Developing renewable energy on the scale needed to make the energy transition will require public acceptance. Unlike nuclear power, where society can force a single plant on a community for the benefit of society at large, renewable energy will have to become ubiquitous in our communities and on our landscapes. This can only be possible when the majority accept this transformation. Experience has taught that acceptance is greatest when neighbors and the community at large can participate in the renewable energy revolution. The beauty of renewable energy is that everyone can take part--and own a stake in their future--when given an opportunity to do so. The challenge is creating the policies that make this possible, whether it's for a community wind project or a solar garden.
The accelerating downward pressure on onshore wind energy expansion in Germany is paralyzing the industry. Community-owned renewable producers have been hit hardest, and elbowed out of the few...
At the same time, we notice with growing concern that there are increasing barriers against the rapid growth of renewable energy globally, e.g. through the introduction of auctions in the renewable...
On the occasion of the 4th International Community Wind Symposium, which begins today, the two main organizers, the World Wind Energy Association (WWEA) and the NRW Renewable Energy Association (LEE...
The party’s decision to increase tax on domestic solar power shows that its head is still firmly in the sand
Community Energy England (CEE) has called for energy suppliers to offer ‘suitable’ tariffs for community energy in the wake of the feed-in tariff (FiT) closure.
North Uist Development Company (NUDC) has kicked off construction of the UistWind community wind farm on the Scottish island after a successful fundraising campaign.
Up in the Air is a short film about the wind turbine project in Prince Edward County. For nearly two decades, a group of County residents have been supporting wind energy initiatives. The White Pines...
As the government will be withdrawing the renewable energy Feed-in Tariff from March (income received from selling solar power generated energy into the national grid), Salisbury Community Energy...
Minnesota’s community solar program hit a record 460 megawatts of operational capacity in November 2018. The chart above shows the progress of projects through the program since August 2015, and the...
Shiloh Temple, a church two miles from downtown Minneapolis, serves more than just the spiritual needs of the community. After a recent update to its roof, this church in North Minneapolis now serves...
The wind turbines mean my family now has a future but it also means a better future for my local community too because the money I make from hosting them on my land is spent at local businesses. It...
Australia’s 82 operational wind farms deliver significant financial and social benefits to their host communities. Sharing these benefits equitably with local host communities ensures these projects...
Presentation for the CORE Energy Summit in Winnipeg, Manitoba 12 April 2018.
In recent years, community energy seems to have been teetering on the brink of a breakthrough into the UK energy mainstream. But despite a large number of local renewables schemes getting off the...
Unexpectedly, Trend Research have updated their controversial study from 2013. The share of citizen investments in renewables remains high but has clearly fallen.
While community ownership of roof-top solar has famously snowballed, public investment in larger solar farms, such as Canberra’s Solar Share, has been growing steadily as well. Lower upfront capital...
Despite a record number of new installations in recent years, the German wind energy market is in crisis. Recent changes to the federal law (EEG 2017) have initiated a move from feed-in-tariffs to an...
Community power projects in Denmark and Germany have inspired politicians worldwide but have failed to translate to other countries. Sometimes the first step is to let people say no.
In Regina, about 100 people packed the Artful Dodger for the Regina Solar Co-op’s first meeting in late October. The Regina co-op’s plan is to use group buying power to bring down solar panel...
Neuerkirch and Külz are two small villages in Western Germany – of 300 and 500 souls respectively. And yet, they feel a part of something bigger that goes even beyond the country’s energy transition,...
The small town of Tatamagouche, N.S., is driving the future forward with its push for electric vehicles. . . "The wind field and electric vehicles go well together. We have renewable energy driving...
Hans-Detlef Feddersen sent me a copy of a little picture book celebrating the 25th anniversary of Bürger-Windpark Lübke-Koog. He included a DVD video of interviews with the founders of the...[more]
The ruling would push back community wind projects by "at least a decade''.
The title, Störfall mit Charme, is a playful thumbing of the nose in German at the critics of a movement by citizens in a small village in the deepest reaches of Germany’s Schwarzwald or Black Forest...[more]
On a floor above Suzy Q Donuts, the staff of the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-operative (OREC) are working towards a green energy revolution in Ottawa.
A Canadian study recently revealed that community engagement and economic benefit in local wind energy projects ensures local buy-in and social license. The conclusions of the study aren’t...
The number of renewable energy plants in Japan that are jointly managed by local residents and communities has exceeded 1,000 for the first time, it has been learned.
York University’s International Renewable Energy Academy designated 29 June as the “wind day” on their week-long program. [more]
The 29 June was the “wind day” for York University’s International Renewable Energy Academy. As the featured speaker to start the day I donned one of my favorite wind tie.[more]
According to the report, community energy projects provide over 121 megawatts of low-carbon energy capacity, reducing energy use across 74 communities.
Oregon Public Utility Commission treats new approach as a modest pilot project rather than a potential game-changer
Our mission is to support and facilitate the global transition to much greater use of distributed and local energy, community-by-community, city-by-city, and to emphasize and make visible solutions,...
What’s more, the discussion and ownership options are making wind power more popular in the Netherlands. In other countries, you might expect protesters to appear during the information events in the...
"Als die Gemeindevertreter der drei Gemeinden mit diesem Konzept auf die Bürger zugingen, war das Vorhaben schnell akzeptiert“, erinnert sich Schäfer.
Sackville Town Council heard plans last night from an Ontario-based energy company for a 20MW community wind generating station about 10 kilometres northwest of downtown Sackville.
Nova Scotia policy on wind farms makes them 3 times more popular than in Ontario, study says.
Malcolm Brown, long-time local activist from Hull, Massachusetts won the Windustry award for community service in a brief ceremony at the Marriott Hotel in Washington, DC Tuesday night.[more]
A stark, but somewhat expected finding is the high degree of support for wind energy in Nova Scotia compared to Ontario. Local support of their own nearby turbine development was three times higher...
The World Wind Energy Association in Bonn, Germany is seeking a person fluent in English & German to study Community Wind. The position is for 2.5 years.
Senvion announced that on 2th December wind turbines at the 150 MW Mesgi'g Ugju's'n windfarm in Quebec started spinning. It is the biggest First Nations windfarm in Canada. The project is an equal...
Oxford County, Ontario, has just opened a wind farm as part of a project to go 100% renewables for electricity and heat
28 youtube.com videos on the Energiewende with an emphasis on the Electricity Rebels who sparked a renewable energy revolution in Germany.
Urgent climate action must be taken and communities are willing to participate in their own electricity production – if the incentives are right
Why? Because there 10 times more community solar projects in the queue—400 megawatts—in Minnesota than have been built in the history of community solar in the United States (40 megawatts).
The company responsible for Australia’s biggest CBD solar installation has invited public investment, making it the first community renewables project in Australia with a public share offering.
We estimate that about 83% of the EU’s households could potentially become an energy citizen and contribute to renewable energy production, demand response and/or energy storage, which amounts to...
In order to achieve that, the implementation of sustainable renewable energy must respect local and regional needs and priorities, as well as existing societal, cultural and environmental...
Some 73% of the British public polled by ComRes support onshore windfarms in contrast with government decisions to block them
It turns out that personal profits are one of the least important motives—strengthening the community (including financially) is much bigger. This finding should not surprise us too much; citizens...
Wind energy companies in Indiana are attempting to mitigate the deaths of bats during migration season by slowing or stopping their turbines at night.
But amid the gale-force havoc, the day also brought a critical milestone in a quiet energy revolution: For the first time ever, the army of spinning white turbines that has sprouted across the lush...
The renewable energy community has been challenged by a trend towards ‘competitive’ auctions for renewable power generation. The term in itself is misleading as it implies that auctions automatically...
A people-powered energy revolution—an era in which people can produce their own electricity—is possible, and could happen soon, according to a new report released Monday by the environmental group...
On Sunday, 19 June 2016, the first stone of the first renewable power plant from and for citizens was laid down in Barcelona. So far 266 people are participating in the project that involves the...
Britain's Labour Party manifesto calls for 1,000 community energy cooperatives in this powerful video by Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn. He also says Labour will reform the grid so that it acts as a...[more]
No issue better connects the environment to people’s lives than energy. In order to deliver clean, affordable electricity we need to change our undemocratic system of supply
The fall in community energy projects follows a series of policy changes by government. In 2014, the Coalition government launched an ambitious community energy strategy, but the last 12 months has...
Evidently, the community energy model is something of a win-win situation for all concerned; testament to what can be achieved with a good idea, a dedicated team, and an auspicious Feed-in-Tariff.
Cooperatives, such as this park cafe in Forli, can achieve social as well as economic goals
Energy democracy projects have surged over the past five years in the UK as the number of community owned renewable energy projects have risen. This UK government’s feed-in-tariff policy has a lot to...
The wind turbine could be the icon for the Saerbeck “Climate Community,” a champion of energy democracy that was twice awarded the European Energy Award, and received the German Sustainability Prize...
The Small Wind Co-op offers people the chance to support three community turbines: one at Troed y Bryn in Ceredigion, Wales and two at Wemyss Bay, Inverclyde, Scotland – the first time a community...
As Saskatchewan promises to accelerate renewable energy, one company has proposed the European community ownership model in a move that could change the way Canada funds clean energy.
Where are communities taking charge of their energy future? Which states give communities the most power? ILSR’s Community Power Map provides an interactive illustration of how communities are...
To draw the right conclusions for all of Europe, it helps to understand how the Energiewende strengthened democracy in Germany.
When it comes to maximizing the economic benefits and public support for clean energy sources like wind and solar, community participation and ownership matters. This report outlines the...
A study conducted by the Institute for Distributed Energy Technologies (IdE) on behalf of Stadtwerke Union Nordhessen (SUN) took a look at the issue. It found that the local financial benefits were...
The Energiewende is a federal energy policy that started off as a grassroots movement. Just a few years ago, investments in the sector clearly revealed those origins. But amendments implemented in...
The benefits are manifold. Democratising the energy system leads to renewable energy projects that are closer to the needs of the local communities, not those that are imposed upon them.
On 20 May 2016, the great and the good of community energy came from across Europe to San Sebastian for the General Assembly of REScoop – the European federation of renewable energy co-operatives. I...
The co-op has just re-opened its Share Offer to enable people to invest during construction which can be followed via the website awel.coop. The co-op is aiming to raise £1,000,000 within a month. It...
Sunday's milestone was made possible because of a people-powered "energy revolution."
While in other parts of the world community solar is growing its market share, in Finland shared PV projects already represent 13% of country’s solar power production.
But shared solar is just a small slice of the community renewable energy opportunity, which could include many other renewable technologies such as wind or geothermal, but also community-owned...
This special edition of our WWEA Quarterly Bulletin reflects the discussion of the international symposium “Tailwind and Headwind for Community Power - Regional and Global Community Wind...
A community group on the Isle of Wight is looking to secure investment to purchase what would become the island’s first community energy solar farm.
People come together in cooperatives to do the right thing, get to know each other, and create a sense of community. Some of these projects focus on profits, especially those in the energy sector,...
CEOs of community wind farms and other experts were interviewed on favorable and detrimental factors for community wind. The answers reflected unanimously great concerns about the current trend...
Undersecretary Rainer Baake praised the German government’s implementation of auctions, in which markets set prices but the government sets the volume – and the German government is using the policy...
Community energy projects are hard to come by in Ireland. One community owned wind farm took 12 years to build. It was clear that policy did not support community energy projects.
I've finally taken the time to post some pictures from my career in renewable energy and energy policy. Some date from 1976, possibly earlier. My memory of those days is fuzzy as they say.[more]
The Georgia Mountain Community Wind farm (GMCW) announced that its annual energy production exceeded expectations by more than 22 percent, producing more than 33,000,000 kWh of Vermont-made renewable...
BEC hopes to raise £2 million by 31 March 2016 to complete the purchase of a 4.6MW solar array near Puriton, Somerset, that has been constructed by renewable energy developer Anesco.
The Luther College wind turbine was installed on September 19, 2011 and commissioned by General Electric on November 1, 2011. Located on the bluff west of campus, the turbine symbolizes Luther’s...
'Swindon's solar bonds provide an opportunity for people to invest as little as £5 and enjoy better returns than their bank provides as they invest for their children's future, their own retirement...
Mongoose Energy has revealed that two of its affiliated community energy companies (bencoms) have raised over £2 million for solar developments since the Enterprise Investment Scheme (EIS) tax relief...
In total, there are now some 2,800 energy co-operatives across Europe according to REScoop. And, as the size and scale of the sector has become better appreciated, so too has the political support it...
The EU created a set-aside for small projects. Called the de minimus rule, it allows projects smaller than six megawatts to go forwards without having to take part in auctions. In addition, wind...
To date, Energy4All has raised over £50 million in capital for community energy projects, but Smyth has expressed concerns that this could become more difficult now that tax relief for community...
Germany, as it happens, has a very strong culture of benefit sharing. I had a chat to my host about my experience on the outskirts of Ebersheim. She told me about a neighbour in the small town who...
Bavaria has implemented draconian conditions for new wind farms. At Starnberger Lake, a mayor and his community have rushed to complete a wind farm before the new stipulations take effect. The story...
The most challenging hurdle that the Mexican wind sector faces is the engagement with the local populations that own the land where major wind parks are intended to be set up.
The country recently announced plans to expand its feed-in tariff (FiT) support scheme to include new photovoltaic (PV) and wind categories from January 1, 2016. Thus it aims to foster growth of...
The Victorian Government has produced a guide to give communities information about developing community-owned renewable energy projects.
The co-op is looking to develop two separate ground-mount projects – a 4.2MW solar farm near Avonmouth and a 4.6MW project near Puriton in Somerset – as well as a 500kW portfolio of rooftop...
Dr Peer Piske founded Berlin based energy crowdfunding start-up, CrowdEner.gywith the aim to create a platform which would let all Germans access community energy investment projects.
Number of community and school installations (and associated capacity), split by type of accreditation granted, at the end of the latest quarter.
A full description would include mention of community-building as a main driver behind such projects. Western societies are increasingly isolating. Community projects bring people together again.
Community distributed wind projects offer investment and returns back to the local community of a wind farm. Alice Orrell of the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory explains what community wind and...
The symposium called “Trends in Community Power – the Future Role of SMEs and Energy Cooperatives” was held in the Nordsee Congress Center on 15 September 2015. It was hosted by the World Wind Energy...
The 9.1MWp Braydon Manor Farm near Swindon comprises a 5MWp community-owned area which has been backed by community energy group Mongoose Energy and WWCE.
The new project is therefore all the more encouraging. As the press release explains, “no privately-owned (sic) wind farm in southern Germany has as large a citizen share.” With a hub height of 137...
Construction on Cape Breton University's $18-million wind farm is expected to begin in November.
he Nova Scotia government in Canada has pulled the plug on a programme that encouraged the development of small-scale, community-based renewable-energy projects, despite strong demand from local...
Both the projects are being developed as split-ownership projects which offer local communities the opportunity to invest in the sites, and both sites have secured pre-accreditation under the feed-in...
German cooperative association DGRV says new registrations of energy cooperatives fell by 60 percent in 2014. The organization says amendments to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) from 2014 are the...
If we are going to talk about the technical need for utilities as aggregators, we should admit that the people who brought about this transition over the past 25 years will be demoted as market...
In a stunning turn in the battle between corporate domination of renewable energy and community ownership, a cooperative of German investors has rescued defunct commercial wind developer Prokon.[more]
This month, construction of the Beinn Ghrideag wind farm was completed. In the next few months, three 3 MW Enercon wind turbines are expected to start power production. A comparison with a recent...
A few weeks ago, 360 German citizens completed and 82.3 MW wind farm consisting of 24 wind turbines. The project even included a transformer station, which the community project financed completely...
In Germany, citizen cooperatives have long been investing in the production of renewable energies and some are now looking at how to buy back the energy grid from the energy companies. They failed to...
Last summer, the umbrella organization for German energy cooperatives announced that the willingness of energy cooperatives to make further investments in the current year had already fallen from 92...
Wind power cooperatives in Denmark have mitigated exposure to market risks through joint cooperative actions and coopera-tion with financially strong partners. They have been facilitated by specific...
Make no mistake, though, it’s a real hike, not the cliché walk in the park. The six-mile trip is rated moderate by seasoned hikers, but it has steep uphill and downhill segments, organizers caution.
Its not all doom and gloom in GB--FITs has been a great success and kick-started all sorts of developments.
That means Samso actually generates more power from renewable sources than it consumes over all. Attached by a power cable to the mainland 11 miles away, the island sells its excess electricity to...
One of seven new Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) projects to produce local renewable electricity will be located in Bible Hill.
And in most of the energy companies, the majority stakeholder is the state. “This is not a democratic system where people can take control,” says Krzyszkowska. On the other hand, “community energy...
In September 2001, a wind turbine started its operation in Hamatombetsu, the northern part of Hokkaido. The wind turbine is called “Hamakaze-chan”[1], whose name was given by local elementary school...
Backed by a new white paper by researchers at the What's Next Forum, Scherbarth and her colleagues at FOEI say that locally implemented and decentralized energy systems—including small-scale wind...
Yoder makes it pay to the tune of $500 to $700 each month in avoided energy costs, or roughly half what his electricity bill totaled before he installed the turbine and solar panels and began selling...
When it comes to renewable energy however, a large majority of farmers are staunch supporters of the Energiewende and the fast development of renewables – an outcome that may surprise people in...
The Urban Community Energy Fund has been launched today, giving community groups in England the opportunity to bid for grants of up to £20,000, or loans of up to £130,000.
This webinar concentrates on community owned solar and some community wind programs. Our speakers will discuss the different community solar models and the role of policy mechanisms – especially the...
In the UAE, this would require some form of “feed-in tariff”, whereby the government would pay individuals a set tariff for the surplus power they generate in their homes. Although the new panels...
Why does ownership of renewable energy matter? Because the number of jobs and economic returns for communities are substantially higher when electricity generation from wind and sun can be captured...
Today, there are thousands of examples of local co-operative initiatives, from credit unions in India and fair-trade coffee growers in Nicaragua to industrial worker co-ops in Argentina, renewable...
Community Energy England (CCE) has called on the government to push forward with its initial plans to extend support for community energy schemes under the feed-in tariff from 5MW to 10MW.
One thing I like in particular is the Board’s sense of mission. Board members are not currently being paid, and it is an active board. For example, the equity is being raised by the board members,...
Secondly there is the local vision which aims at small, localized, empowerment driven generation of renewable energy. Local ownership and control are seen as preferable to absentee corporate...
There is an evident movement in Germany, not toward re-nationalisation or even re-municipalisation, but toward a much more constructive, locally-governed infrastructure, which can enable community...
“The popularization of renewable energy has increasingly allowed local municipalities to produce electricity on their own,” said Tetsunari Iida, director of the Institute for Sustainable Energy...
On 23 July, a group will gather in Castellana Grotte (Puglia) to launch a crowd-funding campaign to raise money for the first community-owned wind project in southeastern Italy.
Germany’s leading economics institute DIW has published a 36-page report in English on how the amendments to the Renewable Energy Act (EEG) will impact the cost of capital for wind power investors....
The DGRV, the umbrella organization for German energy cooperatives, has taken a survey of its members and found that a third of them have given up future investments.
So when I see the WindShare turbine — whether fleetingly, from a GO train, or at extreme length when stuck on the terminally gridlocked Gardiner Expressway — it still makes me smile. We built an...
The Government has launched a discussion document aimed at ensuring that local people have the opportunity to gain shares or income from renewable energy developments, but in typically British...
La coopérative aimerait pouvoir actionner ses éoliennes en décembre 2015. Déjà, 1,2 million de dollars ont été investis en capitaux locaux.
placeholderI’ve been posting updates on local ownership of renewable energy in Germany since early 2011, and it’s abundantly clear that the Germans have yet to back down from their commitment to...
If we allow ourselves to be deceived by the fossil-fuel industry and their fabricated worries about birds, then we will be refusing to look the future squarely in the face. We must end our addiction...
The world's first community-owned tidal power turbine in Scotland has started exporting electricity to the local grid, Energy Minister Fergus Ewing revealed today.
Windpower Ownership in Sweden: Business models and motives, the new book by Tore Wizelius helps English-speakers understand how Swedes have taken a sizable ownership of wind energy in spite of their...[more]
The Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC) could develop a new feed-in tariff (FiT) rate under plans putout for consultation on Tuesday.
A new wind farm to be opened in southwest Germany in a few weeks shows how much equity German citizens can bring together – and how much borrowed capital they can leverage. Clearly, the EU’s plans...
The purpose of today's energy cooperatives, all of which are for-profit entities, has always been to allow individual citizens to pool their resources and leverage large amounts of capital for the...
Some thoughts about the role of the church in Germany’s switch to renewables and lower consumption driven by citizens, energy cooperatives, and communities. While energy policy is a divisive issue in...
The developers of several Ontario projects with feed-in tariff contracts are working on partnership deals with a First Nation. . . The Six Nations of Grand River is in negotiation with Longyuan...
Bob Jeffery, vice-president of the SUN Co-operative board, said the group has made an application with the Ontario Power Authority’s Feed-in-Tariff (FIT) program, which offers small green-power...
SB 1520, which passed the Oregon House and Senate with bipartisan support, has been signed into law by Governor Kitzhaber. The bill allows renewable energy cooperative corporations to be created and...
The switch from state-run water services to the private sector made the public aware of the difference between the two options, but the possibility of energy democracy is poorly understood outside...
West Solent Solar Co-operative is turning to the local community to help raise the necessary £2.5 million construction costs to install the solar farm when it launches a public share offering later...
Tehachapi’s Windmill-Wildflower Hike is one of the longest-running annual walks among wind turbines worldwide. More than 800 people, from children to octogenarians, have taken the six-mile walk...[more]
The tiny village of Feldheim, some 60 kilometers southwest of Berlin, was catapulted by chance to the forefront of the renewable energy movement. Now visitors from around the world are flocking to...
As of January, 89 COMFIT projects had been approved, with a total capacity of 200 megawatts. When launched in 2011, the program's target was 100 megawatts. It is not expected that all approved...
‘The beauty of this deal is that every-body’s interests are aligned: the investor makes solid financial returns, with measurable social and environmental impact; tenants enjoy access to free daytime...
Canberra residents will be provided with a new opportunity to invest in solar power under a community solar feed-in tariff (FiT) from the ACT Government.
Beckman writes that "analysts" speak of "gross inefficiencies" in national schemes: "wind and solar power get built where subsidies are highest rather than where there is most wind or sun in Europe."...
Cornish town plans to restore its energy self-sufficiency by 2020 To combat fuel poverty, Wadebridge – where a century ago the local electricity company and gasworks provided for all its needs – has...
Creation Care merges faith with proactive solutions to protect God’s creation. Next week, the season of Lent begins for millions of faithful people around the world. To mirror the 40 days of Lent,...
German energy coop lobby group DGRV says that the current proposals for changes in energy policy would put an end to the Energiewende as we know it – as a grassroots movement from the 1970s.
German renewable energy organization AEE has updated its chart showing the number of energy co-ops in the country,, which continues to rise. The question is whether community ownership has any future...
This is the largest community-owned wind farm in Lower Saxony (Niedersachsen) and may be one of the largest community-owned wind plants in the world. More than 700 regional property owners and...[more]
The purchase price for renewable energy generated by a power plant whose maximum output is less than 15,000 kilowatts is also set relatively high at 42 yen per kilowatt hour under the feed-in tariff...
We highly welcome the launch of the Fukushima Community Power Fund and call on community power proponents in Japan to support the fund so that it can soon become fully operational and support...
The only concrete proposal is DECC’s statement that “We will be consulting in spring 2014 on doubling the Feed-in Tariff (FIT) maximum capacity ceiling from 5MW to 10MW for community projects.” [more]
More than four years after the Ontario Power Authority (OPA) launched North America’s first comprehensive Feed-In Tariff (FIT) Program, Ontario’s renewable energy industry, municipalities, Aboriginal...
Collège Catholique Samuel-Genest will be installing a 75-kilowatt solar panel system on its roof in collaboration with the Ottawa Renewable Energy Co-op, or OREC.
Saskatoon Community Wind is a community vision. 10 wind turbines located 15 to 30 kilometres from Saskatoon, owned by thousands of people from the Saskatoon region and generating 5% of our...
SolarShare has achieved a first in Canada by raising $3 million of investment for solar energy.
76-page report on the ownership of renewable energy in Germany through 2012, including the original charts in German translated by Craig Morris into English.
A cluster of community energy projects received Nova Scotia government clearance Friday to proceed to the next stage of development. . . Each of the 13 projects from eight different groups is...
To sum up, the broad support for Germany’s Energiewende is a result of the wide spread ownership of renewable energy production. Many citizens like to get involved in energy projects, especially in...
Grow up your own energy is a very visual publication from Amigos de la Tierra España (Friends of the Earth Spain) released in 2013. The document is structured in three main chapters. Firstly, it...
Germans can switch power providers. In fact, they are not only free as power consumers, but also free to become “prosumers” – simultaneously producers and consumers. They can even sell the power they...
Dubbed "Community Power--for people's ownership of renewable energy", the slick new web site offers a platform for expanding community ownership of renewables in the European Union.
Over the years I’ve noted more than once the observation that most major environmental groups in Germany give a full-throated endorsement of renewable energy, the energiewende, and wind energy in...[more]
Mai avrei immaginato di poter conoscere direttamente Paul Gipe. L’occasione è stata la giornata di studio su “Eolico cooperativo” organizzata a Castellana Grotte (BA) il 29 settembre del 2013 da...
A dramatic fall in income, coupled with rising energy costs, is seeing increasing number of farmers turning to wind turbines as an additional source of revenue ahead of looming energy regulator...
The Government has talked about extending the size of the schemes which qualify under the small feed-in tariff from 5MW to 10 MW. However this makes little difference as the rates payable under the...
In a bid to raise enough money to build a $5.4-million energy plant that runs on zoo poo, a Toronto-based co-op is turning to the public for funding.
On Sunday morning 29 September nearly 50 people attended a full-day workshop on how locally-owned wind energy could benefit them and their communities.[more]
I first visited Kennermerwind sometime in 1996 on assignment for the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), a US environmental group.[more]
In Scotland, the first 100 percent co-op-owned wind turbine is going up, and in Australia, a new video shows how much locals enjoy the wind turbines on their land.
Somewhat surprisingly, the oil and gas industry and wind turbines, which have both been blamed for causing bird deaths, didn't make it onto the list of top killers.
It has been a hard road: Hepburn Wind took six years to complete. But since then the project has received local, state, national and global awards. Last year it won the World Wind Energy award for...
Presentation on Developing Locally-Owned Wind Turbines in Castellana Grotte: The Current Situation in Italy
Energy cooperatives as organisational form are growing a lot in popularity because they offer a variety of possibilities for action and design. Currently, more than 80,000 citizens in Germany hold...
Irish energy minister Pat Rabbitte (pictured) has taken the wraps off the Republic’s first community-owned wind farm. The 4.4MW Templederry project in County Tipperary is owned by a co-operative...
Community-owned windfarms on some of Scotland's remotest islands are likely to gain from a new deal to buy their electricity at a higher price, Ed Davey, the energy and climate secretary, has said.
ResPublica reveals that community owned energy could grow 89 times its current size if the right national and local policies are put in place. In Germany, community energy accounts for 46% of all...
Seminario sulla realizzazione di piccole e medie aziende locali per la produzione di energia tramite impianti eolici la cui proprietà sia diffusa sul territorio. Oggi questa formula, ancora poco...
Want a fun and challenging experience that your friends haven't had? Want to be a trailblazer and make a real impact in the fight against climate change? Building on the success of last year's...
Energy democracy is not just about having your own solar roof . . . Conservative politicians Ingbert Liebing and Josef Göppel also expressed their support. “In northern Frisia, we have more than 90%...
In 2012 17 billion Euros were added to local communities in Germany by wind and solar energy, according to a study for Greenpeace.
Government provides support to households who install small-scale renewable energy systems through the Feed-in Tariff scheme (FiT), while large scale projects like off-shore wind farms will be...
Businesses, cooperatives, local authorities, schools and housing associations should be given financial support to install medium-sized renewable energy generating systems - such as solar arrays,...
The question about what to do with wind turbines after they’ve reached the end of their useful lives is often raised out of fear that derelict wind turbines will litter the landscape. As I’ve...[more]
The statistics are further evidence that the German PV market has a relatively large share of small, distributed systems in an international comparison. One reason is strong community and citizen...
Soon, more of the power produced in some 60 municipalities in Ontario will be owned by the people of the province through community power co-operatives. Twenty-five MW in contracts have been...
Some 130,000 Germans have now invested 1.2 billion Euros in renewable energy cooperatives capable of generating 580 million kWh per year. Half of the investment is in solar, 40% in wind. More than...
The Government recognises that there are a number of potential benefits of community energy. In June 2012, DECC Minister Greg Barker announced that the Government would launch a Community Energy...
SolarShare announced 8 July that the Ontario Power Authority has awarded it 4.9 MW in new feed-in tariff contracts. Combined with existing installations and projects currently underway, the new...[more]
First cooperative biogas plant in Canada--and likely in North America as well--wins 500 kW contract from the Ontario Power Authority to build plant at the Toronto Zoo.
Aspiring communities across the nation will be able to receive Feed-in Tariff (FITs) payments for the clean green energy generated by larger community energy projects, under new plans set out by the...
This little wind farm, about 15 km from Tatamagouche, is just one of dozens in Nova Scotia, hundreds in Canada, and thousands around the world. But it is also highly unusual in that it is owned by...
In recent months, there has been a surge of activity surrounding community power policy and initiatives in the United States. This year alone we can expect 200 megawatts of community solar, up from...
I've written before about what is real "urban wind" and in that article I've sited several examples. There are so many examples of functioning, productive "urban wind" worldwide that I don't bother...[more]
Outsiders sometimes claim that Germany's energy transition comes at a high price, with a tremendous impact on the poor. In reality, Germany is giving its citizens a way of safely investing even...
Americans continue to underestimate the importance of community ownership in the renewables sector. A recent article at Think Progress is the latest example. But one significant number was left out...
A small 5-turbine wind farm project with an innovative share ownership model has become the first wind energy project in the state of Victoria to receive council approval in recent years.
The story of wind turbine development in this country might be less fractious had the last Labour government encouraged a community-based approach from the outset . . .
Yesterday, we reported on the completion of the largest solar array in Baden-Württemberg, which is also largely owned by local citizens. In nearby Bavaria, a developer of PV arrays has now also...
At the beginning of the month, the largest solar project in Baden-Württemberg was connected to the grid. Its ownership structure is typical of such projects in Germany – and could serve as an example...
The citizen-owned wind farm is capable of generating 40 million kWh annually from the 19 MW project and has become a beacon for community ownership in Bavaria. The eight Nordex turbines are owned by...
The co-operative investment company Cigale was established in 2008, and there are now 127 individuals who collectively own a 30% share in the venture. But the participatory windfarm is just one...
A new association is prepared to submit at least 15 applications for wind projects, including at least one in Niagara, when the government opens the next window for its Feed-in-Tariff program. . .
Theologian, popular author, renewables activist, TV personality, Franz Alt is something of a phenomenon in Germany. Unfortunately for us Anglophones, Alt writes only in German. So it was a pleasant...[more]
Ottawa’s first energy co-op has announced it connected its third 10-kilowatt solar project to the grid on Wednesday. . .
"This is an important day as the start-up of this wind turbine marks an environmental milestone for our union - this is the first union owned and operated wind turbine in Canada," said CAW President...
Le Parc éolien Pierre-De Saurel est un projet 100 % communautaire résolument tourné vers le développement durable. Il permettra de diversifier les sources de revenus de la MRC et de vitaliser...
Charter for the campaign to put control of Germany's Engergiwende into the hands of the people. . .
We are a community-led initiative. We want to build a 10-turbine wind farm which will be developed and owned by thousands of individuals from the Saskatoon region.
You can see some arguments in favour of a 'Fixed' Feed-in Tariff on the FOE website, http://www.foe.co.uk/blog/energy_bill_will_give_more_38654.html, and a report I wrote for Friends of the Earth on...
Out of sight of the mass of people living in towns and cities, a quiet revolution is underway in the British countryside as more and more farmers are investing in renewable energy. According to the...
The magazine of the Sierra Club, the largest grassroots environmental group in the US, laudably featured community solar in a recent issue, but they missed the broader picture. . .[more]
The government of the northernmost German state of Schleswig-Holstein and grid operator Tennet have launched a unique project to combat NIMBYism against new power lines. Now, citizens will be able to...
Thinking about starting a community solar project? No matter what your project’s stage of development, the Community Solar Tool (CST) can help you. . .
The model community of Friedrich-Wilhelm-Lübke-Koog is located within the kreis or county of Nordfriesland in the North German state of Schleswig-Holstein. Nordfriesland has 166,000 inhabitants...[more]
Pioneers of the Bürger (Citizen's) Wind Movement A model for a Renewable Future and an Engaged Population The Friedrich-Wilhelm-Lübke-Koog is a polder in the far northwest corner of Germany, near...[more]
Long before Germany decided to decommission its nuclear plants, its people were changing their relationship with energy. . .
In a densely populated country like Germany, wind turbines as a consequence are installed near people, as are all other forms of infrastructure. That's one of the most striking observations North...[more]
Community wind energy as found in continental Europe represents an extremely small niche market in North America, despite more than a decade of effort by proponents in Canada and the USA. Community...[more]
On a recent pilgrimage-and that's the only word for it-to Denmark in September we stopped by the Danmarks Vindmølleforening (the Danish Wind Turbine Owners Association) to visit my colleagues Asbjørn...[more]
In a colloquium at the 2012 Husum wind conference, there was a brief report on the progress of community wind in Quebec. By a rather loose definition of "community wind" to include municipal...[more]
This past September we stopped by the Folkecenter for Renewable Energy in a swing through Jutland. There we met with Preben Maegaard, longtime director of the Folkecenter and one of the pioneers of...[more]
Presentation by Energie Partagée to a conference on community power in France & Germany in Lyon, France. . .
Presentation on the village of Arzfeld in Germany that generates 300% more electricity than they consumer by solar PV that they own together. . .
Presentation on the development of community-owned renewable energy in France. . .
Perhaps the biggest difference between the way Germany is switching to renewables and the way many other countries are doing so (China, the US, the UK, France, etc.) is the focus on citizen...
A failure to empower local authorities on energy issues in the next few years could put a brake on its ambition to cut the share of nuclear power in the electricity mix to 50 percent by 2025, down...
"Our big utilities completely ignored renewables," he explained. "In the beginning, the Energiewende was driven almost entirely by individuals. Over half of our renewable power is still produced by...
Greg Pahl's Power from the People is an inspirational guide to the burgeoning community power movement. His case studies of people who are making a difference is often a tale of endurance and...[more]
Growing numbers of local communities are launching their own renewable energy co-operatives in an effort to slash the UK’s greenhouse gas emissions, the Guardian reported. . .
Government energy reforms could make it impossible for new community energy projects to scale up . . .
Of the 2027 GB adults interviewed 68% said they would be likely to support local renewable energy projects, including wind turbines, if they were 100% owned and controlled by the community with all...
A high-profile alliance of charities, co-operatives and organisations has published a manifesto to help advance community-owned renewable energy in the UK. . .
Generating all energy from renewable sources is no longer a pipe dream in Europe. From Denmark to Austria, we can see examples of a successful energy transition. Germany is clearly seen as the...
“In order to see developments in Europe similar to those we have experienced in Germany and Denmark we need national political frameworks that enable citizens and municipalities to profit from this...
For the most part, Germany’s new energy producers are home owners, small and medium-sided businesses, and farmers, many of the latter who faced ruin only a decade ago. At the heart of Germany’s...
Proponents of renewables around the world rightly look to Germany to see how things can be done. Germans themselves often look to Denmark. What do the Danes do differently? . .
Community power was given a boost this summer with the release of the second round of Nova Scotia's Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) projects on July 9, 2012 and Ontario's FIT 2.0 Program Rules on...
Community power was given a boost this summer with the release of the second round of Nova Scotia's Community Feed-In Tariff (COMFIT) projects on July 9, 2012 and Ontario's FIT 2.0 Program Rules on...
Toronto Renewable Energy Cooperative's Lone Wind Turbine in Urban Toronto Started a Debate on the Future of Electricity in Ontario. . .
Locally-owned projects provide more than double the economic benefit of absentee owned wind projects. . .
On March 10th, 2009 a special event took place in Barcelona: the 25th anniversary of the commissioning of the first modern wind turbine connected to the grid: the Ecotècnia 12/15, installed in...
Although the average PV array size in Germany is growing, arrays that might be considered commercial or utility-scale in other countries are generally still owned by citizens in Germany. Now, a...
OREC closed its first preference share offering on August 27, 2012. Over $900,000 was subscribed which will now be invested in already approved FIT solar projects in 2012. . .
The wind power company founded by the residents of the Vojakkala village has 108 shareholders, most of whom actually live in Southern Finland. . .
Wind turbines are often criticised for killing birds. Fights against siting wind turbines in bird migration corridors or in bird habitat are frequent. Highly inflammatory language is used by...
The Canadian Association of Physicians for the Environment (CAPE) is describing Health Canada’s study of health impacts from wind turbines as “superfluous (and) a waste of time and a waste of public...
By unifying the co-op sector under one umbrella, setting standards and sharing resources, the Federation expects to support at least 100 MW of community-controlled projects by 2015. . .
By unifying the co-op sector under one umbrella, setting standards and sharing resources, the Federation expects to support at least 100 MW of community-controlled projects by 2015. . .
Just three weeks after a share offer opened for the UK’s largest cooperatively owned solar farm more than two million pounds has been raised – more than £95,000 a day! . . The solar farm was up and...
The focus and presentations on community power suggested that support and investment in the community renewable energy sector is broadly on the rise, with representatives from no less than twenty one...
Presentation on the status of community power in Japan at the WWEC in Bonn 2-5 July 2012. . .
Presentation on Scotland's a target of 500MW of community and locally-owned renewable energy by 2020 at the WWEC in Bonn 3-5 July 2012 . . .
Presentation on community power in Scotland the WWEC in Bonn 3-5 July 2012. . .
Germany’s shift toward alternative energy has seen wind parks pop up around the country. Not everyone wants a power plant in their own backyard. But in Schlalach, the wind park has become a part of...
Westmill solar farm, just outside Swindon, is on the verge of becoming the first community owned and community led solar farm in the UK. . .
Mount Alexander Community Wind is a community driven project seeking to establish a locally owned and operated wind plant to supply a significant portion of the energy needs of our Shire. Clean...
In Germany, where the stranglehold of corporate energy has been loosened, renewables now comprise 20 percent, of national energy production, thanks to national policies such as feed-in tariffs which...
International Community Power Conference Set for 3-5 July in Bonn, Germany 51% of German Renewables Now Owned by Its Own Citizens[more]
Ontario’s first 100% union-owned wind energy project breaks ground November 29, 2011, led by the Canadian Auto Workers (CAW) union. Located at their Family Education Centre in Port Elgin, the single...[more]
In the US, the growth of renewables remains largely dependent on the involvement of utilities, with average Americans not able to become power producers. Not so in Germany, whose Big Four utilities...[more]
There are less than 1,000 souls in the town of Dardesheim. But the village and its 80,000 neighbors in the county of Halberstadt in the former East Germany have an expansive spirit. They want to...[more]
The solar industry is booming. During the past decade PV shipments have grown by three orders of magnitude. In 2010 shipments were up over a hundred percent on 2009. How to account for this explosive...[more]
Suggests Feed-in Tariff Design Best Practice[more]
A recent report from the Democracy Collaborative at the University of Maryland, called Growing a Green Economy for All: From Green Jobs to Green Ownership, has a host of information about initiatives...[more]
Conservatives Increasing New Renewables from 50% to 100% of Electricity Highest Concentration of Wind in Germany--Most Locally Owned As Much Wind Generation as California[more]
This guide is for landowners in Alberta who are considering wind energy projects on their land. Whether you are interested in erecting and owning your own wind turbine, leasing land to...
That creates a profit of nearly 170,000 euros (£144,000, $227,000) a year and it is that money which is being pumped back into local services, enabling everything from street-cleaning and school...
Minnesota's State Senate passed a bill with the C-BED proposal in May, 2005. The measure passed the Assembly on May 19, 2005 and has since been signed by the Governor. As of early 2006, electric...[more]
There are a several sources of information for landowners on the typical terms and conditions for leasing land for wind energy development. The newest is by the Ontario Sustainable Energy Association...[more]
A quiet land rush is under way among the buttes of southeastern Wyoming, and it is changing the local rancher culture. The whipping winds cursed by descendants of the original homesteaders now have...
The province of New Brunswick has issued a report on its consultations about community wind. The REPORT, Oct. 16 2008 - Community Wind Energy Program by consultants from the Université de Moncton...[more]
The World Wind Energy Association presented its 2008 World Wind Energy Award to Paul Gipe at its 7th annual conference. The trade association also elected Gipe to its board of directors. Gipe shared...[more]
http://www.startribune.com/business/13823711.html A legislator's plan to encourage small, local energy projects in Minnesota borrows from Germany's experience. By H.J. CUMMINS, Star Tribune A...[more]
1% to 38% of supply[more]
Collectif sous la direction de Roméo Bouchard avec Jean-Louis Chaumel, Pierre Dubuc, Paul Gipe, Gaétan Ruest, et Gabriel Ste-Marie. ISBN 978-2-923165-31-8 Prix :14 $ 128 pages The following...[more]
Update 2006. In June 2007, the owners of Windenergiepark Udenhausen-Mariendorf will celebrate paying off the ten-year loan on the turbines. If you're in the vicinity of Kassel, you may want to join...[more]
This book serves as a guide to the many legal issues faced by farmers and rural landowners who seek to develop wind energy projects. . .
Craig Morris, author of Energy Switch, recently gave me a whirlwind tour of the Solar Siedlung in Freiburg, Germany. The Solar Siedlung (settlement or subdivision in German) and its accompanying...[more]
In the early 1990s the city of Aachen (Aix-en-Chapelle) Germany set the world of solar energy on its ear. Until that time development of solar PV depended entirely on direct and substantial...[more]
The following is a response to an article written by Paul Gipe in July 2005 titled Beating Swords into Wind Turbines-or Solar Panels if You Like that argued if an equivalent amount of money had...[more]
A consortium of cooperatives developing wind projects in Québecé has formed a new association that expects to participate in the province's call for tender. The new group hopes to reduce the tension...[more]
Greg Pahl's idea of shifting the debate from Not In My Back Yard to Please, In My Back Yard with community ownership is an idea whose time has come. That's the central theme of his The Citizen...[more]
Ok, we liked this book because it has lots of pictures: pictures of wind turbines, pictures of people, pictures of a Danish table cloth, all sorts of pictures. We admit it. We also liked it because...[more]
Amqui, Quebec, Canada, vendredi le 5 mai 2006 OPINION Source : Gaëtan Ruest ing. Maire d'Amqui Cell : 418 629 7334 La nouvelle politique énergétique annoncée hier par le Gouvernement du Québec et...[more]
Spreadsheet for calculating royalty revenues from wind leases. . .
Spreadsheet for calculating royalty revenues from wind leases. . .
COMMUNIQUÉS Version Original Ontario Ministère de l'Energie Pour diffusion immédiate Relations avec les médias 416 314-8975 Le 21 mars 2006 De nouveaux prix standards permettront d'ajouter...[more]
Alt captured that rebellious spirit in his inspiring tale of the small town of Schönau and how residents built a solar utility in the deep recesses of Germany's Schwartzwald--the Black Forest of...[more]
North America's first truly urban wind turbine is located on the grounds of the Canadian National Exposition, the CNE or "ExPlace" to locals. While urban siting of commercial wind turbines is common...[more]
Wolfgang Paulsen is one of the owners of a Bürger wind project in the far northwest of Schleswig-Holstein near the Danish border. The community of Bohmstedt comprises a grand total of 650 people,...[more]
Pesch was named a strom (electricity) rebel by Elektritzitätswerke Schönau (EWS) in 2005 and that was a good reason for paying him a visit. The good folks at EWS know strom rebels when they see them....[more]
Samsø is a 112 square kilometers island off the east coast of Denmark's Jutland peninsula. Home to 4,300 residents, the island is unique in the annals of renewable energy because it was the first...[more]
I first met Henning Holst in the late 1980s or early 1990s when he was developing citizen-owned wind projects in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany's northernmost länder. Holst's office was then, and is...[more]
An overview of royalty payments for wind energy in selected countries. . .[more]
Some of the RePower turbines in Le Haut des Ailes near Igny, Lorraine, France. Photo by Paul Gipe We were cautiously threading our way through the fog on the A33 from Strasbourg to Nancy...[more]
Often in North America wind project developers lease land from individual landowners. Developers lease land to install their wind turbines or ancillary structures such as roads, transformers,...[more]
An edited version of the article appeared in the August 11, 2004 edition of the Globe & Mail page A13. The Glob & Mail is one of two national English language newspapers in Canada. It is...[more]
The following is a press release from the Highlands and Islands Enterprise consortium. Scotland's first community-owned wind farm will boost the regeneration of an island owned by its...[more]
The following article by Paul Gipe appeared in the April 26, 2004 edition of the Toronto Star. The Toronto Star is the largest circulation newspaper in Canada and is the newspaper of record in...[more]
Available online 21 March 2004. by Dave Toke Department of Sociology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK The full paper is available for purchas from Elevier. For an...[more]
Portions of the following have been adapted from Wind Power: Renewable Energy for Home, Farm, and Business, published by Chelsea Green, 2004. Wind can be-is today-a producer of bulk...[more]
Margam Wind Energy Clusters Appeal Ref: APP/Y6930/A/02/1103415 Appeal of Community Power Proof of Evidence by Paul Gipe Scale of Turbine The Vestas V52 turbine selected is modest in scale relative...[more]
A Brief Proposal for a New Wind Energy Association in the United States by Paul Gipe Need for New Organization Originally AWEA (the American Wind Energy Association) began as an advocacy group for...[more]
At the time of its dedication in 2001, Paderborn-Sintfeld was one of the largest wind projects in Germany. It was also by far the largest Bürger-initiative or citizen-owned wind projects as...[more]
The following article appeared in an edited form in Independent Energy. With restructuring fever sweeping the North American utility industry, the bankruptcy of Kenetech, and the...[more]
Noud de Schutter is president of Vereniging Windenergie Noord Holland (the wind turbine owners association of North Holland) and a farmer with 40 hectares (about 100 acres) of tilled crops (all 4...[more]
While the following report on a Trip to Northern Europe in 1996 is more than a decade old, much of the information remains relevant. Wind turbines are bigger and more costly today than those...[more]
Kennemerwind was not the first wind cooperative in the Netherlands, but is one of the largest in number of members. (Several members of the Dutch wind fraternity own shares, including ECN's...
The Guide discusses how landowners can evaluate their wind resources, how they can evaluate the economics of wind power under a variety of development scenarios, and the contractual issues a...[more]
