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A bit of advertisement today, but for a good cause! The Transnational Institute (TNI) proposes a (free) 6 weeks online course to learn and share with people working on energy transitions around the world. It's gonna be from November 02 to December 14, 2016. Click HERE to join! During two days at the beginning of September, the commons collided with renewable energy. Lots of very interesting exchanges and new ideas on energy cooperatives, barriers and enabling environments, storage and infrastructure.
Empowering People: what chances for community energy ?
How can we promote community-based and -governed renewable energy in the EU ? We want to present the background of energy transition and the role of community energy in the transition. We'd like to focus on policy as part of the enabling environment, with focus on developments in Germany and the Netherlands. Possibly also EU policies/ incentives. In a more workshop oriented part we can share practical experiences, grass root experience from energy cooperatives, having an open discussion focusing on certain questions (e.g., limits & barriers; financing; scaling up).
If the need for more renewable energy* or more democracy seems pretty obvious to most of us, the need for more (citizen) ownership is generally less clear. And even less the combination of the three: community energy. Insights into the multiple benefits of community energy as a transformative process.
I am currently working on a paper to compare the French and German laws on renewable energies and the production of electricity that were presented in 2014. During my hunt for information, I came across a very interesting presentation from the French-German office for Renewable Energy (based in Berlin) that give very nice figures. It is in French, but surely understandable for a wider non-French speaking audience. Click on the image hereafter to be redirected to the presentation. Then tomorrow, we go to Feldheim, which is a village 100 % sustainable for electricity and warmth production. Can't wait to visit it! There is an article in the Speigel about it, but it is from 2012 and they now have a renewable energy center to inform visitors. I'll dutifully report on that!
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