| 1. Annual report 2024 - Another year of concrete, impactful achievements |
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Our label is a concrete tool for individuals, companies, and public entities to transition away from fossil fuels and help others do the same. You can read about the various dimensions of our work and our concrete achievements in our annual report: EKOenergy in 2024 - Another year of concrete, impactful achievements (PDF, 9 MB).
The antidote to the multiple challenges our societies are facing is not complaints and despair but concrete action on the ground, and that's precisely where initiatives such as EKOenergy are playing a crucial role. Our annual report presents many concrete examples of actions to promote renewable energy, restore nature, and strengthen international solidarity.
Thanks a lot to all of you who helped us in 2024. Together, we achieved more than ever and made a positive difference in many ways.
If you aren't an EKOenergy user yet, we invite you to become one. If you are using EKOenergy-labelled electricity already, thanks so much, and feel free to inform your audience about it. The energy transition doesn't just happen but comes about as the result of the efforts of millions of people, including you. Together, we can and will phase out fossil fuels fast, fair, and forever. |
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| 2. Solar for Ukraine - Stop fuelling war |
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In 2024, we allocated €100,000 from our renewable energy campaign budget to various initiatives promoting the deployment of renewable energy in Ukraine. €50,000 went to the NGO RePower Ukraine to support their work of bringing solar power to hospitals.
The dedicated team of RePower Ukraine is now using our donation to install a solar system at a hospital in Kharkiv. The inverters and cables are in place, and they foresee adding and connecting the solar panels in the coming days.
Russia has shelled civilian infrastructure in the Kharkiv region almost 4,000 times in 2024, targeting energy infrastructure in particular. 100,000s are without heating, and blackouts are frequent. Let's do all we can to help Ukraine (and other victims of aggression). If you want to support similar initiatives, don't hesitate to get in touch for more information.
This week, we also co-signed an open letter urging leaders of European cities to help end Russia’s aggression against Ukraine by taking measures to reduce the use of oil on their territories. Oil exports are the biggest source of revenue for Russia's war machine, and everyone can help cut that money flow. |
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"The communities have begun to recognise the benefits of using renewable energy. In those where photovoltaic systems have been installed, the cost of electricity has decreased by an average of 48%, enabling families to save more. These savings can be allocated to meet other community and household needs, driving improved local development."
- From one of the Climate Fund project reports we recently received |
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| 3. Reminder: Call for Climate Fund projects |
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In mid-December, we opened our traditional annual open call for Climate Fund projects (small grants). This time, we want to fund 15 to 20 solar and wind energy projects of up to €60,000 each.
Experienced non-profit organisations can submit project proposals until 14 February 2025.
The evaluation and selection criteria include the organisational capacity of the applicants, community engagement, local needs, climate and environmental benefits, and more. Read the details on our Funding Information webpage.
We welcome applications for projects in any low- and middle-income country. However, some EKOenergy users have shown interest in supporting projects in India, Malaysia, and South Africa. Therefore, we particularly encourage NGOs active in these countries to submit proposals. |
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| "We are deeply happy that this project in Daurawa village is already making a significant difference in the lives of Daurawa and other surrounding communities. Seeing the positive impact of our work, especially in such a remote and underserved area, is incredibly rewarding. We are grateful to EKOenergy ecolabel users worldwide for their continued support." - Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change, on LinkedIn |
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| 4. News from ongoing Climate Fund projects |
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EKOenergy's Climate Fund provides financial resources for disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries to implement renewable energy projects.
It's always encouraging to get updates from projects we are funding in many parts of the world.
- We received New Year greetings and many more photos from a project we funded in 2024: The Nigerian NGO Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change brought solar energy to a hard-to-reach, off-grid village in northern Nigeria. An 8.0 kW solar system now powers a water pump, lights, fans, and a charging booth station.
- In 2023, we granted €313,170 from our Climate Fund to the NGO Renewable World and its partner organisations for the Renewable Energy to Transform Fishing Livelihoods project on Takawiri Island, in Homabay County, Kenya. We just received another progress report. The installation of the initial 20 kWp three-phase solar PV system is complete. The system is currently being used for lighting and to power the water purification system and cold room.
- We received the annual report of the multi-annual project Solar Empowerment for Smallholder Farmers in Bolivia. In 2023, we granted €319,116 to the NGO Practical Action and their local partners to bring solar power to off-grid communities around Lake Titicaca, Bolivia. The area, like 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. One of the project's objectives is to demonstrate how access to clean and reliable energy can support resilient agriculture and improve food security. So far, the project partners installed solar-powered irrigation systems in five communities. |
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| 5. Annual audit of our authorised sellers |
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Our annual audit process has now started. We are collecting and checking information about the EKOenergy-labelled volumes of 2024.
If you are an authorised seller, you will receive the audit document and guidelines in the coming days. If you have any doubts about the process, feel free to get in touch at any time!
As part of the audit process, we also issue proofs of EKOenergy consumption for corporate users. We send these proofs to our authorised sellers, who transfer them to their EKOenergy clients.
Remember that EKOenergy's logo is internationally protected and can only be used 1) by the consumers of EKOenergy-labelled energy and 2) by our authorised sellers and service providers to promote and sell energy that fulfils our criteria. |
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| "The necessity for such major changes understandably induces resistance and even fear in politicians, individuals, and companies. Therefore it is no surprise that messages are very much welcomed by the general public and politicians when they conclude that these complex and important problems do not exist or are not as bad as scientists say. A number of self-appointed experts exploit this fear to increase the resistance against fundamental changes by frequently posting their opinions on social media and in weblogs." - Tinus Pulles, Climate Denialism, American Journal of Economics and Sociology, 31 December 2024 |
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| 6. EKOenergy on social media |
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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 on various social media channels:
- As EKOenergy grows, so do our databases. Daily, we add renewable energy installations, mainly wind & solar farms, to our EKOdirect database. There are now more than 7,700 entries from more than 80 countries in EKOdirect. (From our LinkedIn)
- Will you join us for another year of impactful action? If your dreams for 2025 include more renewables, respect for nature, and a world where no one is left behind, you are not alone! (From our Facebook)
- We've just exceeded 9,000 followers on LinkedIn. Thanks a lot to each one of you. Thanks for being with us in 2024. We wish you all a nice end of the year and look forward to sharing many hopeful updates in 2025! Stay tuned. (From our LinkedIn)
- New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed landmark legislation requiring large fossil fuel companies to pay for critical projects that bolster New York's resiliency to dangerous climate impacts like flooding and extreme heat. (From our Instagram)
- New on our website: An interview with two of our trainees. Over the past 3 months, Claudia and Francisco dove into research on biodiversity at wind and solar farms around the world. (From our Bluesky) |
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| 7. The energy transition works |
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The energy transition continues to be a heavily politicised topic. Whenever elections are near, energy is on the table, and the simpler the solution, the more popular it seems, especially on social media.
With elections approaching in Germany, elements of the German energy transition are trending topics in many media. For those who want to know more, here are some facts.
- The German energy transition (Energiewende) is an ambitious attempt to completely change the country's electricity system. From a coal-dominated system to a system based on wind and solar. It's a massive undertaking, inevitably involving challenges. But challenges are different from failures.
- Germany's public net electricity generation reached a historic milestone in 2024: with renewable energies accounting for 62.7 percent, the electricity mix has never been greener.
- The production of solar power in Germany grew from 32.8 TWh in 2014 to 72.2 TWh in 2024, and the production of wind power from 51.4 TWh to 136.4 TWh in the same period. The annual output will continue to grow fast in the coming years as solar and wind capacity are booming.
- At some times Germany imports a lot of electricity. In other moments, it exports. Germany is part of the common European market, and because different countries have different production parks and weather conditions, they will alternately import and export over the year, depending on where the electricity is cheapest. Germany has, on average, sufficient capacity to produce and export electricity during winter, unlike Austria, Switzerland, and France, which face seasonal shortfalls. By the way, even on the days when a lot of power needs to be imported, these volumes are minor compared to the amounts of oil and gas Germany imports each day.
- As the amount of wind and solar grows, storage is needed. Grid operators and energy companies are working on that. In Germany, for example, installed battery capacity rose sharply in 2024, to 12.1 GW (up from 8.6 GW in 2023). In the German electricity grid, battery capacity now exceeds the capacity of pumped storage. |
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We at EKOenergy are always enthusiastic to collaborate with new partners.
For further information, please do not hesitate to get in touch. |
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