renewable energy | ENERGY DEMOCRACY

EnergÉtica Cooperative challenges energy poverty by supplying clean energy

energydemocracy — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:43:13 +0000

Transforming energy systems from the bottom up EnergÉtica was born in the decade of the 2010s in Valladolid, despite significant barriers such as the absence of a relevant cooperative movement, a scarce associative tradition and the perception that energy issues were far from social priorities. The energy issue was finally put on the social agenda…

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PENGON empowers Palestinian women as sustainable energy leaders

energydemocracy — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 11:36:58 +0000

Focusing on women’s needs and skills There are differentiated impacts of energy scarcity on women, and women’s participation in the renewable energy sector as a whole – in Palestine and elsewhere – is neither visible nor supported, with women remaining underrepresented in decision-making bodies and processes. PENGON’s ‘Empowering Women as Sustainable Energy Leaders’ initiative was…

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Earthworker Cooperative

energydemocracy — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 10:30:47 +0000

Fighting for climate and social justice The Earthworker project was set up by trade unionists who were also environmentalists, and who realised they could use their social weight to help the state of Victoria undertake a ‘just transition’ to a low-carbon economy, as well as empower fossil-fuel dependent regions like the Latrobe Valley community through…

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The municipality of Burgas pioneers energy efficient housing in Bulgaria

energydemocracy — Mon, 21 Dec 2020 09:03:06 +0000

Burgas: industrial hub at the seaside With more than 200,000 residents, Burgas is Bulgaria’s fourth largest city. Despite its growing popularity as a tourist destination, Burgas is essentially an industrial city. It hosts a large oil-refining company and is the centre of Bulgaria’s fish-processing industry. Its strategic location on the scenic coast of the Black…

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Municipal actions for building energy democracy and energy sovereignty

energydemocracy — Mon, 02 Nov 2020 18:12:34 +0000

Energy sovereignty – which is based on the highest level of democracy – means to listen to, give voice to, empower, meaningfully engage with, and encourage voting by the largest number of people possible. They must have the democratic power to decide what kind of energy model they want. In other words, how people want…

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Frankfurt’s energy transition: Passive houses, a CO2 budget, and an app to collect residents’ ideas

energydemocracy — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 09:51:23 +0000

Clever schemes to reduce energy use in the heating sector The heating sector accounts for 50% of Frankfurt’s energy use, which is why it is a key target sector of the city’s climate strategy. Currently, Frankfurt is remodelling its heating grid. The city’s energy supplier has invested €65 million to connect three combined heat and…

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Komotini’s plans for a climate-friendly future

energydemocracy — Mon, 05 Oct 2020 08:55:27 +0000

Getting ready for renewable energy production Until 2017, municipalities in Greece were not able to participate directly in large-scale energy production and distribution, but were limited to small-scale infrastructure like PV panels on rooftops. They were dependent on the centralised national system, which runs mostly on fossil fuels and is comparatively expensive. Komotini had therefore…

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Tri-State: Moving a cooperative power provider from coal to clean energy

energydemocracy — Mon, 15 Jun 2020 16:23:31 +0000

In early 2020, Tri-State announced that it would close its coal plants in Colorado and New Mexico, and add hundreds of megawatts of new wind and solar power projects. Co-ops continue to pursue opportunities for more local renewable energy projects and lower rates, by pressing for oversight by state regulators and exploring new partnerships. The…

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Barcelona Energía: public power to tackle energy poverty and achieve energy sovereignty

energydemocracy — Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:02:12 +0000

As part of this, Barcelona City Council created a new municipal retailer in 2018, Barcelona Energía (BE),[2] to serve as a key municipal tool contributing to the city’s energy transition. BE involves citizens in decision-making, and aims to increase energy efficiency, deliver renewable energy at affordable prices and address energy poverty. The ultimate goal is…

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The Belgian community that built renewable energy for the masses

energydemocracy — Wed, 26 Feb 2020 14:42:23 +0000

Meet community energy pioneer Dirk Vansintjan, co-founder of Ecopower, from Rotselaar, Belgium. It all started around the kitchen table of a small kitchen in a co-housing project, 30 years ago, in a small village in Flanders, northern Belgium. Dirk Vansintjan, an activist for many years, realised that…

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