EKOenergy
 | |
| Formation | 2013 |
|---|---|
| Type | Non-profit network |
| Purpose | Environmental protection, promotion of renewable energy |
| Headquarters | Helsinki, Finland |
Area served | International |
Staff | 3 |
Volunteers | over 100 |
| Website |
www |
EKOenergy is a network of over 40 environmental organisations from across the globe. The head office/secretariat is based in Helsinki. The network supports the growth of renewable energy in the world and the protection of the climate and environment. The primary focus of the network is promoting EKOenergy’s international ecolabel for green electricity. EKOenergy is not affiliated Canadian heating and cooling company "Ekoenergy".
Aims and motivation
- stimulate the development of the renewable electricity sector
- contribute to the protection of biodiversity, habitats and ecosystem services
- inform consumers about the electricity they are buying and the impact of their purchase
- foster dialogue and join forces with the electricity sector, environmental NGOs and other stakeholders (e.g. consumer organisations and authorities)[1]
Network
History
EKOenergy was developed out of the Finnish Norppaenergia, the first ecolabel for electricity in the world (in collaboration with Swedish Bra Miljöval). FANC (The Finnish Association for Nature Conservation), the biggest environmental NGO in Finland managed the Norppaenergia label since 1998.
In May 2010, FANC announced its intention to create an international ecolabel for electricity. Bellona Russia, the Estonian Nature Fund, the Latvian Fund for Nature, Ecoserveis and AccioNatura from Spain, as well as 100% Energia Verde and REEF from Italy joined the project shortly after. In the initial stages of setting up the network, RECS International also offered its cooperation. Following several rounds of public consultation, on 23rd February 2013, the EKOenergy Board approved the text ‘EKOenergy – Network and Label’.[2]
Governance
The governance of the network consists of the Board, the advisory group and the arbitration panel. Every network member selects one representative to be on the Board. The EKOenergy office is hosted by FANC. The work in the office is supported, alongside the staff, by long term volunteers from the European Voluntary Service and trainees.[3]
Members
The network consists of 40 environmental organisations from 30 European countries. The members included some of the biggest national environmental organisations and small organisations specialised in renewable energy. Every member organisation appoints one person to the Board. All decisions are taken with a 3/4 majority decision.[4]
Label
Aspects covered
The EKOenergy label is the most visible tool of the network. It is the only European ecolabel for 100% green electricity. Electricity can only be sold as EKOenergy if the product fulfils the criteria, which are defined by the network. It includes the following aspects:
- Correct consumer information
- 100% renewability
- Sustainability
- Climate
- Tracking and avoidance of double counting[5]
Internationality
More than 20 electricity suppliers from 12 countries currently offer EKOenergy certified electricity. Environmental organisations from 30 countries support EKOenergy.[6] The website is available in 38 languages. Well-known consumers include The Body Shop Finland, Globe Hope, Jalotofu and the Otava Group, which is one of the biggest media companies in Finland. Plasthill, a family-run business in Eastern Finland, was the first company to start using ecolabelled electricity in their production.[7]
Results
For every EKOenergy purchase, money goes into the Climate Fund. In the case of EKOenergy from hydropower, money also goes into the Environmental Fund.
Climate Fund
The Climate Fund finances renewable energy projects. The first project funded was a solar energy project in Tanzania. In 2011, the Italian NGO Oikos received EU funding to install a small hydro turbine near the Ngarenanyuki Secondary School in the Meru District, Northern Tanzania. In the dry season and during irrigation time, the school often remains without electricity. In May 2014, EKOenergy donated €10,000 to Oikos to install 3kWp of solar panels on the roof of the school.[8] In June 2015, EKOenergy donated a further €18,000 to a project to install solar panels on three schools in South Cameroon for the Swiss organisation Solafrica.[9]
Environmental Fund
The Environmental Fund finances river restoration projects which reduce the negative impacts of hydropower production. The EKOenergy Network took over an existing fund of the old Finnish ecolabel for electricity, which was managed by FANC. Since 2009, the Environmental Fund has donated a total of €564,000 to projects. For example, EKOenergy invested €50,000 from its Environmental Fund to bring trout and European crayfish back to the River Murronjoki, in Saarijärvi, Central Finland. The contributions to the Fund came from sales of EKOenergy labelled hydropower. The River Murronjoki had been heavily affected by hydropower plants and other industrial activities which were hindering trout migration.[10]
In other standards
LEED
The European versions of the LEED Standard explicitly recommend the use of EKOenergy labelled electricity. Buildings aiming at LEED certification can get extra points if the electricity used in that building is EKOenergy certified. The text “LEED 2009 BD+C Supplemental Reference Guide with Alternative Compliance Paths for Europe” gives EKOenergy the same status as Green-e certified RECs in the US. They write: "The EKOenergy electricity certification scheme represents the best available pan-European option for the sustainable and additional consumption of renewable electricity within Europe. EKOenergy certifies renewable electricity that goes beyond the regulations of European directives and national governments of Europe."[11]
Greenhouse Gas Protocol
The Greenhouse Gas Protocol is a worldwide standard for carbon accounting. It is a joint product of the World Resources Institute and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development. In January 2015, the Secretariat of the Greenhouse Gas Protocol published the Scope 2 Guidance, which gave advice about carbon accounting. The Guidance refers to EKOenergy several times. Chapter 11, which encourages companies to go one step further, refers to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund.[12]
CDP
CDP works with 3000 of the largest corporations in the world to help them calculate their carbon emissions and to help them develop effective carbon emission reduction strategies. On page 15 and 16 of its technical notes for accounting of scope 2 emissions (i.e. emissions related to the production of purchased electricity), CDP explains how companies can do more. “Ecolabels are a way for companies to do more with their purchases. EKOenergy, mentioned by the GHG protocol Scope 2 guidance, is such an option: it is a mark of quality which comes on top of tracking certificates. Electricity sold with the EKOenergy label fulfills strict environmental criteria and raises funds for new renewable energy projects. Involvement, transparency and ‘deeds not words’ are important principles of EKOenergy’s work.”
References
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/about-us
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/about-us/history
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/about-us/governance/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/about-us/members/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/ecolabel/aspects/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/how-to-buy-ekoenergy/households/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/how-to-buy-ekoenergy/consumers/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/our-results/climate-fund/oikosproject/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/our-results/climate-fund/solar-for-cameroon/
- ↑ http://www.ekoenergy.org/our-results/environmental-fund/
- ↑ http://www.usgbc.org/sites/default/files/LEED%202009%20RG%20EBOM-Supplement%20with%20Europe%20ACPs%20-%205.2015%20UPDATE.pdf
- ↑ http://ghgprotocol.org/files/ghgp/Scope%202%20Guidance_Final.pdf