4 things you should know about the Heinrich Boell Foundation and its role in the energy democracy movement

The citizens' energy or energy democracy movement is inspired by the vision of a socially just energy transition and has been growing for years all over Europe. Pioneering energy coops and communities, citizens’ collectives and wider partnerships lead the movement while supportive institutions inspired by the same vision continue to play a catalytic role in its development. What is the role of the Heinrich Boell Foundation Offices as a support organisation within the movement? Below you can find 4 key-facts to help your understanding around the Foundation, its role and ways to support community energy initiatives grow. 

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1. Heinrich Boell Foundation: who we are 

The Heinrich Böll Stiftung (HBS) is an international political organisation affiliated to the German Green Party (Alliance 90/Greens), while retaining economic and administrative independence from the party. HBS is a think tank for green visions and projects that is based in Berlin, with a network of offices in 34 countries and active in around 60 regions of the world.

Heinrich Böll

The Foundation is named after the great German writer and Nobel Prize winner Heinrich Böll (1917-1985), who was a model of active citizenship and intellectual, embodying values that are pillars of the Foundation: the defense of freedom and all human rights, social courage, tolerance, public intervention and open debate. Heinrich Böll's encouragement of civil society interference in politics is a model for the work of the foundation. Its primary task is political education in Germany and abroad to promote the democratic will, the socio-political commitment and international understanding. It is guided by the basic political values of ecology, democracy, solidarity, and nonviolence. The foundation is particularly interested in the realization of a democratic immigration society as well as gender democracy as a relationship of the sexes that is free of dependence and domination. In addition, the Foundation promotes art and culture as an element of its political educational work and as an expression of social self-understanding. 



The Heinrich Böll Foundation grants scholarships to approximately 1500 undergraduates, graduates, and doctoral students of all subjects and nationalities per year, who are pursuing their degree at universities, universities of applied sciences (‘Fachhochschulen’), or universities of the arts (‘Kunst-/Musikhochschulen’).



The Heinrich Boell Foundation is funded by the German Ministry of Foreign Affairs (AA) and/or the Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). 

 

2. Energy democracy and the Foundation

The citizens' energy or energy democracy movement is inspired by the vision of a socially just energy transition and has been growing for years all over Europe. The aim of the movement is not only a transition from a centralised fossil fuel-based energy model to a more decentralised low-carbon energy model, but also the democratisation of the system. That is, shifting power from a small number of monopoly energy companies to citizens and local communities actively involved in the energy sector. Pioneering energy coops and communities, citizens’ collectives and wider partnerships lead the energy democracy movement, taking different legal forms depending on the national contexts. Supportive institutions, like the Foundation, inspired by the same vision continue to play a catalytic role in its development. 



As of 2022, a dynamic thematic network of HBS Offices that have been already active in the field of community energy has been established and growing, consisting currently of seven Offices. Due to our role as political foundations, we aim to build a political case for energy collectives  highlighting their unique characteristics and social benefits they bring thus supporting their development and central role within an energy transition that is democratic, socially just and gender responsive.

Up to date, the HBS Energy Democracy network consists of the following: 

•    Belgrade Office, responsible for activities in Serbia, Montenegro, Kosovo

•    Brussels Office, European Union

•    Prague Office, manages projects in the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Hungary

•    Sarajevo Office, coordinates activities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia

•    Thessaloniki Office, Greece

•    Tirana Office, Albania

•    Warsaw Office, Poland

Representatives of HBS Offices involved in the Energy Democracy network of the Foundation
From left to right: Kyriaki Metaxa (Ecology Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Thessaloniki), Tibor Moldvai (Ecology Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Belgrade), Tea Zeqaj (Ecology and Sustainability Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Tirana), Klara Pleskacova (Ecology Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Prague), Beata Cymerman (Head of Energy and Climate Programme, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Warsaw), Jasminka Bjelavac (Ecology Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Sarajevo), Adela Jureckova (Director, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Prague), Damir Zekovic (Democracy Programme Coordinator, Heinrich Böll Stiftung – Sarajevo)

 

3. Type/examples of support

Offices within the HBS Energy Democracy network provide support to energy collectives, relevant support organisations and networks, independently or jointly, through awareness raising, capacity building, networking activities and production of communication material and advocacy tools (e.g. reports). In addition, support is provided in kind, for example through the provision of a meeting room free of charge. Luckily, these type of activities meet some of the needs of energy collectives at the startup phase, like traveling for networking reasons, acquiring knowledge etc. These costs, although small in scale, are difficult to find (e.g. through borrowing) as this phase is very early and cannot provide guarantees for the success of the project. 



Lastly, other groups (e.g. municipalities, school communities, policy makers) may be targeted by HBS activities, thus increasing their familiarity with community energy initiatives which in return facilitates partnerships and other synergies with stakeholders from the wider community, policy bodies etc. 



Below you can find an indicative list of examples: 

Guidebook ”Building Energy Communities in Greece”

Guidebook ”Building Energy Communities in Greece”: Published by HBS Office Thessaloniki in 2019, a year following the introduction of the first law on energy communities. The publication was targeting citizens interested to set up an energy community, researchers, teachers, support organisations, local authorities etc. It was realized in collaboration with Electra Energy coop, the Technical University of Crete and the Centre for Renewable Sources and Savings (CRES), an independent agency providing technical counseling to the Greek government.

Online event “Energy Democracy under the microscope”

Online event “Energy Democracy under the microscope”: The event was organized in 2021 by the Energy Democracy Dialogues; an initiative that aims to serve as an open platform where energy experts, policymakers, businesses, politicians, academicians, civil society representatives and citizens meet and debate on the critical issue of Energy Democracy. This two-day online discussion was supported by HBS Offices in Thessaloniki, Belgrade, Sarajevo among other organisations. On the 2nd day of the event representatives from community energy initiatives and support organisations active in Bosnia and Herzegovina, North Macedonia, Greece, Croatia, Kosovo, Albania, Romania, Montenegro, Serbia discussed the challenges for the movement in their respective countries and reflected on its future prospects.

Research project “Mapping the social impact of Energy Communities”

Research project “Mapping the social impact of Energy Communities”: The project consists of a series of activities with the goal to deepen the understanding of the social impacts of energy communities in Greece and abroad as well as the multiple benefits assessing those holds for a diverse spectrum of actors. The project is being implemented by Electra Energy coop and REScoop.eu in partnership with the HBS Office Thessaloniki. The aim of the project is twofold; on the one hand to build the capacity of energy communities to understand and self-assess their social impact and on the other hand to inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders of their impact and to inform advocacy efforts for a more favorable legal framework.

 

Publication “Power to the people” and workshop

Publication “Power to the people”:  Published by HBS Office Warsaw and CoopTech Hub in 2023, the report presents key elements of both the legal framework and lessons learnt from the community energy initiative’s actions in Greece, Serbia, Poland, and Bulgaria. The paper was precedented by a networking and knowledge sharing workshop that was organized by HBS Offices Warsaw, Belgrade, Thessaloniki with the support of the Office in Tirana, in the context of the Community Energy Spring Gathering organized by REScoop.eu and Electra Energy coop in Athens (2023).

Publication “Energy cooperatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina”

Publication “Energy cooperatives in Bosnia and Herzegovina”: Published by HBS Office Sarajevo and the Regional Education and Information Center for Sustainable Development in South-East Europe (REIC) in 2016. The aim of this Manual is to point out the basics of the principle of cooperatives and how the concept of energy cooperatives can be used for local economic development using local renewable energy sources, and to show successful examples from the EU and the region in order to encourage the development of similar projects in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Publication “Citizen energy in the region: Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina”

Publication “Citizen energy in the region: Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina”: A key step towards the successful development of citizen energy is the creation of a stimulating legislative framework that supports citizen participation and facilitates the development of sustainable energy infrastructure. In this regard, this paper published by the HBS Office in Sarajevo in 2023, provides useful guidelines for improving the legal framework in order to support the growth of civil energy in the region.

Crowdfunding campaign "Support the Prijatelj Prirode"

Crowdfunding campaign "Support the Prijatelj Prirode": Launching the first-ever renewables crowdfunding campaign in Bosnia and Herzegovina in 2018 was implemented by the Regional Education and Information Center for Sustainable Development in South-East Europe (REIC) with the support of the HBS Office in Sarajevo. The campaign aimed in the purchase and installation of solar hot water panels at mental health asylum Drin in Fojnica. It is considered a pilot project to demonstrate that it is possible to finance citizen energy projects in BiH, and to pave the way for more such initiatives in the future.

Research study "What can you do if you have no money? Energy efficient building renovations for municipalities and condominiums"

Research study "What can you do if you have no money? Energy efficient building renovations for municipalities and condominiums": This project, implemented by the Solidarity Economy Centre and supported by the Prague office, served to generate knowledge on the community solutions to housing and energy through desktop research, qualitative interviewing, and stakeholder workshops. The overall aim was to explore and promote possibilities of community-led energy efficient renovations as a solution to the energy and housing crisis in Hungary.

Study trip for members of the Czech organization UKEN (The Community Energy Union)

A study trip to Austria for the members of the Czech organization UKEN (The Community Energy Union) was co-organized by Hnuti DUHA - Friends of the Earth Czech Republic in cooperation with hbs Prague office. The study trip consisted of visiting two different energy communities - Göttweigblick EEG and Kamptalenergie EEG with around 420 members altogether and the total capacity of 1,2 GWh sourced from a biogas station, solar panels, and hydropower plants. After the field visit, a discussion between the representatives of the Austrian energy communities and UKEN members took place, for knowledge exchange and experience sharing.

4. How to connect

If you are interested or involved in a community energy initiative and would like to share a project proposal with us please reach out to the respective person listed below. Bear in mind, that the work processes of each Office may differ, however for the most part we aspire a high level of involvement in the projects we support and promote wider partnerships as a way to ensure high quality and peer to peer learning.

HBS Office

Country focus

Contact person

Email

Belgrade Office

Serbia

Montenegro

Kosovo

Tibor Moldvai

Tibor.Moldvai[@]rs.boell.org

Brussels Office

European Union

Jörg Mühlenhoff

Joerg.Muehlenhoff[@]eu.boell.org

Prague Office

Czech Republic

Slovakia

Hungary

Klára Pleskačová

Klara.Pleskacova[@]cz.boell.org

Sarajevo Office

Bosnia and Herzegovina

North Macedonia

Jasminka Bjelavac

Jasminka.Bjelavac[@]ba.boell.org

Thessaloniki Office

Greece

Kyriaki Metaxa

Kyriaki.Metaxa[@]gr.boell.org

Tirana Office

Albania

Tea Zeqaj

Tea.Zeqaj[@]al.boell.org

Warsaw Office

Poland

Beata Cymerman

Beata.Cymerman[@]pl.boell.org

You could also browse through our websites and follow us on social media/newsletter to have a better idea of our activities and possibly participate in one that falls under your interests!