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REScoop 20-20-20 will end soon... but more is coming!
It may seem odd to begin a newsletter with a closing notice: REScoop 20-20-20 will finish at the end of March 2015. But it is not the end. We began this year with the firm decision of closing the project with the most positive energy possible… and with the highest marks!
On the one hand, we have thrived to meet the administrative requirements that are needed to make a project worth investing in from the part of the European Commission. Therefore, it’s the time of evaluating what we have achieved, how we achieved it and why we may have fallen short on other fronts. It was a lot of work involved in the past three years and we need you to help us do so by rating our outcomes and filling out this survey.
On the other hand, while we recognize that REScoop 20-20-20 was the perfect springboard to give the movement a truly European scale, we were inspired by the dream of going beyond the formal requirements. The ambition of articulating a growing community and setting the basis for its development was our guide for the last 3 years.
The fact that REScoop 20-20-20 officially ends does not mean that our effort will stop. On the contrary, it will be the turn of all the citizens involved, the initiatives launched and the Federation created in the process to shine with the best energy possible.
Mark your calendars for Thursday, March 26th to join us in the final REScoop 20-20-20 public event, a policy seminar, to be held in Brussels.
See you soon! |
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The “Handbook on investment schemes for REScoop projects” just published
Based on the report on financial barriers and the existing solutions for REScoop projects, we have prepared a new Handbook on investment schemes for REScoops. The first part of the Handbook focuses on the existing investment schemes and how to pick one for any starting REScoop project. The second section of the Handbook is dedicated to the description of practical cases of REScoop investment schemes, among our identified best practices. The third and final section of the handbook depicts new investment schemes that are either very punctually used or not yet set up to finance REScoops. It briefly explores a few leads, discussed and imagined in a collaborative way among the partners of the REScoop 20-20-20 project as a direct answer to today’s barriers to set up new REScoops in Europe. The objective of this section is to give an overview of the potential of several tools, methods and ideas which could be supported and exploited by the citizen-based projects in the renewable energy sector in the future.
The Handbook on investment schemes for REScoops will soon be available in French and German on our website. Meanwhile you can have access to the English version here and help us improve our publications by rating the Handbook or by sending us your comments.
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REScoop 20-20-20: A tangible success in the Netherlands
The goal of the REScoop 20-20-20 project is to bring cooperatives together and start help starting initiatives. Beginning of 2013 the project organised a National Workshop in Amsterdam: about 20 REScoops came together to learn from the best practices from around Europe and to talk to mentors of the REScoop 20-20-20 project. One of these mentors was Paul Phare of Energy4All. The story of Energy4All inspired the Dutch wind cooperatives to work closer together to support starting local cooperatives in their wind projects.
As a result, the Dutch wind cooperatives started REScoopNL, which has now 22 member REScoops throughout the Netherlands and a combined membership count of about 15,000 individuals. In June 2014, a starting wind cooperative in the south of the Netherlands approached REScoopNL for their help. The volunteers who had gotten that far into the launching process of the cooperative lacked the time and the capacity to continue their work: the project was at risk of failing if they did not secure additional help.
Two REScoops (members of REScoopNL) Meerwind and De Windvogel offered to help. With the consent of the members of the local cooperative, three mentors of the REScoop 20-20-20 were elected and took over the board of the local cooperative to make sure they could bring the project to a success.
The second hurdle was the financing of the wind turbine. The local cooperative worried that it would fail to secure enough equity from their members in the next months to finance the turbine. Again REScoopNL jumped in and offered to help. In spring 2015, the 2.5 MW wind turbine will be built in a joint venture with three different cooperatives with a total 4,500 citizens investing in it.
Stories like these are indeed why we started REScoop 20-20-20! We facilitate that REScoops throughout Europe help each other so that more and more citizens can get the production of renewable energy in their own hands.
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Deepening the impact of REScoop 20-20-20 through the presence of REScoop.eu and members in new EU projects
In addition to the REScoop 20-20-20 and the CommunityPower projects, the Federation of REScoops and its members will be involved in the following projects in the upcoming years:
• The WISE POWER Project (1/05/2014 – 30/04/2017) aims at accelerating and adding certainty to planning processes by decreasing local community opposition to wind energy, the overhead lines connecting them and other necessary grid infrastructure upgrades. REScoop.eu member involved: REScoop.be
• The CITIZENERGY Project (1/03/2014 – 28/02/2017) builds on know-how developed within the EU by different organisations and initiatives to implement citizen renewable energy projects – from cooperatives to investment intermediation – and provides them with a European dimension. REScoop.eu members involved: ODE, Som Energia, Boa Energia
• NOBEL GRID (01/01/2015-30/06/2019) will develop, deploy and evaluate advanced tools and ICT services for energy DSOs cooperatives and medium-size retailers, enabling active consumers involvement –i.e. new demand response schemas – and flexibility of the market – i.e. new business models for aggregators and ESCOs. REScoop.eu members: Ecopower (incl. EnergieID)
• RESCOOP MECISE Project (01/03/2015-28/02/2019) stands for Renewable Energy Sources COOPeratives Mobilizing European Citizens to Invest in Sustainable Energy. As European citizens and local authorities often lack time, financial means and technical expertise to initiate the necessary energy renovations of their houses and public buildings, the potential for energy efficiency projects remains largely untapped. RESCOOP MECISE will develop an integrated and innovative approach that gives answer to this impeding challenge. REScoop.eu members: Ecopower, Enercoop, Energy4All, Som Energia, REScoop.eu.
• PV FINANCING Project (01/03/2015-30/08/2018) aims at helping stakeholders from specific PV segments to implement projects based on new business models, while applying innovative equity and debt financing schemes. In doing so, the project will help investors, commercial banks and insurance companies improve their understanding of the PV business models, which will decrease the transaction costs and increase the availability of financing for PV projects. REScoop.eu members: REScoop.eu.
• The CITYnvest Project (01/02/2015-31/01/2018) strives to introduce innovative financing models (revolving funds, EPC,TPF, cooperative models, etc.) in three Pilot Regions (Liege, BE; Rhodope, BG; and Murcia, ES) and conduct a wide-scale capacity building programme in 10 focus countries concerning specific financial instruments/business models. REScoop.eu members: REScoop.eu.
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Help us prove the relevance of REScoop 20-20-20
As already stated in the introduction, we need your opinion to show that the tools produced by REScoop 20-20-20 were relevant to the field, to you. Doing so is easy, it won’t take long… and we have two months left.
- Have you read any of our outcomes? If not, you can download them from the Outcomes page and rate their relevance using the 3-star system. It’s very important that you tell about this possibility to people whom you know have used these resources.
- Regarding the project in general, was REScoop 20-20-20 helpful to you? Please share your experience and information with us via the quick survey we have set up.
As usual, if you wish to so so, you can write to us at info_at_rescoop.eu with a more elaborated feedback or with any questions that you may have. |
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Community energy: Empowering local authorities and their communities to guide local sustainable energy roll out in Spain
Local decision-makers, planners, local government associations and networks, and energy agencies gathered last February 5th, 2015 in a workshop in Madrid (Spain) to address the potential for roll-out of community energy in Spain. The event included topics such as how local authorities can invest in community energy, how they can access funding, and how local authorities and community groups can work together on renewable energy. Best practices from across Spain were also showcased during the workshop. Documents and presentations from the event are available contacting Elisa Kerschbaumer.
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Community Power in the Czech Republic
Friends of the Earth (FOE) Czech Republic – Hnuti DUHA, a partner in the CO-POWER project, continue to argue strongly for expansion of renewable energy in the country. Despite opposition in the Czech parliament, which recently passed a law rejecting financial support for new renewable projects, Hnuti DUHA is pushing for comprehensive legislation that supports the further deployment of renewables.
Community-owned and operated power will be a key aspect of the energy transition in the Czech Republic. Among the proposals that FOE Czech Republic is supporting are a removal of administrative barriers to installing photovoltaic panels on privately and publicly-owned buildings and the renewal of premiums for energy produced by renewable energy plants owned by Czech municipalities.
Moreover, these efforts are being supported by making the issue visible in Czech media, through writing and contributing to articles on the subject and holding press conferences related to parliamentary votes and discussions. FOE Czech Republic will continue to advocate on this issue, raising awareness of community-owned renewables among the public and politicians in the Czech Republic.
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Latest media coverage
- (TV) "Bouw windturbines gestart in Mollem" (Building wind turbines began in Mollem, RingTV, 16/12/2014, 2'13'')
- "Economie sociale et solidaire et transition énergétique" (Thomas Bauwens and Benjamin Huybrechts, CLER, Infos 103 Nov-Dec 2014)
- "Best in class: Belgian energy co-op Ecopower" (German Energy Transition, 3/11/2014)
- "Energia, lo Sblocca Italia approva le trivelle ma dimentica il solare" (Energy, the "Sblocca Italy" decreet approves the drills but forgets the sun, WIRED.it, 30/10/2014)
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