In Middelfart, the first 5 RENCOP meetings were held with the communities of Vejen, Fredericia, Billund and Middelfart last month. The aim is to outphase oilboilers and replace them with heatpumps taking renewable electricity off the grid. Another round of meetings is scheduled for the 12th March where people will be offered the opportunity to buy heatpumps together.
News
First RENCOP workshop held in Seinäjoki, Finland
On the 13th Februar 2018 the first RENCOP workshop was held at the Regional Council of South Ostrobothnia, to launch the idea of a RENCOP working in South Ostrobothnia with potential stakeholders. Organisations active in making community energy happen as well as interested parties attended, inlcuding representatives from research and development organisations, municipalities, financiers, associations and companies, 14 people in total. New stakeholders are of course welcome. Energies of interest identified are micro-combined heat and power generation as well as biomass, biogas, solar energy and geothermal heat.
Enterprise Europe Network covers Co2mmunity (German only)
The Enterprise Europe Network has published a short piece on Co2mmunity (German only). The Enterprise Europe Network aims to help businesses in exploring new ways. We just might find that supporting RENCOPs is a promising avenue to root your company regionally and become a partner for the citizens of the 21st century.
Co2mmunity Field Trip 2018
From the 15th to 18th of March the New Energy Fair will take place in Husum. The expected 10 000 
visitors will get to know the latest and what is about to come in renewable energy, from electricity to heat. Watt 2.0 is co-organising the event and is also an associated partner of Co2mmunity. All the more reason for us to be there! On the day before the fair, we will start our field trip with all our partners in Middelfart and then head south. Looking forward to meet you!
Picture by Klaus Heinrich Vanselow
Press release on Co2mmunity by Kiel University (German only)
The Christian-Albrechts University Kiel has published an article on Co2mmunity! The principle of the project is explained and an example for a succesful RENCOP is mentioned briefly. Namely, a small district heating for a village of about 230 people in Northern Frisia in Germany, where the muncipality, the regional energy utility and a citizens cooperative came together.
Merry Christmas!
The Co2mmunity team wishes you and your loved ones a very merry Christmas and peaceful festive season! Find our postcard here to send your own greetings! With this we also take a well deserved break until the new year.
Energy4All – A co-operative partnership in the UK
Energy4All has grown out of community energy projects in the UK. Currently, 23 independent co-operatives work together in Energy4All to support new projects and the management of ongoing projects. Also they bring together projects and citizens interested in funding them. Clearly, a RENCOP in action!
You have a good story to share as well? Feel free to contact us!
How to? Make policy for renewable energy
The Renewable Energy Regions Network (RENREN) was a project of the INTERREG IV C and started in 2010. One of their main outputs were policy recommendations on supporting renewable energy deployment. The document provides principles and general information on areas and topics to cover when making policy to support renewables. So if you wonder:
– how to design a strategy, administrative processes, and certification systems,
– and how to create incentives and access to finance,
for renewable energy this might be an interesting read for you! Of course, participatory models like community energy are identified as an important option. With the RENCOP model Co2mmuntiy now establishes a promising measure for policy implementation.
Baltic ForBio – Intersecting energy and forestry
Another INTERREG project in the Baltic Sea Region supporting local energy solutions is Baltic ForBio. They just got started with a focus on developing local bioenergy projects that utilise the discards of forestry operations. Their way of doing this? Developing business models, providing technical information as well as helping pilot projects in rural areas to get of the ground. Maybe your community can also benefit more from forestry than you thought! Check out the project on the INTERREG homepage.
INTERREG Projects in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany
The Ministry of Justice, European Affairs, Consumer Protection and Equality in Schleswig-Holstein has published a new info brochure on the INTERREG projects that are active in Schleswig-Holstein. These projects come from:
– INTERREG A: Germany Denmark
– INTERREG B: Baltic Sea Region
– INTERREG B: North Sea Region
– INTERREG Europe
Of course, Co2mmunity features as well! Download the whole brochure here -> Infoheft Interreg_Final to get an overview.