World Urban Forum

Dear Max,
thanks for this interesting question. I totally believe that Cooperatives are the right format to achieve a future-just and sustainable way of living. Especially in the energy sector there are already so many best practice examples. To name only two read the following links: http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,16067880,00.html and http://www.sustainablebusiness.com/index.cfm/go/news.display/id/23770.

Cooperatives offer citizens to participate and shape the development they want to see. It is the quickest way to start the needed revolution bcause: Participation triggers acceptance and acceptance triggers investment! Especially in the energy sector cooperatives are a way to overcome the big barriers like companies that still hold the monopoly/ oligopoly. Through this tools/format renewable energies can be a way of democratising our energy market.

Anna, you are right!
The Cooperative in different sectors of life is possible and necessary for a sustainable development. Your 2 links show the reality and also the answer of a need for energy. Do you have many cooperatives in your country? What sectors? Do they answer to their goals or to the principles of cooperatives?

Max, In Germany where I live, the cooperative model is being successfully utilized mainly for renewable energy production – there is literally a rural energy revolution underway. These energy cooperatives will aid in the country’s transition from a centralized energy system based on fossil fuels to one supplied by distributed renewable energy. The formation of these new energy cooperatives are growing at an impressive rate. According to the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Confederation (DGRV), of the approximately 250 new cooperatives in 2011, 158 were energy cooperatives. From 2006-2011, there have been 430 new energy cooperatives formed in Germany.

Several German institutions and renewable energy advocates view renewable
energy cooperatives as the key to achieving the ambitious goals of 80 percent
renewable electricity by 2050 and 60 percent overall renewable energy by 2050 set by the German government to transition to an energy system based largely on distributed renewable resources.

A really interesting paper on that was published by Heinrich Boell US comparing the German and the American situation. The title is Revitalizing Rural Communities through the Renewable Energy Cooperative and it can be downloaded here: http://www.boell.org/downloads/Bilek_EnergyCooperatives.pdf. another really good source of information is the German Agency for Renewable Energy. http://www.unendlich-viel-energie.de/de/startseite/detailansicht/article/19/grafik-dossier-energiegenossenschaften-in-deutschland.html Unfortunately this is only in German but the Graphs and numbers tell the story without knowing the language.

I am actually in the phase of establishing an energy cooperative together with others in the metropolitan region of Hamburg. It is just such an easy participatory tool! Really recommendable. Where are you based and how is the sitaution in your country?

Dear Anna, i´m actually living in Dominican Republic then i´m from Haiti but i´m CEO and President of ICI, i work in Haiti and DR. You can make a look on my website to have more idea! Thanks for your attention to read and comment my Themes!

Yes,I also fully agree that cooperatives provide effective alternative to make best use of scarce resources.In India also rural India has witnessed one of the best examples in the form of sugar cooperatives in the Maharashtra.There are other examples as well covering weavers,dairy,paultryetc.
One most important urban example is housing cooperatives among several cities showing most economic , peoples friendly use of urban land.Therefore we have to persue the idea of cooperatives for more effective use of scarece resources.