EKOenergy-labelled renewable energy is available for consumers of all sizes, thanks to the steadily growing network of authorised EKOenergy providers worldwide. Working with so many knowledgeable and dedicated people is an absolute honour and we are thankful to all of them.

Once a year, we take a moment to highlight and award some of the most extraordinary achievements.

EKOenergy's Ivy Award is for outstanding efforts in promoting EKOenergy-labelled electricity. The Ivy Award 2024 goes to the Swedish energy supplier Nordic Green Energy Sweden. Their relentless efforts to promote EKOenergy have resulted in 6 consecutive years of impressively growing EKOenergy volumes. During that period, they were our fastest-growing seller twice. Amazing work!

The Oak Award, for the largest EKOenergy seller, goes to ACT. ACT has been offering EKOenergy since 2016, and throughout the years, ACT's employees have consistently improved their understanding of EKOenergy's goals, requirements, and processes. ACT gradually made its way to the top 3 of the largest EKOenergy sellers and is now the biggest. Thanks a lot to all those involved in this achievement!

Congratulations to all those involved!

The winner of our third award, the Bamboo Award, for the fastest-growing seller, will be announced shortly. Stay tuned!

If you are an authorised seller and want to know your position in these rankings and learn more about how your marketing and sales efforts can benefit from EKOenergy's work, don't hesitate to get in touch!

At EKOenergy, we often mention that our label is a readily available tool to contribute to the realisation of many UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

In a series of LinkedIn posts, we dive deeper into this topic and list examples of what contributing to the SDGs means in practice.

You can find the first four posts in the series here:
- EKOenergy and SDG 3, Good health and well-being,
- EKOenergy and SDG 6, Clean water and sanitation,
- EKOenergy and SDG 13, Climate Action, and
- EKOenergy and SDG 17, Partnerships for the goals.

Some contributions result from our actions to promote renewable energy. A strong and direct connection exists between switching to renewable energy and most of the Sustainable Development Goals. We additionally contribute to many Sustainable Development Goals via the projects we fund. Our Climate Fund has supported 120 renewable energy projects in disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries, including many solar systems for hospitals and schools and solar-powered irrigation and cooling systems for off-grid communities. Our Environmental Fund has supported 29 river restoration projects.

If you don't have access to LinkedIn but want to learn more, just let us know.

"We love to see the impact of EKOenergy ecolabel. Recently, they completed the selection process for grants through their Climate Fund, which this year will provide €956,529 to clean energy projects in 17 low– and middle-income countries."
 

- Ecohz, on LinkedIn

A recent article in the Financial Times and a new discussion paper on Scope 3 emissions by the Science-Based Targets Initiative (SBTi) zoom in on renewable energy procurement. The scope and ambition of both publications are different, but the tone is similar. Here are some of our observations and comments:

- Both publications share the concern that many companies aren't doing enough in the fight against climate change. We agree: Everyone can do something, and most can do much more than they already do.
 
- Strangely, the Financial Times article and the SBTi paper somehow seem to misunderstand and misrepresent the nature and role of Energy Attribute Certificates, such as RECs in North America or Guarantees of Origin in Europe. Moreover, the SBTi paper also invents new names for already well-established practices and concepts. This creates confusion, which isn't helpful. Let's not give companies any reason to delay action: the basic rules, such as those described in the Greenhouse Gas Protocol Scope 2 Guidance, are clear. They can and should be used as a solid basis for action, as also confirmed in a recent info sheet by the Center for Resource Solutions.

- Both publications speak out in favour of specific solutions and largely disregard others. The Financial Times article highlights time-matching (24/7) as the best solution, and the SBTi publication focuses on value chain traceability. It's a pity that they don't seem to acknowledge that much more is happening in the energy sector. New, impactful solutions are being developed constantly, and while individual consumers will very often favor one solution over another, standards and background articles should embrace as many impactful solutions as possible. In the fight against climate change and energy poverty, we need all hands on deck.

And here are two reminders:
1) For consumers who want to make more impact, our non-profit ecolabel is available worldwide, for yourself and your supply chain. Energy users can also easily combine our label with other solutions, such as 24/7, PPAs, green tariffs, on-site production, etc.
2) If you want to comment on the SBTi Scope 3 discussion paper, that's possible. The deadline for comments has just been extended until the 4th of October 2024. 

"Contractual market instruments, like renewable energy certificates (RECs), and their recognition in accounting and reporting frameworks, are essential to voluntary clean and renewable electricity markets. "
 

- Center for Resource Solutions, in a new info sheet

We welcomed trainees Francisco dos Reis Silva and Claudia Partridge to study opportunities for nature conservation and restoration on wind and solar farms.

A recent publication by Eurelectric, the European electricity industry's sector federation, in cooperation with The Nature Conservancy, described that, if well planned and implemented, the deployment of wind farms, solar installations, and grid infrastructure can contribute to supporting biodiversity, for example by:
• Retaining natural habitats and protecting the species that depend on them as far as possible by minimising habitat destruction and land conversion; and
• Providing new habitats and feeding grounds (particularly in previously disturbed/degraded sites) and incorporating wildlife-friendly design features. Over their multi-decade lifespan, renewable power installations entail minimal human interference and can serve as sanctuaries for various species and native flora.

Over the coming months, Francisco and Claudia will help us dig deeper into this interesting topic. EKOenergy is in regular contact with energy companies and project developers. We also want to use these contacts to share ideas and experiences related to nature conservation.

If you know good examples or have concrete information you can share, feel free to get in touch!

 

- Kupilka, about its choice of EKOenergy, in a recent interview

EKOenergy's Climate Fund provides the necessary financial resources for disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries to implement renewable energy projects they have often dreamed of for years.

Over the past few weeks, we have again received testimonies in many formats about impactful projects we are supporting worldwide.

- Earlier this year, we granted €57,884 to the NGO Renew'N'Able Malawi to implement a solar project in Bvumbe, Tyolo district, Malawi. The first step consists of the construction of an energy kiosk that will be equipped with a 5 kW solar PV array. The installation will power a water pump and provide electricity to two schools.

- Green Empowerment published an impact report about a recently finalised solar project funded by EKOenergy: a 10.45 kWp solar system, including storage for a honey processing facility for smallholder farmers in Uganda.

- Practical Action is implementing a solar project focusing on improving food security in off-grid farming communities living near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia. The area, as many other parts of the Andean, faces two interrelated problems: high and persistent poverty and increasing negative environmental impacts due to climate change, especially drought. EKOenergy's €319,116 grant is used to install solar-powered irrigation systems. The project partners just installed the first array of solar panels.

- We published three new leaflets in our Climate Stories series. Climate Stories summarise the concrete and life-changing outcomes of renewable energy projects we have supported through our Climate Fund. We have just added three new Climate Stories to our website, briefly describing the outcomes of solar projects in Liberia, Syria, and India. For an overview of all previously published Climate Stories, check out the Climate Stories page on our website.

 

- Fred Asiku, in a report about a solar project funded by EKOenergy

Besides contributing to EKOenergy's Climate Fund, consumers of EKOenergy-labelled hydropower also contribute €0.10/MWh to our Environmental Fund. These additional contributions enable us to fund carefully selected and impactful river restoration projects.

We recently granted €30,000 to the "Re-sanding the Abramså" project of the NGO Rewilding Sweden. This project aims to create new suitable habitats for sand-dwelling insect larvae and spawning beds for fish in the river Abramså, by adding sand and gravel to previously restored stretches.

Over the past centuries, human activities have seriously impacted the Abramså. For example, stones were removed from the riverbed and parts of the river were straightened to facilitate timber floating. With no rough elements in the water to slow down the currents and no possibility for the water to spread out sideward, the water flow turned monotonously fast. As a result, all finer mineralogic sediment got washed away. Thanks to the activities of Rewilding Sweden, the river will flow naturally again, and many species will benefit from that!

You can see photos of last week's restoration activities here.

 

-  Paula Velasco Suárez, Deputy Commercial Director Gesternova Energía, on LinkedIn

Exactly 12 years ago, we welcomed the first European Solidarity Corps (then known as European Voluntary Service) volunteers to our Secretariat. We were about to launch our international non-profit ecolabel and needed extra hands to get things rolling. The European Solidarity Corps programme (ESC) was the perfect solution. Since then, we have hosted 91 ESC volunteers from 19 countries.

ESC is similar to the Erasmus student exchange programme but unlike Erasmus, ESC focuses on non-formal learning by supporting young people's engagement in solidarity activities. Our volunteers engage in a variety of activities related to raising awareness about the dangers of fossil fuels and the promotion of sustainable renewable energy.

Thanks a lot to all of those involved over the years, in particular to the volunteers, to the European Commission, and to the Finnish National Agency for Education.

For those who missed it: We are recruiting someone to support and develop the steadily growing community of authorised EKOenergy sellers by providing them with the best tools and resources to sell EKOenergy-labelled energy to their clients.

The position of seller relations manager is new, full-time, and permanent. The location of employment is Helsinki, Finland, to facilitate a smooth interaction with the rest of the team, including our trainees and volunteers.

We welcome applications until 20 September 2024. Click here for more information.

The World Meteorological Organisation's State of the Climate in Africa report focuses on climate change indicators and impacts in 2023.

The conclusions are grim. Africa bears a heavy burden from climate change and disproportionately high costs for essential climate adaptation. On average, African countries are already losing 2-5% of their Gross Domestic Product, and many are diverting up to 9% of their budgets to respond to climate extremes. In sub-Saharan Africa, the cost of adaptation is estimated to range from US$ 30-50 billion annually over the next decade, or 2-3% of the region's Gross Domestic Product.

"While many countries in the Horn of Africa, southern and North-West Africa continued to suffer exceptional multi-year drought, others experienced extreme precipitation events in 2023 leading to flooding with significant casualties. These extreme events led to devastating impacts on communities, with serious economic implications. This pattern of extreme weather has continued in 2024. Parts of southern Africa have been gripped by damaging drought. Exceptional seasonal rainfall has caused death and devastation in East African countries, most recently in Sudan and South Sudan. This exacerbates an already desperate humanitarian crisis."  

By 2030, it is estimated that up to 118 million extremely poor people (living on less than US$ 1.90 per day) will be exposed to drought, floods and extreme heat in Africa, if adequate response measures are not put in place. This will place additional burdens on poverty alleviation efforts and significantly hamper growth.