997
organising study tours in Denmark
 Policy and project work on climate and energy
for the Flemish environment movement since
2000
 Joined REScoop.be last february

3. Who am I representing?
Dirk Vansintjan, Flanders, Belgium
 Active in the renewable energy sector since 1985
 Ecopower cvba since 1991
 Active in the Conseil Nationale de la Coopération
(National board of the Cooperation)
 Member of Coopkracht
 Vice-president of REScoop.be
 President of REScoop.eu
 In contact with Cooperatives Europe/ICA

4. REScoop.eu
European federation of
groups and cooperatives of citizens for
Renewable Energy Sources
Over 1000 REScoops in Europe?

5. REScoop.eu
Backed by UN
2012 declared international year of
cooperatives as well as sustainable energy
Definition of a Cooperative
“A cooperative is an autonomous association of persons
united voluntarily to meet their common economic,
social, and cultural needs and aspirations through a
jointly owned and democratically-controlled enterprise.”

6. REScoop.eu
Baseline 7 international cooperative principles
1. Voluntary, open membership
2. Democratic member control
3. Member economic participation
4. Autonomy and independence
5. Education, training and information
6. Cooperation among cooperatives
7. Concern for the community
www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html

7. REScoop.eu
Practical application of the 7 cooperative principles
 Supporting local communities
 Clean, affordable energy supply for all
 Citizens role in production, distribution and supply
 Sharing of experience
 Mutual practical and organisational support
 Creation of cooperative investment fund
 Creation of pan-European sustainable energy supplier
 Lobby local, regional, national, European and
international authorities

8. REScoop 20-20-20 project
12 partners in 10 EU countries
 ALIenergy (SC)  Enercoop (FR)
 Avanzi (IT)  Energy4all (UK)
 Cooperatives Europe (EU)  EWS (DE)
 Ecopower (BE)  Middelgrunden (DK)
 Elabora/Confcooperative (IT)  ODE (NL)
 EMES (EU)  REScoop.be (BE)

9. The REScoop 20-20-20 project

10. Event title Foreseen Foreseen place Target group Target
month number of
participants
4 national workshops 11,13,15, 17 Bozen (IT), Lille or Mentors 25 mentors
for mentors Bretagne (FR), Girona (ES), Organisations 60
Copenhagen (DK) Groups of citizens organisations
2 validation 4, 7 To be agreed- during Partners
workshops for charter consortium meetings Stakeholders
Experts
12 community 13-16 To be defined after WP5.1 – Local communities, At least 75
engagement initial In any case between the 10 Citizens, stakeholders
workshops for the countries mainly covered by Local Authorities
pilots the project
4 open basic seminars 21, 24, 27, PL, HU, BL, EL Citizens, 50
at RES national fairs 30 Stakeholders
1open seminar on 16 Bretagne (FR) REScoops, 50
investment schemes new RES initiatives
5 broad open 19, 22, 25, Luxemburg, Carpathian EU citizens 50
information 28, 31 area, Ireland, Balkan area,
workshops Portugal
5 policy seminars 11, 15, 19, At meetings of the REScoops 30
23, 27 Consortium Energy market
regulators Relevant
EU institutions
1 EU level seminar 24 EWEA 2014 congress REScoops 150
Stakeholders

11. Ecopower production
 °1991 (NPO TSAP, Leuven,°1985)
 37.000 cooperative members
 40 million € equity
 Wind, 11 turbines, 20,86 MW
 PV, 270 installations, 2,25 MW
 Small hydro, restoration of 3
water mills, 0,1 MW
 Plant oil cogeneration 1 plant,
0,25 MWe, 0,3 MWth
 11 years: 6%, 1 year: 4% dividend
 Support for 4 x 2,3 MW wind
turbines with Walloon REScoops

12. Ecopower supply
 87,5 million kWh
 1,1% of households in Flanders
 31.495 customers on December 31
 4.888 new customers in 2011
 Cheapest and greenest electricity and
best customer service on the market
 Link between renewable energy and
rational use of energy
Year Average  Average consumption dropping
consumption
2006 3.909 continuously : -38% in 5 years
2007 3.331 Without customers with PV-installations
2008 3.063
(8809): 3096 kWh (-20%)
2009 2.985
2010 2.819  Very simple tarif
2011 2.421

13. Energy4all
 Created due to daily enquiries received from
people looking to replicate the success of
Baywind, the UK's first community-owned
wind farm (www.baywind.coop)
 Works primarily with community groups and
landowners, to develop renewable energy
projects wholly or partially owned by a
community co-operative
 Created a 9 step stones guideline for groups
planning to set up a wind project
 Provides a package of sector, admin, and
financial services to Coops in return for an
annual fee

14. Middelgrundens Vindmøllelaug
 20 wind turbines,
10 northern owned by DONG Energy 10 southern
owned by Middelgrunden Wind Turbine
Cooperative
 World famous, most photographed
 Story of Danish people investing savings in wind
power told over and over again
 Private partnership formed May 1997, by working group
for wind turbines at Middelgrunden
 Following success of Lynetten Windpower
(www.lynettenvind.dk)
 Aim to produce electricity through the establishment and
management of wind turbines on Middelgrunden shoal
 Shareholders own a share corresponding to 1/40500 of
the partnership per share

15. ElektrizitätsWerke Schönau
 Triggered 1986 by Chernobyl accident
 1997 take-over local grid
 1998 supply of Schönauer customers
exclusively with electricity form
renewable energy and cogeneration
 1999 national supplier of clean
electricity
 By 2012 operating 7 grids
 2014 Berlin grid?
 Shareholders: 1830
 Customers electricity: approx. 130.000, natural gas: approx. 8.300
 Subsidized new, ecological electricity production units: some 1950
PV, cogeneration, biogas, small hydro

16. REScoop 20-20-20 project
Project partners support groups and cooperatives of
citizens to go together for renewable energy
For more information or contact have a look at
 www.rescoop.eu
 www.facebook.com/pages/REScoopeu/198522540221034
or subscribe to our news alert
Partners
 www.ecopower.be/index.php/english
 www.energy4all.co.uk/
 www.middelgrunden.dk/middelgrunden/?q=en/node/35
 www.ews-schoenau.de/footer/international.html

17. More information
 www.ica.coop/al-ica/
International Cooperative Allliance
 www.2012.coop/
2012 UN year of Cooperatives
 www.sustainableenergyforall.org/
2012 UN year of sustainable energy
 www.uncsd2012.org/rio20/
Rio+20 UNCSD
United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
 www.go100percent.org
100% renewable energy communities

18. REScoop 20‐20‐20 project partners support groups and cooperatives
citizens for renewable energy. Contact us for support! www.rescoop.
Thank you for your interest