| 1. Will you join us for another year of impactful action? |
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If your dreams for 2025 include more renewables, respect for nature, and a world where no one is left behind, you are not alone! Promoting sustainable renewable energy and international solidarity is a core business for EKOenergy. EKOenergy users in over 80 countries support our daily efforts to make these dreams come true, and we hope to welcome many more in the coming weeks and months.
Over the past years, we haven't only proven that we can achieve a lot with relatively few resources, but we have also shown that we can scale up fast and efficiently. As a non-profit environmental NGO, we can guarantee you that every euro flowing to us will be used in the most efficient way to achieve our mission: A world where energy is generated and consumed sustainably, humans live with respect for nature and biodiversity, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals have been met.
Thanks a lot to all of you who are already involved. And for those who have yet to become an EKOenergy user, we look forward to welcoming you in 2025! Together, we can go faster and achieve more. |
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| 2. Call for Climate Fund projects - Small grants |
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We are happy to announce the opening of a new call for Climate Fund projects (Annual open call - Small grants).
For every MWh of EKOenergy, at least €0.10 is allocated to EKOenergy’s Climate Fund to support impactful renewable energy projects in low- and middle-income countries. All projects we fund are selected through a transparent process.
This time, we can support 15 to 20 wind and solar energy projects of up to €60,000 each. We welcome experienced non-profit organisations to submit project proposals by 14 February 2025.
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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"It is always a pleasure to work with EKOenergy ecolabel. We are very proud of it. 🤗"
- Janette Englund, Porvoon Energia, on LinkedIn |
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| 3. News from solar projects we are funding |
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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.
- Last June, we granted €39,946 to SolarAid for a renewable energy project in Nsanje Mbenje, the 7th poorest district in Malawi. They are setting up a locally run distribution network for solar-powered lights and establishing light libraries in schools. The local energy shop is now open!
- Earlier this year, we granted €60,000 from our Climate Fund to the NGOs Green Empowerment, Forever Sabah, and TONIBUNG to install a 16.5kW solar PV mini-grid system in an off-grid coastal village in Eastern Malaysia. The system will provide 24-hour electricity to 117 residents (20 connections, including homes and community facilities). We just received an interim report, including interviews and many photos. The preparations are progressing well.
- Some months ago, EKOenergy granted €59,995 to the Cameroonian NGO CCREAD (Centre for Community Regeneration and Development) to bring solar power to five health centers near Bakossi National Park. We just received more photos of this project. All installations are in place, and CCREAD will send the final report soon!
- In 2022 and 2023, EKOenergy's Climate Fund supported the installation of various solar-powered water-pumping systems in villages in Tanzania, replacing less efficient and more expensive diesel pumps. Last week, we received two thank-you letters from those involved in these projects.
- In 2023, EKOenergy's Climate Fund contributed €10,000 to a project by the Malian grassroots organisation Terre Douce d' Afrique (TDA), to support the purchase of solar equipment for farmers' cooperatives in the Kayes region of western Mali. We received more photos from the project.
Thanks a lot to all those involved, for the regular updates and for your dedication and efforts!
Check out our website for an overview of all funded projects so far. |
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| "SolarAid is grateful to EKOenergy for its invaluable support, which has been pivotal in driving progress toward sustainable energy access in Nsanje Mbenje. Together, we are creating a brighter and cleaner community." - SolarAid, in a report about a solar project in Malawi |
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| 4. Welcome to the REC Market Meeting 2025 |
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EKOenergy is a proud supporting association of the REC Market Meeting 2025, in Amsterdam on 8 and 9 April.
The REC Market Meeting conferences, in which we have actively participated since the beginning, have been a resounding success for over a decade. Each year, there has been an increase in the number of delegates attending the event, and the 2025 edition will be even bigger.
We look forward to a fruitful conference where both long-term renewable energy market experts and newcomers will have plenty of opportunities to meet, learn, and discuss.
As in previous years, EKOenergy helps set up the D-stream sessions, focusing on basic information about energy tracking systems. We will discuss the various aspects of energy attribute certificates and highlight new developments.
Registrations are now open. Previous sessions were sold out, so book your spot in time! Check out the REC Market Meeting website for more information. |
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| 5. Other news from the past three weeks |
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It hasn't been that long since we sent our previous newsletter, but a lot has happened again.
- We welcomed Green For Earth JSC, from Vietnam, as a new authorised EKOenergy seller. They are our 40th new seller in 2024, and we are expecting several more.
- We added almost 300 wind and solar farms from over 20 countries to our EKOdirect database. This database lists the installations that our authorised sellers can use to sell EKOenergy-labelled energy.
- We have prepared our Annual Report 2024 and will be ready to share it at the beginning of next year. If you have more EKOenergy-related news this year, remember to share it with us this week.
- We are going through our financial statements and preparing for the closing of the financial year. EKOenergy is financially healthy and this will allow us to do even more next year. As a non-profit organisation specialising in impact, we guarantee that we spend every euro on actions that make the largest positive difference.
- We published two new Climate Stories about previously funded projects in India and Cambodia, and we prepared for the selection of 3 to 5 large, multi-annual Climate Fund projects at the beginning of next year.
- We continued our daily outreach to energy consumers and energy sellers worldwide.
- And more. Our focus on concrete, tangible action continues to yield success! |
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| "This is a vicious circle. Climate change is making geopolitics less stable, which harms climate action. This will worsen climate change, meaning more geopolitical instability, and so on." - Laurie Laybourn and James Dyke, in The Conversation |
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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:
- Thanks, Siegwerk, for using EKOenergy-labelled electricity, for writing about us in your 2024 sustainability report, and for reminding your audience about the many good reasons for choosing EKOenergy! (From our LinkedIn)
- 🙌 International Volunteer Day! We take the opportunity to thank all the volunteers who are helping us at our secretariat in Helsinki, Finland. Together, we can achieve a lot. (From our Instagram)
- How nice! An assemble-it-yourself birdhouse #madewithEKOenergy! (From our LinkedIn)
- New on EKOenergy's website: Deploying solar in harmony with nature. (From our Bluesky)
- 👋 The end of the year is a time of farewells and thank-you celebrations at our Secretariat. This week, the volunteering projects of Léa, Pauline, and Celia are ending. Thanks a lot to the three of you for the support and the lovely time together. (From our Instagram)
- Another week at EKOenergy, another week of promoting renewable energy. Most photos are of the team in Helsinki. One photo is of a solar project we are funding in eastern Malaysia. (From our Facebook)
- Some of us were in front of the Parliament again. With our team, we promote renewable energy all week, and on Fridays, we remind our decision-makers that they can do much more to also promote renewable energy. (From our Bluesky) |
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| 7. The primary energy fallacy |
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On social media, we regularly read claims such as "If all cars were electric, the grid would collapse!" and "See, even after all these years of growth, renewable energy only covers a tiny part of our energy needs."
In such claims, primary energy is often confused with energy services. This is the so-called "primary energy fallacy". Jan Rosenow wrote more about it in a recent article on Medium.
"This fallacy arises when comparing energy sources based on their primary energy consumption, often overlooking fundamental differences in efficiency and utility. Measuring energy systems purely on primary energy inflates the perceived contribution of fossil fuels while underestimating renewables' efficiency and untapped efficiency potentials through electrification."
"In conventional fossil fuel systems, significant amounts of primary energy are lost as waste heat during combustion. By contrast, renewable systems like wind and solar produce electricity directly."
"Electrification of energy uses currently served by combusting fossil fuels is often significantly more efficient, offering the same energy service for less energy input. Take electric cars, for example. They are about 3x more efficient than internal combustion engine vehicles. Or heat pumps, which can provide the same amount of heat by using electricity to harvest pre-existing ambient or waste heat but with 3–5x less energy input than a fossil fuel boiler."
Read more in the article Have we been duped by the primary energy fallacy? See also The primary energy fallacy, in CleanTechnica. |
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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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