It's good to see that consumers are more than ever looking for ways to increase the positive impact of their green power contracts.

One type of impactful renewable energy solutions focuses on social impacts, ecological justice, and community involvement. Companies of all sizes and sectors are showing growing interest in such solutions. Microsoft's strategy to bring environmental justice into its renewable energy procurement is a famous example.

EKOenergy's approach fits that string very well. Solidarity and cooperation are at the core of EKOenergy's work. This is most tangible in the activities of our Climate Fund. That fund, to which all EKOenergy users contribute at least €0.10/MWh, is a pragmatic and flexible solution to expand the benefits of the energy transition to disadvantaged communities. The label is also a tool for fostering solidarity between renewable energy users worldwide.

As a concrete tool for impactful power procurement, EKOenergy has the additional advantage of being available worldwide for all sorts of consumers. Also, remember that choosing EKOenergy doesn't exclude the simultaneous implementation of other solutions and preferences. EKOenergy can come from community-owned projects or local installations, can be procured via PPAs or tracked 24/7, and much more.

"What does global impact look like? EKOenergy ecolabel has mapped the social and ecological benefits of its ecolabel - and it's pure eye candy."
 

- Ecohz, on LinkedIn

We are always happy and honoured when EKOenergy users communicate about their choice of EKOenergy.

Here is what Microsoft wrote in their just-published 2024 Environmental Sustainability Report:

"Microsoft continues to build and scale carbon-free electricity through our procurement of renewable energy and investing to bring more carbon-free electricity onto the grids where we operate. As one of the largest corporate purchasers of renewable energy, we continue to seek ways to diversify and scale up the supply of impactful renewable energy and mechanisms enabling access for all. (...)

Incorporating environmental justice principles into our carbon-free electricity procurement, we partnered with EKOenergy’s Climate Fund to enable the installation of solar-powered refrigeration for a Kenyan fishing village, offering ice and clean water at 20% lower prices for 2,000 households and addressing food security and economic hardship by reducing fish harvest loss."  (See page 18 of the report.)

The Italian version of Deloitte's latest corporate responsibility report also mentions EKOenergy: "To reduce its environmental impact, Deloitte's Network in Italy has signed up for the EKOenergy option." (See page 19 of the report.)

Thanks, Microsoft and Deloitte Italy, for choosing EKOenergy and mentioning us in your reports. We are sure that your example will inspire many others.

Did you know that the EKOenergy label can be used in combination with kilowatt-hours from on-site solar installations? To do so, owners of rooftop solar systems can contact our Secretariat directly or rely on the services of an EKOenergy-authorised solar installer.

We just welcomed Loyola University, from Sevilla, Spain, as a new user of EKOenergy-labelled, on-site produced solar power.

Quantica Renovables, a Spanish solar company, and an EKOenergy-authorised service provider, installed a 680 kW PV system on the university's roof and automatically included EKOenergy in the contract. Thanks a lot for this!

Act locally, think globally! Adding the EKOenergy ecolabel to on-site produced energy is an efficient and impactful way to promote the energy transition beyond your roof. By choosing EKOenergy, owners of rooftop solar installations
- support our efforts to promote renewable energy worldwide,
- contribute to funding solar systems in low- and middle-income countries,
- get the right to use our internationally recognised logo in their communication, thus helping to spread our message and inspire others,
- and more.

 

- Ragini Pandey, at the webinar "Corporate renewable energy procurement: Greenwashing or impact?"

In a rapidly warming and destabilised world, the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is increasingly off-track. Renewables can and must play an important role in changing course. By speeding up the energy transition, we can avoid the worst impacts of the climate crisis and support the implementation of many of the SDGs.

Contributing to the realisation of the SDGs is a key component of EKOenergy's mission. The EKOenergy label aligns particularly with SDGs 1 (No poverty), 7 (Clean and affordable energy), 12 (Sustainable production and consumption), 13 (Climate action), 15 (Life on land) and 17 (Partnerships for the goals).

EKOenergy’s objectives are officially recognised as an Energy Compact under the UN-Energy programme. In addition, the EKOenergy ecolabel is explicitly cited as a good practice in UN DESA's publication "SDG Good Practices: A Compilation of Success Stories and Lessons Learned in SDG Implementation".

If you aren't an EKOenergy user yet, please consider becoming one. Your choice of EKOenergy enables us to
- promote renewable energy for all,
- engage in climate action,
- fund projects that fight energy poverty,
- focus on the relation between renewable energy deployment and nature conservation (and restoration),
- and much more!

"Jetta-Talo purchases all the electricity used in the construction of its houses this year in accordance with the EKOenergy label, recommended by the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation."
 

- Jetta-Talo, a proud EKOenergy user, on Instagram

We are proud to be a supporting association of the I-REC Standard Conference again! The I-REC Standard Conference,  organised by the I-TRACK Foundation,  is a unique opportunity to exchange information on many aspects of Energy Attribute Certificate (EAC) systems.

Reliable tracking and avoidance of double counting are essential when making environmental claims. EKOenergy has endorsed tracking systems that fulfil the requirements of the I-REC Standard ever since the launch of the standard in 2014-2015. In many countries, particularly in Asia and Latin America, we have reached out to stakeholders and entered the energy markets side by side with I-REC users.

The conference will provide opportunities to evaluate, review, and discuss many exciting developments: the growing I-REC markets, the recognition of I-REC certificates in standards and policy documents worldwide, the development of tracking instruments for other energy carriers such as biomethane and hydrogen, and much more. The audience will include industry leaders, policymakers, regulators, and environmental advocates.

Check out the conference website for more information and for registration!

 

- Tapani Veistola, Executive Director of the Finnish Association for Nature Conservation, on social media

In parallel with our ongoing work to promote renewable energy worldwide, we are preparing for new exciting developments. Here are some.   

In response to our call for renewable energy projects in low- and middle-income countries, we received 254 project proposals from non-profit organisations in 56 countries. Over the past months, we gradually reduced the number to 111, then 57, and then 35 remaining applications. We are now finalising the selection with the help of external evaluators, and in June, our board will make the final decision. This time, we will grant a total of about 1 million euros.

At the same time, we are working on a closed call for more extensive, multi-annual Climate Fund projects. We expect this will lead to more grant decisions at the end of this year. The maximum amount of these grants will be 350,000€ per year per grantee, for a maximum of four years.

Our annual audits are still ongoing. The numbers aren't precise enough yet to determine the winners of this year's EKOenergy awards, but we should know more around mid-June. Stay tuned!

As in previous years, we will donate a considerable part of our campaigning budget to actions supporting the deployment of renewable energy in Ukraine and providing civilians in Ukraine with access to power. It's our way of helping them resist Russia's criminal invasion of their country. You'll read more about it in our next Newsletter.

Another ongoing process is the review of our criteria for renewable gas. One thing we are considering is whether and how we should deal with gas leakage. The global warming potential of methane and hydrogen is many times bigger than that of carbon dioxide. Even relatively small amounts of leaked gas can undermine the climate benefits of biogas and green hydrogen. We welcome comments and thoughts!

 

- Article and video about a new solar installation in Borodyanka, Ukraine

With EKOenergy, we do what we can to support like-minded initiatives and give visibility to interesting climate- and energy-related reports.

We endorsed the annual Banking on Climate Chaos report for the fifth consecutive year. This year's edition is again full of remarkable and shocking facts and numbers. Fossil fuel financing from the world's 60 largest banks has reached nearly $6,900,000,000,000 in the eight years since the adoption of the Paris Agreement, with $705 billion in 2023 alone. Even after clear messages from the International Energy Agency and the IPCC that we can't afford new fossil fuels, banks continued to finance fossil fuel expansion with $347 billion in 2023.

EKOenergy also endorsed the Big Oil Reality Check report by Oil Change International. The report assesses the climate plans and pledges of the eight largest US and Europe-based oil and gas producers: BP, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Eni, Equinor, ExxonMobil, Shell, and TotalEnergies and finds that these are full of questionable accounting, misleading information, and greenwashing. Every company is "Grossly Insufficient" or "Insufficient" on most criteria. Three (Chevron, ConocoPhillips, and ExxonMobil) are "Grossly Insufficient" – the lowest rating – on all criteria.

Stay connected with EKOenergy on social media to receive relevant updates on the global climate crisis, renewable energy, and climate action. By occasionally reacting to our posts, you help us spread our message and ensure that our future posts will also appear in your feed.

Here are some of our recent posts:

- For us at EKOenergy, every day is #BiodiversityDay. Through our work, and with the help of all EKOenergy users, we support nature in many ways. (From our LinkedIn)

- Each week, we add more pre-approved installations to EKOdirect, our database that is meant to simplify the sales process of authorised EKOenergy sellers! (From our Instagram)

- One of the Finns' favorite beers is #MadewithEKOenergy. Hurray! 🍻 (From our LinkedIn)

- Today, our volunteers had another brain-storming session on encouraging companies and establishments in the food sector to switch to renewables! (From our Instagram)

- There are many good reasons for choosing EKOenergy-labelled energy, and every week, we take some time to focus on sharing that information with as many others as possible! (From our Facebook)

- Speech about three threats to freedom and democracy and about what each of us can do. Spoiler: global warming is one of the three mentioned threats. (From our YouTube)

Many parts of the world see extreme, dangerous, and scary heat. In case you missed it, here are just some examples of deadly record temperatures in the past weeks:

- Pakistan has temporarily shut down schools in most parts of the country to protect children from heatstroke and dehydration due to an ongoing climate-induced heat wave. 

- Searing heat gripped India earlier than usual for the third summer in a row, with vast swathes stewing in humid conditions. As climate change makes extreme heat stretches more common, longer, and more severe, scientists warn of impacts that could put more than a billion lives at risk. 

- The extreme heat smothering much of Mexico has killed dozens of people across multiple states over recent weeks, the country's health ministry said, with hotter temperatures forecast for coming days. 

- 'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines.

- Deadly Sahel heatwave caused by ‘human-induced’ climate change. The heatwave caused temperatures in Mali and Burkina Faso to climb to more than 45 degrees Celsius, an unusual spike for the season that likely led to numerous deaths

- And many, many more!

This is alarming, and unfortunately, it will not get better (read: it will get a lot worse) unless we stop burning fossil fuels fast.