When European electricity sellers want to sell electricity with an EKOenergy ecolabel, they pay a contribution to the EKOenergy Climate Fund. The first money of the EKOenergy Climate Fund will now be used to finance a solar project in Tanzania. The project is implemented by the Italian NGO Oikos, in cooperation with SunEdison, an international producer of solar panels —
EKOenergy is the first and only European ecolabel for electricity. It is a new initiative of the EKOenergy Network, a fast growing network of European environmental NGOs. Today, the network has 34 member organizations from 26 countries.
The EKOenergy label guarantees electricity consumers that their electricity purchase leads to more sustainable energy production. This happens via a set of sustainability criteria for the production installations, as well as via two specialized funds: the Environmental Fund and the Climate Fund. The money of the Environmental Fund is used to invest in river restoration, in particular in river basins that are heavily influenced by hydropower. Last summer, EKOenergy has started its first river restoration projects in Northern Europe. The money of the Climate Fund is used to finance new renewable energy installations. The first money of the Climate Fund will now be used to finance a project in Tanzania.
“If we really want that the purchase of green electricity leads to changes, we have to set aside a part of the price the consumer pays. This is one of the basic criteria of the EKOenergy label. Electricity sellers can pay to the Climate Fund what they want, but the minimum contribution is 0,10€ per MWh”, says Steven Vanholme, the Co-Head of the EKOenergy Secretariat.
During the first year of activity, 2013, EKOenergy labelled electricity has been sold in Finland, Iceland, Norway, Latvia and Romania. The largest volumes have been sold by the Finnish energy company Fortum. Thanks to these sales, EKOenergy is now able to finance its very first renewable energy projects.
“We opened a call for projects last summer. We received 130 applications from 70 countries. There was even an application for a project in North Korea. The very first 10.000€ will be donated to the winner of the call, the Italian NGO Istituto Oikos, to implement a solar project in Tanzania”, Vanholme explains.
The Italian NGO Istituto Oikos has been working in Tanzania since 1997. In 2011, they got EU funding to install a small hydro turbine near the Ngarenanyuki secondary school in the Meru District, Northern Tanzania. The turbine is located on an irrigation channel and provides the school with basic electricity services. The water flow (and energy production) fluctuates throughout the year. In the dry season and during irrigation time, the school remains often without electricity. The money from the Climate Fund will allow them to add solar panels to the school’s electrical system.
“The new project will guarantee access to electricity all year round, and will drastically reduce need for diesel. Moreover, students get now the possibility to learn about renewable energy in practice”, says Matteo Leonardi, the Oikos person in charge of the project.
SunEdison donates the solar panels. SunEdison is an international producer of solar panels. Its solar installations, manufacturing plants, and 39 offices are located throughout North America, Europe and Asia.
“We believe sustainable electricity is key in the development of rural communities and therefore are honored to support EKOenergy and partner with Oikos to enable reliable electricity for this secondary school in Tanzania”, Tomás García, head of strategy EMEA & LATAM for SunEdison said. “Also importantly, this project demonstrates that electricity consumers in developed countries are interested in green electricity, and are willing to pay for it”.
EKOenergy is a network of European environmental NGOs promoting the use of sustainable electricity. Currently, there are 34 members, from 26 European countries. EKOenergy is also the first and only pan-European label for electricity. One of the purposes of the ecolabel is to help electricity consumers to buy an easily recognizable and widely accepted electricity product.
The very first consumers of EKOenergy include organisations like NCC Roads, Jottacloud, the Finnish Environment Institute, The Body Shop Finland and tens of thousands of private households.
