Our Energy is the first energy company in New Zealand to start a collaboration with our growing and internationally recognised ecolabel.

Our Energy buys energy from families and companies with solar installations when the production is higher than the local needs, and resells it to those who don't have installations of their own.

New Zealand is blessed with renewable energy resources and is moving towards a 100% renewable energy supply. But for Our Energy, it was important to take an extra step and offer their customers the opportunity to support the energy transition worldwide.

EKOenergy makes this possible. Consumers' demand for EKOenergy helps us fund projects aimed at alleviating energy poverty and enables us, as an NGO, to promote climate-friendly legislation worldwide.

- Our Energy, on LinkedIn

We are reviewing and updating our criteria for bioenergy. The proposal excludes energy from installations where biomass is used in combination with non-renewable fuels. In addition, it limits the use of the EKOenergy label for bioenergy to that which originates from organic residues: organic waste from households and industry, agricultural and forestry residues, and the like.

The proposed changes are based on our labelling experiences of the past seven years as well as new scientific findings, and built on today's economic reality.

We welcome comments before 1 January 2021. For more information and the proposal for the updated criteria, see EKOenergy's website.

- Andrew Glumac, CDP, at a recent REC Market Meeting webinar

In 2019, EKOenergy's Climate Fund granted 24,000 euros to equip eight maternity units with solar energy in rural parts of Madagascar. The project was prepared and implemented by Santé Sud in cooperation with their local partners.

The project greatly improves the living conditions of the locals since electricity facilitates everyday life. It enables them to use a refrigerator to preserve vaccines and medication, provides essential lighting for day and night patient care and also makes charging personal devices possible. Approximately 56,000 people, including more than  13,000 women of childbearing age and about 9,000 children under five years will benefit from this project.

Thanks a lot to all users of EKOenergy-labelled energy. Projects such as these wouldn't be possible without you. For more information see our new Climate Story leaflet: Solar for maternity units in Madagascar (pdf).

ForGreen, the Italian energy supplier selling 100% of its energy with the EKOenergy label, has been appointed as Ambassador of Civil Economy at the recent Festival of Civil Economy.

The jury appreciated ForGreen's business model, which generates value for all. "ForGreen has demonstrated that its vision of the economy focuses on people,  values of cooperation and  innovation for new solutions to create positive and constructive relationships." ForGreen's choice for EKOenergy fits in this approach of local action, international solidarity and concrete results.

Congratuations ForGreen! We are proud of working with you and happy to see that our joint project is inspiring a growing number of stakeholders, in many countries.

Read more in the Daily - Verona Network Group (in Italian)

- The Situation of Alternative Energy in Russia, Article on Yandex blog (in Russian)

Our ecolabel wouldn't be what it is without the support of many. One of the ways that experts can contribute to our development is through participating in our Advisory Group.

Members of our Advisory Group help us to react fast and efficiently to new developments, while at the same time taking into account very different renewable energy market situations in various parts of the world.

Recently, we partially recomposed our Advisory Group. Among the new members, there are nationally and internationally recognised experts such as Shailesh Telang, Bruce Douglas, Stefan Gsänger, Tatiana Lanshina, Veerle Dossche, Mark Porter and others. Great to have all of you on board!

Thanks to all those involved in our work. Together we are unstoppable!

Here are a few examples of what we have been working on in the past weeks:

- We updated the English and French versions of our one-pager about EKOenergy.
- Our brand book is now available in Spanish and German too.
- As part of the Climate Action Network, together with other NGOs and businesses we continue to call upon the EU to adopt more ambitious climate targets. 65% emission reductions by 2030 is technically and economically possible, and ecologically the only solution.

- Interest in renewable energy and the EKOenergy ecolabel continues to grow in Russia. Here is a recent article about buying renewable energy in Russia.

Follow us on social media for regular updates, or get in touch with our Secretariat to learn more about our work.

- Nihal Koymatli, about her European Solidarity Corps project at EKOenergy's Secretariat, in Die BASS von A bis Z

The International Energy Agency (IEA) published its World Energy Outlook (WEO) 2020. While showing improvements in some areas, the report remains inconsistent with the 1.5°C target.

In the past few years, the IEA has continuously and significantly overestimated the use of fossil and nuclear energy sources and underestimated the expansion of renewable energy. By consistently sending wrong signals to investors, the IEA has become part of the climate problem, rather than the solution.

This year’s WEO focuses on recovery measures in the aftermath of the coronavirus crisis, but – as usual – it falls short of what would be necessary in terms of climate and energy policy.

In recent years, various research institutes have demonstrated the feasibility of 100% renewable energy before or by 2050. It is unfortunate that the IEA, as the world’s most influential authority on energy issues, cannot identify a viable pathway towards climate protection. #FixTheWEO

Text based on a news item of Energy Watch Group.