THE SUSTAINABLE ENERGY COOPERATIVE – THE ECOFRIENDLY ENERGY SUPPLIER FROM BUCHAREST

By project PROMOTER

Published on 29 April 2025

Romania

About this good practice

The Energy Cooperative (ECo) in Bucharest, Romania, is a successful example of a community-based approach to renewable energy. Founded in 2019, ECo is the first RE cooperative in Romania, although not officially recognized as an energy community yet due to a lack of specific secondary national regulations.
The cooperative model emphasizes democratic member participation, transparency and the pursuit of community benefits, going beyond simply supplying green energy, but actively promoting education and raising the awareness regarding the importance of renewable resources use and encouraging the collaboration within the renewable energy sector. Therefore, its vision is not only a relevant example, but a model to follow for the future of sustainable energy because it responds to the objectives of PROMOTER project, the development of energy hubs and encouraging the renewable energy use. Also it could be a pertinent response to the objectives set forth by the Strategy of Brasov County Council to encourage the investments in renewable energy use and raising the awareness of the citizens in the benefits of renewable energy use.
Nowadays, the cooperative has over 984 members, an average of 450 consumers and 2 GWh of green energy provided/supplied. It’s certified as a green energy supplier, entering the energy market as the first 100% green energy supplier, with origin certificates, contributing to the Romanian 2050 objective, of zero carbon emissions and climatic neutrality.

Resources needed

30,000 € for ECo establishment.100 members from ECo contributed to acquiring Apuron Energy Co with 2 mil lei (ECo became a certified green energy supplier). Operational costs: member contributions, revenues from energy sales and projects.Human resources: volunteer board members and 4 employees.

Evidence of success

ECo's success is demonstrated through several key metrics:a membership increase from 15 to over 984 members by 2024; the acquisition of an energy supplier,establishing ECo as a green energy supplier,that distributes over 2 GWh of green energy to approx.450 customers and is actively engaged in educational initiatives (over 10 workshops) to raise awareness and promote renewable energy communities.ECo's participation in various projects focused on RE promotion underscores its impact and reach.

Potential for learning or transfer

The ECo model offers significant potential for replication in other regions. However, its success depends on favorable policy environments and regulatory frameworks and secondary legislation that supports the development of RE communities.ECo's experience, such as managing challenges and establishing a European cooperative in Romania, provides valuable lessons for other collaboration models. Moreover, its focus on education and community engagement and the successful leveraging of private investments can serve as examples for potential future initiatives. The need for supportive legislation and accessible funding mechanisms to enable the wider adoption of this model is explicitly highlighted. The project provides a model and a methodology that could be applied to new entities aiming to cooperate with the purpose of becoming a sustainable REC. It is a showcase of an efficient cooperation that generates a community that can feasibly provides electrical energy solely from RE sources.