First energy cooperative established in Estonia
The cooperative Energia Ühistu was formed by a group of 34 people with a wide range of backgrounds and experience to develop green energy at a community level.
In Estonia, electricity is still produced largely from oil shale and despite the growth of renewable energy, the country is still far from giving up fossil fuels, according to the founders, who say the energy cooperative has been set up to break this trend.
Moreover, the average person generally has little chance of becoming a shareholder in energy production, as this is technically complicated and requires a large investment.
“With the energy cooperative, we make this possible. The cooperative provides members with a platform for investments, preparing projects and raising the necessary money for the construction of the park. The cooperative, with its knowledge and experience, builds energy parks for which an ordinary person or local company does not have the time or knowledge,” the cooperative’s website states.
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The cooperative has three categories of membership – supporters, who contribute to the realisation of ideas, ambassadors who are actively involved in project development, and investors who invest in the projects.
Subscriptions range from €150 (US$165) for individuals up to €25,000 (US$27,400) for large enterprises with turnover or equity above €1 million.
The cooperative, which includes the mainland as well as all of Estonia’s many islands, claims to be building parks all over the country.
Its CEO is Märt Helmja, who has a background in finance and banking, said: “It does not give me peace as to why we are worse at cooperative activity than our northern neighbours,” he says.
“Green energy has come to stay, and this is only possible using a distributed energy approach. I hope to sum up people who think the same way and want to put their hands on the green transition in Estonia.”
