2024 is more than halfway through. There are now only 65 months left in this "United Nations Decade of Action". Temperature records around the globe serve as a dire warning that there is no time to waste. Billions face extreme weather conditions, particularly dangerous heat levels, and ecosystems are under pressure as never before. But yes, fortunately, the first half of 2024 was also full of action and hope.

At EKOenergy, we are honoured to have the opportunity to work every day with many dedicated and knowledgeable people from all over the world. Over the past months, we have learned a lot again, achieved concrete results, and gained ideas and enthusiasm to continue our many activities more eagerly than ever.

- Since the beginning of this year, we have already welcomed 25 new authorised EKOenergy sellers. Together, we promote renewable energy and enable additional climate action. 🌷
- We selected and funded 21 new solar projects in disadvantaged communities in 17 countries. Together, these projects received almost 1 million euros. The total of all Climate Fund grants now exceeds 4 million euros. ☀️
- We added more than 1,500 renewable energy installations to our EKOdirect database. 📋
- We regularly welcome new EKOenergy users. Our label continues to grow in over 80 countries. 📈
- We selected and funded three new river restoration projects through EKOenergy's Environmental Fund. 🐟
- We participated in climate demonstrations and supported campaigns to promote climate- and nature-friendly legislation. 📢
- We granted €100,000 of our campaign budget to non-profits working on the deployment of renewable energy in Ukraine. 🇺🇦
- We are preparing the selection of several new multi-annual Climate Fund projects.
- We continue reaching out to energy consumers and sellers. In the past months, we have contacted many in English, Dutch, Finnish, French, German, Italian, Polish, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish and Ukrainian. As part of our EKOappetite campaign, we focused on companies in the food sector in particular. 📞
- We participated in the REC Market Meeting conference, where we helped coordinate five sessions and met with tens of our authorised sellers. 🤝
- Several new employees and volunteers joined our team. 🍾
- We regularly share news about our activities and achievements on social media and in our newsletters. Check it out! 📰
- And much more! ➕

Thanks a lot to all of you who helped us in one way or another, whether as an EKOenergy user, an EKOenergy seller, or implementing projects. We look forward to joining strengths with many more in the coming weeks and months.

"Companies' energy choices can have a higher social and environmental impact! That is why we are proud to source renewable electricity with the EKOenergy ecolabel to cover all our employees' personal use."
 

- Ecohz, on LinkedIn

In 2023, EKOenergy granted €31,600 to the Aga Khan Foundation to install ten solar-powered flour mills in rural communities in Bahraich, India. Five of the mills were connected to existing solar PV systems, while the remaining five sites each received a 5 kW solar panel system in addition to the flour mill.

Smallholder farmers store wheat for consumption and usually sell any surplus immediately after harvest. The stored wheat is converted into flour regularly at local flour mills. Rural households in northern India typically travel around 5 km to access these mills, often diesel-operated or connected to fossil-dominated electricity grids.

The new solar-powered mills have lower operational costs than diesel-operated or grid-connected ones. They are green enterprises where the conversion of wheat into flour is more affordable, community-owned, and sustainable. The mills can also be used to grind various spices. Women involved in operating the flour mills have experienced increased income levels, leading to savings that they can invest in their families' education, healthcare, and other essential needs. This project is a good example of how renewable energy and related solutions can break the cycle of disadvantage for communities.

The Aga Khan Foundation sent us an inspiring video about the project. You can watch it on our YouTube channel. We also received the final report and many good photos.  

Do you want to support impactful solar projects like this one? Through our Climate Fund, all EKOenergy users contribute at least €0.10 per megawatt-hour to carefully selected high-impact renewable energy projects in low- and middle-income countries. Contact us to learn how you can switch to EKOenergy.

EKOenergy's Climate Fund provides the necessary financial resources for disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries to implement their ideas. Over the past few weeks we have received testimonies in many formats about impactful projects we are supporting all over the world.

- The NGO Practical Action received a €319,116 grant for their Sol4Farm project. This initiative, taking place in off-grid farming communities near Lake Titicaca in Bolivia, demonstrates how solar energy can enhance agricultural resilience and improve food security. The project's first photovoltaic system has been successfully installed in Ventilla, Calamarca. 

- We granted €15,000 to install a solar-powered drip irrigation system in a village in Gambia. In June, the local project managers presented the project's results on Good Morning Gambia, a radio and television programme broadcast by the Gambia Radio & Television Services. The interview was partly in English, partly in Wolof, and partly in Mandinka.

-  A €313,170 grant enabled the NGO Renewable World and their partners to launch a project focusing on the use of solar power for ice making and water purification on Takawiri Island, Lake Victoria, Kenya. We just received an interim report and were excited to read about the project's progress. 

- TERI, The Energy and Resources Institute (India), received a €33,801 grant for their project “Solar-based cooling solutions for horticulture produce to improve the income of small and marginal farmers in Karnataka state". The project included installing a 5 kW photovoltaic system to keep a storage facility cold around the clock without needing a battery, diesel, or conventional energy backup system. The project concluded with a seminar to disseminate the lessons learned.

- We received photos and a report from a solar project we funded last year in Liberia. Concern Worldwide and its local partners received €35,400 to install solar systems to power fridges in warehouses within under-resourced, rural communities.

Follow us on social media for more news about these and many other impactful, life-changing renewable energy projects.

"So grateful to be working with our partners at EKOenergy! Their support has enabled the production of a solar-powered honey processing plant in the Terego district of Uganda. This greatly relieves 100+ farmers within the region of various labor-intensive processes and opens up new revenue opportunities for them as well."
 

- Chase Petrie, Green Empowerment, on LinkedIn

We are happy and proud to be an Association Partner of the RE-Source event again. RE-Source is the perfect place to learn all about Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and meet with key players from both the buyer and supplier sides.

This year's edition will take place on October 24th and 25th in Amsterdam, and registration is now open!

What can you expect from the 2024 edition?
- A chance to network with 1,400+ participants.
- Learn from and engage with 100+ senior political and industry speakers.
- Be a part of the 350+ prescheduled B2B meetings between clean energy buyers and suppliers.
- Connect with 350+ corporate clean energy buyers.

Our non-profit EKOenergy label can easily be combined with power procured via PPAs, as long as our criteria are fulfilled. Choosing EKOenergy increases the positive impact of any renewable power contracts.

Adding our non-profit ecolabel to a PPA
- enables the off-taker to contribute to multiple Sustainable Development Goals,
- introduces an extra dimension of leadership by supporting off-grid solar projects in low- and middle-income countries,
- facilitates communication about renewable energy consumption,
- and much more!

 

- GMS, Thailand, on its website

Over the past weeks, several companies mentioned their choice of EKOenergy in their sustainability reports. Here are some.

ERM, a multinational consultancy firm focusing on environment, health, safety, and social issues, just published its Sustainability Report 2024 - Climate Supplement. On page 11, it reads: "As a result, we chose to procure EACs from wind and solar technology that bears the EKOenergy label wherever possible. EKOenergy verifies to ensure renewable energy projects do not have a negative ecological impact on the local environment and dedicates a portion of funds to the development of new renewable energy projects in developing countries."

Apollo (Apollo Global Management Inc.) is a US-based, globally active asset management firm. On page 25 of its just-published sustainability report, Driving a More Sustainable Future, Apollo mentions that all the electricity it uses across its offices globally is renewable energy, and more than 95% of it has third-party Green-e or EKOenergy verification.

EKOenergy is also mentioned on page 46 of the fresh sustainability report of Iliad Italy, Report di sostenibilità 2023. All branches of the Iliad Group, active in France, Italy, and Poland, have been using 100% EKOenergy-labelled electricity for several years.

 

- Practical action en América Latina, on Facebook

EKOenergy helps companies implement their ESG targets (Environmental, Social, and Governance). Our ecolabel is a tool to support climate action and promote nature conservation. By choosing EKOenergy, users contribute to the realisation of multiple Sustainable Development Goals and help promote international solidarity. As a globally active ecolabel, we adhere to international quality standards and contribute to further standard setting and harmonisation.

On July 4th, we gave a short presentation about the additional impact of our label at the webinar "Raising the sustainability bar in energy procurement", organised by Ecohz. To access the recording, visit https://www.ecohz.com/webinar-eko-energy.

If you would like to discuss similar topics at a meeting or webinar you are organising for your colleagues or your clients, feel free to reach out. We are always happy to tell more about how our non-profit ecolabel is a pragmatic tool for making an additional positive impact in many ways.

 

-  Palazzina Creativa, on its website

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:

- EKOenergy's materials are available in many languages. Our article about 21 new, impactful Climate Fund projects is now also available in French and Spanish!  (From our LinkedIn)

- Today, 15 July, is the annual EU Day for the Victims of the Global Climate Crisis. The day serves to commemorate the victims worldwide and to raise awareness of concrete steps that people can take at their level to help prevent and respond to climate disasters. (From our Instagram)

- There has been much evidence that fake accounts and troll factories spread rumors, foster hatred, and make a civilised dialogue harder on established social media platforms. The same happens in the field of climate action. (From our LinkedIn)

- We are having another interesting day at the EKOenergy Secretariat. Johannes, our marketing coordinator, is introducing the new team members to the basics of SEO, or search engine optimisation. (From our Instagram)

- With funding from EKOenergy's Climate Fund, the project installed 20 PV panels, 450 W each, to power a 12 Hp hydraulic pump. This system ensures a consistent water supply for 23 hectares of crops. (From our Facebook)

- After a week full of climate action in front of our laptops, we joined the weekly Fridays For Future action in front of the parliament. Everyone can do something, but decision-makers can do most. (From our X)

Over the past years, renewables have grown steadily but not fast enough to meet the growing energy demand worldwide. Therefore, the use of fossil fuels also kept increasing, and with them, total emissions.

But there are many signs we are finally reaching a tipping point. In 2023, we installed more than 500 GW of renewables. That's a 50% increase on the year before. As these new renewables connect to the grid and start producing electricity, wind, and solar, growth could begin to outstrip demand growth – pushing fossil fuels out of the energy mix in 2024.

If this happens, power sector emissions - the highest of all sectors – would already be past their peak. The International Energy Agency's latest forecasts support this. They say power sector emissions are entering structural decline, starting with a 2.4% fall in 2024. As other sectors increasingly electrify around the world, emissions from buildings, transport, and industry will also decline.

Read more about it on the website of Climate Analytics, a global climate science and policy institute engaged around the world in driving and supporting climate action aligned to the 1.5°C warming limit.