| 1. Halfway 2025 - EKOenergy works! |
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The first half of 2025 is behind us. The year 2050 is now closer than the year 2000. The target year for the Sustainable Development Goals, 2030, is only 54 months away.
If you want to do more to make a positive difference but don't know where to start, we invite you to take a look at EKOenergy ecolabel. Our nonprofit ecolabel is a concrete and pragmatic tool to enable people and companies to make a positive difference in many ways.
Thanks to the support of EKOenergy sellers and consumers worldwide, we continuously engage in impactful, solution-oriented actions to advance affordable and clean energy for all, protect nature, promote peace and international solidarity, and much more.
Here are some of our actions and concrete results from the past 6 months.
- We invited thousands of energy consumers from many countries to switch to sustainable energy.
- We granted €4.2 million to three life-changing solar projects in Malawi, Malaysia, and Nepal, and selected one more long-term project, which we will announce soon.
- We approved six new grants to short-term solar projects in Cameroon, Malawi, Nigeria, Pakistan, and Togo, with more to come in the second half of 2025.
- We welcomed 20 new authorised EKOenergy sellers in the first six months of 2025, and three more in July.
- We set up two campaigns, one focusing on sustainability consultants and another on large corporate consumers.
- We granted €100,000 from our marketing budget to nonprofit organisations installing solar systems in Ukraine.
- We co-signed several letters to decision-makers from various countries, asking for more climate ambition and climate justice.
- We have added approximately 900 more renewable energy installations to our EKOdirect database.
- We sent out eight newsletters, containing more examples of our multi-facetted actions and concrete results. You can find all previous newsletters in the archive on our website.
- Two team members gave presentations about EKOenergy's work at the REC Market Meeting conference, and one of us gave a presentation at the Hamburg Sustainability Conference.
- And much more!
Thanks a lot to all those who contributed in one way or another! We look forward to more of this in the coming months. |
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| 2. Welcome to RE-Source 2025! |
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We are happy and proud to be an Association Partner of the annual RE-Source event once again.
RE-Source is the ideal place to learn about Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs) and connect with key players from both the buyer and supplier sides.
This year's edition will take place on November 4th and 5th in Amsterdam, and registration is now open. Check out RE-Source's webpage for more information.
What can you expect from the 2025 edition?
- A chance to network with 1,400+ participants,
- Learn from and engage with 100+ senior political and industry speakers,
- Be a part of hundreds of prescheduled B2B meetings between clean energy buyers and suppliers,
- Connect with hundreds of corporate clean energy buyers,
- And much more!
We look forward to meeting with you there! |
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"The landlord purchases renewable, green energy certified through the EKOenergy scheme."
- The United Kingdom Committee for UNICEF, 2024 Annual Report, page 79 |
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| 3. News from recently funded solar projects |
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EKOenergy's Climate Fund enables people in disadvantaged communities in low- and middle-income countries to implement their renewable energy projects.
Over the past few weeks, several organisations involved in recently funded projects shared news on social media or sent us updates via email. It's always encouraging to hear about the concrete and impactful results from projects we fund.
- Last year, we granted €38,588 to the nonprofit organisations Azada Verde and EsMaBaMa. With this grant, they supported two agricultural associations in Sofala, Mozambique, to replace old diesel pump systems with solar-powered irrigation systems. Over the past weeks, Azada Verde has shared several posts about the ongoing activities on various social media channels. The new systems are now in place!
- Last month, we granted €58,500 to the Nigerian nonprofit Centre for Renewable Energy and Action on Climate Change (CREACC-NG) to deploy solar power in three off-grid villages in northern Nigeria. The work has already started!
- In 2024, Green Empowerment received €55,938 for their project with Medical Teams International and Power Trust Uganda Limited. The funding supported the installation of solar energy systems to deliver reliable and renewable energy solutions to 2 health centres in Northern Uganda. It's very heart-warming to read about the concrete and impactful results!
- Practical Action sent us the final report of their "Renewable Energy for Food Security and Incomes" project in Zimbabwe, which we supported with €39,930 last year. The project improved food security and income generation through solar-powered irrigation and enhanced access to electricity. |
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| "Mercedes-Benz Group wants to enable all drivers of electric vehicles to charge with green electricity." - Mercedes-Benz Group, Climate Transition Action Plan 2025. On page 14, the report mentions that Mercedes-Benz chooses EKOenergy in Europe. Thank you! |
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| 4. EKOenergy helps you meet the GRI requirements |
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The Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) recently launched its new Climate Change and Energy Standards. The text "GRI 103: Energy 2025" positions responsible energy use as a central component of a company's approach to mitigating climate change.
Here are some of the concrete requirements for the reporting entities:
They "shall describe how their energy-related policies and commitments contribute to energy consumption reduction, energy efficiency, and the transition to renewable energy sources" and "shall describe the impacts on the economy, environment, and people that may result from their energy consumption and the transition to renewable energy sources."
Reporting entities "should also describe how engagement with stakeholders informs their energy-related policies and commitments, including: (...) how insights from stakeholder engagement, (...) have informed actions to prevent or mitigate negative impacts and maximise positive impacts" and "should describe actions taken to manage impacts that may result from its energy consumption and the transition to renewable energy sources."
EKOenergy-labelled energy is an excellent way to meet many of these requirements. EKOenergy is developed and managed by environmental nonprofit organisations, considers the impact of energy production on nature, and includes tools and actions to promote the energy transition and contribute to the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Feel free to contact us or any of the authorised EKOenergy sellers for more information. |
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| 5. Good news from the Abramså |
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For each megawatt-hour of EKOenergy-labelled hydropower, 10 eurocents are allocated to our Environmental Fund, used to fund river restoration projects. This contribution comes in addition to the contributions to our Climate Fund.
Thanks to users of EKOenergy-labelled hydropower in Sweden, we were able to grant €30,000 to the Re-sanding Abramsån project, a restoration project by the nonprofit organisation Rewilding Sweden in the Abramså River in northern Sweden.
We just received the final report of the project.
"In northern Sweden, many rivers were cleared and straightened in the early 1900s to float timber. The damage intensified after the 1950s when bulldozers replaced manual labour. Removing boulders, woody debris, and other rough elements turned naturally varied channels into fast, uniform corridors. The Abramså, a 30-kilometre tributary of the free-flowing Råne River in Norrbotten, illustrates this problem. (...) Since 2023, Rewilding Sweden, with the support of the local County Administrative Board of Norrbotten, has restored channel structure and diversified flow. Surveys after the restoration confirmed, however, that restored sections still lacked gravel and sand. For natural erosion, it would take centuries to replenish these sediments. Therefore, targeted addition of fine mineral material was essential to complete the ecological recovery of this boreal river system."
The activities funded by EKOenergy included the release of sand and gravel into the river bed with a helicopter. This brought back essential microhabitats for a range of riverine organisms and contributed to raising water levels and reconnecting the river with its floodplains.
For more information about this well-implemented and well-documented project, check out the project's website.
Thanks a lot to all those involved in this restoration!
Photo: Arthur de Bruin / Rewilding Europe |
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| "My research explored the incorporation of biodiversity and restoration efforts into the planning and operation of industrial-scale solar parks in Finland. I studied the boreal landscapes and identified strategies to enhance biodiversity in each area. By conducting interviews, I assessed the barriers to implementing these strategies and identified related challenges, such as those concerning national guidelines and financial considerations." - Sari Serenius, trainee at EKOenergy's Secretariat, on LinkedIn |
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| 6. We are readily available for meetings in July and August! |
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Are you new to the sector and would you like a quick introduction to why a growing number of energy consumers choose EKOenergy?
Or have new colleagues joined your team?
Or did you notice that some of your clients are seeking impactful solutions, international endorsement, or support with communication, and you are not entirely sure how EKOenergy can deliver precisely that?
Contact us, and let's meet! Our team members are readily available for meetings and chats in many languages. Whether you have 10 minutes or an hour, grab your phone or email to schedule a meeting. We are readily available in July and August and will help you to the best of our abilities. |
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The recently presented UN document "The imperative of defossilising our economies - Report of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change" urges decision-makers to inform the public about the fossil fuel industry’s deliberate contributions to the planetary crises and about their human rights impacts. It also mentions the need to ban fossil fuel advertisements, promotion, and sponsorship; and proposes to criminalise media and advertising firms for amplifying disinformation and misinformation by fossil fuel companies.
With EKOenergy, we regularly back initiatives against the continued support for fossil fuel companies and the fossil sector's relentless efforts to undermine the clean energy transition.
Here are some recent examples.
- Together with 480 other organisations, we endorsed the 2025 Banking on Climate Chaos Report, exposing how banks ignore climate risk and increase finance for dirty energy companies expanding their sector.
- We co-signed a letter to EU Climate Commissioner Wopke Hoekstra, asking him to protect the UN climate talks from the influence of the fossil fuel industry. "For too long, those who profit from maintaining the current fossil-fuelled system have stopped, delayed, or watered down actions to halt global heating. Their voices have dominated the conversation, including at the UN climate talks."
- Together with more than 70 other groups and organisations, we co-signed a letter to the EU energy ministers to warn them of the dangers of deregulating the methane rules. Europe should break free from fossil gas completely and not simply replace Russian gas with other fossil gas, such as LNG from the US. "It is vital for policymakers to put regulatory muscle behind their Paris Agreement commitments and hold financial institutions accountable to protect our climate, our communities, and our economies from the harms of fossil fuel finance."
- We continue to participate in the weekly Fridays For Future climate demonstrations in front of the parliament. It's one of the ways to remind our decision-makers that extreme heat, droughts and floods are battering many parts of the planet, and that it will get worse until we stop using fossil fuels. |
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| "The building supports sustainable urban development through its energy efficiency and the provision of spaces and services that enhance employee well-being. Additionally it uses EKOenergy-labelled wind power and has its own solar power plant." - Motiva, on its website |
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| 8. 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 engaging with our posts, you help spread our message and ensure that future updates appear in your feed.
Here are some of our recent posts on our various social media channels:
- We're always happy to share our experiences in the renewable energy market and explore cooperation opportunities. Thank you, Space in Between, for inviting us to present EKOenergy's work to a delegation of city government officials from Danyang, Jiangsu, China. (From our LinkedIn)
- 🕐 With our 'Now Is The Time' campaign, we urge energy consumers, particularly corporate consumers, to transition away from fossil fuels and switch to clean, sustainable energy instead, particularly solar and wind. Solar and wind can be deployed anywhere, and the costs of storage have declined rapidly. (From our Instagram)
- Diversity makes us stronger! (From our LinkedIn)
- ☀️ Solar power was the EU’s biggest power source in June 2025! (From our Bluesky)
- Did you know that solar farms can serve as a buffer against desertification and support the restoration of grass- and shrublands? (From our LinkedIn)
- We continue to do all we can to promote renewable energy, support international solidarity, and contribute to the realisation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals. By using EKOenergy-labelled energy, you help us in our efforts. (From our Facebook)
- In a new video on EKOenergy's YouTube channel, EKOenergy's European Solidarity Corps volunteers explain how the deployment of renewable energy can go hand in hand with nature protection and nature restoration. In another video, Johannes Pättiniemi, from EKOenergy, interviews our trainee Sari Serenius about her just finalised master's thesis "Designing for Nature: Exploring Scientific and Commercial Views on Integrating Biodiversity and Policy into Industrial-Scale Solar Energy Developments in Finland". |
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"We’re happy to highlight the amazing work EKOenergy is doing to make renewable energy more impactful and accessible! Keep leading the way. 🌍⚡"
- Oui Love Earth, on LinkedIn |
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| 9. Solar electricity every hour of every day is here and it changes everything |
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Ember recently published another impressive and hopeful analysis: "Solar electricity every hour of every day is here and it changes everything".
The main conclusions are:
- Solar electricity is now highly affordable, and with recent cost and technical improvements in batteries, 24-hour generation is within reach. Smooth, round-the-clock output every hour of every day will unleash solar’s true potential, enabling deeper penetration beyond the sunny hours and helping overcome grid bottlenecks.
- On an average day in a sunny city like Las Vegas, US, providing 1 kW of stable, round-the-clock power requires 5 kW of fixed solar panels paired with a 17 kWh battery. This combination can deliver a constant 1 kW of solar electricity every hour over a whole 24-hour period, and this amount of battery will be sufficient for most regions across the world.
- It is possible to get 97% of the way to constant solar electricity every hour of every day of the year (24/365) in the sunniest cities. In all the locations where this is the case, the economics are great: just $104/MWh, 22% lower cost than just a year earlier, and cheaper than new coal or new nuclear. |
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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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