Since the beginning of 2020, 5 new members have joined the REScoop.eu-family. We've already introduced you to Datblygiadau Egni Gwledig recently - today, we will take a look at the latest 4 members to join our federation.

EnerGent

Founded in Ghent, Belgium in 2013, EnerGent is a cooperative society who aims to unite citizens in their pursuit to build a sustainable society. The cooperative helps citizens invest in solar and wind projects in a cost-effective way by activating the community. Through the use of group purchasing, EnerGent is able to afford more solar panels and support collective renovation to enable their community to save energy. The cooperative also works on heating, more specifically co-generation and heat grids, as well as being a co-investor in DuCoop, a cooperative in Ghent aiming to bring the city sustainable heating.

EnerGent also participates in innovative projects such as cVPP (community Virtual Power Plant), which combines decentralised sources of renewable energy with smart ICT systems to coordinate production and consumption. Along with this, the cooperative was involved in Buurzame Stroom, a project working closely with our members EcoPower and Partago, to help everyone benefit from solar panel installations, not just those who could afford to pay.

They currently have over 1000 members and almost 5000 solar panels under their ownership.

Wind of Renewal

Next up we travel over to Athens, Greece, to Wind of Renewal, a social cooperative focusing on the green circular economy, local sustainable development and renewable energy. The cooperative works closely with municipalities, social enterprises and the local community. They are joining REScoop.eu due to our shared values and goals when it comes to the energy transition, energy democracy and citizen participation.

The cooperative manages the Welcommon hostel in Athens, which aims to provide accommodation under the principles of sustainable tourism. The plan is further to create a Renewable Energy Lab to train the community and to transform the hostel into the first green commercial building in Greece, through the use of solar energy.

Between 2016 to 2018, Wind of Renewal set up the innovation centre to support 600 refugees in the Welcommon, providing housing, medical care, non-formal education, art theory activities, tutoring lessons, and psychological services.

Our Power

The Vienna-based cooperative sets out to radically rethink the energy market as we know it. OurPower are a collective of entrepreneurs, activists, experts and citizens, who have come together to envision a world where people use energy responsibly and obtain 100% electricity directly from regional renewable sources. The team are developing an online marketplace where energy users can trust that their money is going towards local energy sources, supporting the regional energy transition. What is key is the cooperative’s recognition that a diverse range of sources is required to build resilience in the grid. and therefore the standard offer supports 3-4 different energy sources, including solar, small hydropower, wind, and biomass.

Their method does not only provide energy users with the guarantee that they are supporting the local energy transition, but gives sellers confidence of having a fair price and the security they need to expand and invest in further production.

Cooperativa de Energie

This new member is the first energy cooperative to be established in Romania. Based in Bucharest, Cooperative de Energie aim to provide energy independence for its members, who will either be installing photovoltaic panels on their roofs or investing collectively in new production. Through the benefits of collective purchasing, the cooperative aims to help its members buy solar panels and electric cars at affordable prices in the future. The cooperative states that the access they have to REScoop.eu’s network will help them gain the expertise required to implement the best practices possible.

One of the founding members of this new Romanian cooperative is Gijsbert Huijuk, who is also one of the founders of our member Som Energia. Cooperativa de Energie is the result of the solidarity shown within the cooperative movement in supporting local efforts everywhere. We are very proud to have them in our network and look forward to them producing power from Dolj County for their members very soon.