The Promotion of Employee Ownership and Participation

This Study provides an overview of the development of employee financial participation, in particular employee share ownership, across the EU-28. Against the background of the policy development of the past 30 years, it highlights the growth of financial participation of employees over last decade using the most recent 2013 European Company Survey data which also show employee financial participation's potential positive impact on employment and productivity. The study analyses a range of policy options in depth and makes recommendations to the Commission in the form of a five-point plan. Most importantly, it proposes the establishment of a Virtual Centre for employee financial participation including an effective tax rate calculator in the short term, the development of a code of conduct in the mid-term, and an optional “Common European Regime on Employee Financial Participation” in the long term. Overcoming the barriers especially to cross-border plans, is particularly important in view of the potential described in this study for EU companies to implement such schemes and benefit from their impact

Renewable Energy CSOPs in Germany

Dieser Beitrag stellt den sog. Consumer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP= Verbraucher- Kapitalbeteiligungs-Plan) als Instrument zur Finanzierung dezentraler Energieproduktion unter Beteiligung von Bürgern als Konsumenten vor. Da der CSOP für regulierte Märkte mit garantierten Preisen geregeltem Marktzugang und langfristigen Beziehungen zwischen Produzent und Verbraucher entwickelt wurde, ist der Energiesektor prädestiniert. Inbesondere ist der CSOP für Anlagen für erneuerbare Energien z. B. für Biogas-, Solar- und Winfkraftanlagen geeignet. Europäische Staaten haben ein ehrgeiziges Ziel gesetzt, 20%-Anteil von Energie aus erneuerbaren Quellen bis zum Jahr 2020 zu erreichen. Deutschland als Europas grüne Energie Marktführer könnte ein Pionier in CSOP Umsetzung werden. Kleine Gemeinden in Europa sollten von der Erhöhung des Anteils der erneuerbaren Energien profitieren.The Energy-CSOP facilitates broad equity participation of citizens without assets or savings in a regulated public energy utility. As the CSOP is designed for regulated markets with guaranteed prices, regulated market access and long-term relationships between producer and consumer, the energy market is predestined. A CSOP trust can be set up for a renewable energy plant (e.g., a biogas reactor, a solar panel, a windmill or a geothermic drill). European states have set an ambitious target to reach 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. Germany as Europe’s green energy leader could become a pioneer in CSOP implementation. Small communities in Europe would benefit from the increased share of renewable energy resources

Energy cooperative – model and perspective

S obzirom na ambiciozni cilj EU-a da do 2009. god. do 20% poveća udio obnovljivih izvora energije u ukupnoj potrošnji energije, trend decentralizacije proizvodnje energije mora dobiti na važnosti. U tom kontekstu, energetske zadruge u Njemačkoj postaju vrlo uspješan instrument građanske participacije u Njemačkoj. S više od 800 energetskih zadruga i više od 1,5 milijarde eura ulaganja u sektoru obnovljive izvore energije, energetskoj revoluciji (Energiewende) izravno je doprinjelo oko 200.000 građana. Svake godine osniva se oko oko 150 novih energetskih zadruge. U radu su prikazane energetske zadruge u Njemačkoj sa svojim najvažnijim prednostima i ograničenjima. Zbog reforme energetskih propisa, tradicionalne metode sudjelovanja građana u energetskim projektima suočavaju se s novim izazovima, čime se pokazuje da je njihov daljnji razvoj od ključne važnosti.In view of the EU’s ambitious goal to increase the share of renewable energy resources in the final energy con-sumption up to 20% by 2020, the trend to decentralize energy production has gain on importance. In this context, the concept of energy cooperatives became a very successful tool for citizens participation in Germany. With more than 800 energy cooperatives and over 1.5 billions Euro of investment in the renewable energy sec-tor, approximately 200.000 citizens have directly contributed to the Energiewende. Every year about 150 new energy cooperatives are being established. The paper presents the energy cooperatives in Germany with their most relevant advantages and limitations. Due to the reform of the energy law, traditional methods of citizens participation in energy projects will face new challenges, thus their further development is of key importance

The impact of (co-) ownership of renewable energy production facilities on demand flexibility

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources requires financial, technical and social innovation. This is particularly true for wind and solar energy which have structural differences to fossils: they depend on weather and thus are volatile in their power production scheme. Not only must a new energy infrastructure be built, but consumers motivated to change consumption habits so as to balance demand with a volatile energy supply and to accept new technologies like smart meters. Consumer (co-)ownership has proved successful in engaging consumers in financing renewable energy infrastructures, thus becoming “prosumers”. In addition, studies also indicate that co-ownership can induce behavioral changes in energy consumption. Based on a sample of 2,143 completed questionnaires collected through an online survey, the study presented in this paper seeks to empirically analyze empirically whether (co-)ownership also has an influence on demand side flexibility. Our results indicate a statistical correlation between (co-)ownership of renewable energy production facilities and the willingness of private households to adjust their consumption behavior. However, the relation is complex: Only when prosumers have the choice between self-consumption and sale of the surplus electricity production to the grid we observe a statistically significant effect on consumption behavior. As every kilowatt-hour not consumed is one potentially sold to the grid an economic incentive kicks in which is equally important for energy efficient behavior. To exclude a self-selection bias we have applied propensity score matching

The impact of (co-) ownership of renewable energy production facilities on demand flexibility

The transition from fossil fuels to renewable energy sources requires financial, technical and social innovation. This is particularly true for wind and solar energy which have structural differences to fossils: they depend on weather and thus are volatile in their power production scheme. Not only must a new energy infrastructure be built, but consumers motivated to change consumption habits so as to balance demand with a volatile energy supply and to accept new technologies like smart meters. Consumer (co-)ownership has proved successful in engaging consumers in financing renewable energy infrastructures, thus becoming “prosumers”. In addition, studies also indicate that co-ownership can induce behavioral changes in energy consumption. Based on a sample of 2,143 completed questionnaires collected through an online survey, the study presented in this paper seeks to empirically analyze empirically whether (co-)ownership also has an influence on demand side flexibility. Our results indicate a statistical correlation between (co-)ownership of renewable energy production facilities and the willingness of private households to adjust their consumption behavior. However, the relation is complex: Only when prosumers have the choice between self-consumption and sale of the surplus electricity production to the grid we observe a statistically significant effect on consumption behavior. As every kilowatt-hour not consumed is one potentially sold to the grid an economic incentive kicks in which is equally important for energy efficient behavior. To exclude a self-selection bias we have applied propensity score matching

Energy communities in rural areas : The participatory case study of Vega de Valcarce, Spain

This study follows a multi-disciplinary approach to implementing an Energy Community (ECs) in Vega de Valcarce, a rural community in Spain. ECs are entities that encompass collective actions of citizens and other actors towards the open, democratic governance of renewable energy sources; ECs can take various technical and organisational forms. This study developed and evaluated socially accepted, technically optimal and feasible options for the implementation of the EC at Vega de Valcarce. We conducted a participatory multi-criteria analysis incorporating the results of mixed-integer linear programming for energy system optimisation and regulatory analysis of ECs under Spanish law. Our study showed that the main objectives of local stakeholders are the reduction of the energy bill and emissions. The limited liability company fulfilled legal and regulatory restrictions the best by implementing a bigger-sized EC. We summarise the key challenges of implementing an EC in a rural context, mainly legal and financial, and conclude with recommendations on how to overcome these. While contributing to understanding the roll-out of ECs in Spain and Europe, our research aims to provide a structured approach for the uptake of renewable energy in rural areas

Consumer Stock Ownership Plans (CSOPs)—The Prototype Business Model for Renewable Energy Communities

The 2018 recast of the Renewable Energy Directive (RED II) defines “renewable energy communities” (RECs), introducing a new governance model and the possibility of energy sharing for them. It has to be transposed into national law by all European Union Member States until June 2021. This article introduces consumer stock ownership plans (CSOPs) as the prototype business model for RECs. Based on the analysis of a dataset of 67 best-practice cases of consumer (co-) ownership from 18 countries it demonstrates the importance of flexibility of business models to include heterogeneous co-investors for meeting the requirements of the RED II and that of RE clusters. It is shown that CSOPs—designed to facilitate scalable investments in utilities—facilitate co-investments by municipalities, SMEs, plant engineers or energy suppliers. A low-threshold financing method, they enable individuals, in particular low-income households, to invest in renewable projects. Employing one bank loan instead of many micro loans, CSOPs reduce transaction costs and enable consumers to acquire productive capital, providing them with an additional source of income. Stressing the importance of a holistic approach including the governance and the technical side for the acceptance of RECs on the energy markets recommendations for the transposition are formulated

Vom Verbraucher zum Energieproduzenten Finanzierung dezentraler Energieproduktion unter Beteiligung von Bürgern als Konsumenten mittels sog. Consumer Stock Ownership Plans (CSOPs)

Dieser Beitrag stellt den sog. Consumer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP= Verbraucher- Kapitalbeteiligungs-Plan) als Instrument zur Finanzierung dezentraler Energieproduktion unter Beteiligung von Bürgern als Konsumenten vor. Da der CSOP für regulierte Märkte mit garantierten Preisen geregeltem Marktzugang und langfristigen Beziehungen zwischen Produzent und Verbraucher entwickelt wurde, ist der Energiesektor prädestiniert. Inbesondere ist der CSOP für Anlagen für erneuerbare Energien z. B. für Biogas-, Solar- und Winfkraftanlagen geeignet. Europäische Staaten haben ein ehrgeiziges Ziel gesetzt, 20%-Anteil von Energie aus erneuerbaren Quellen bis zum Jahr 2020 zu erreichen. Deutschland als Europas grüne Energie Marktführer könnte ein Pionier in CSOP Umsetzung werden. Kleine Gemeinden in Europa sollten von der Erhöhung des Anteils der erneuerbaren Energien profitieren

Renewable Energy CSOPs in Germany

The Energy-CSOP facilitates broad equity participation of citizens without assets or savings in a regulated public energy utility. As the CSOP is designed for regulated markets with guaranteed prices, regulated market access and long-term relationships between producer and consumer, the energy market is predestined. A CSOP trust can be set up for a renewable energy plant (e.g., a biogas reactor, a solar panel, a windmill or a geothermic drill). European states have set an ambitious target to reach 20% share of energy from renewable sources by 2020. Germany as Europe’s green energy leader could become a pioneer in CSOP implementation. Small communities in Europe would benefit from the increased share of renewable energy resources

Vom Verbraucher zum Energieproduzenten Finanzierung dezentraler Energieproduktion unter Beteiligung von Bürgern als Konsumenten mittels sog. Consumer Stock Ownership Plans (CSOPs)

Dieser Beitrag stellt den sog. Consumer Stock Ownership Plan (CSOP= Verbraucher- Kapitalbeteiligungs-Plan) als Instrument zur Finanzierung dezentraler Energieproduktion unter Beteiligung von Bürgern als Konsumenten vor. Da der CSOP für regulierte Märkte mit garantierten Preisen geregeltem Marktzugang und langfristigen Beziehungen zwischen Produzent und Verbraucher entwickelt wurde, ist der Energiesektor prädestiniert. Inbesondere ist der CSOP für Anlagen für erneuerbare Energien z. B. für Biogas-, Solar- und Winfkraftanlagen geeignet. Europäische Staaten haben ein ehrgeiziges Ziel gesetzt, 20%-Anteil von Energie aus erneuerbaren Quellen bis zum Jahr 2020 zu erreichen. Deutschland als Europas grüne Energie Marktführer könnte ein Pionier in CSOP Umsetzung werden. Kleine Gemeinden in Europa sollten von der Erhöhung des Anteils der erneuerbaren Energien profitieren