By Marine Cornelis
In Eeklo, a Belgian town of 21,500 inhabitants, the POWER UP pilot team wanted its municipal investment in a citizen-owned wind turbine to have a true social impact. That is why, a few years ago, it turned its membership share in the Ecopower cooperative into 100 “social shares”. We wanted to understand how this idea has come to life, and so we asked Jan de Pauw, project manager for renewable energies at Ecopower, to walk us through the journey.
These shares are meant to serve households that are struggling to pay their energy bills – and that would rarely consider joining an energy cooperative. This is made easier thanks to the city’s initiative whereby each share worth €250, is financed upfront by the municipality and lent to households in vulnerable situations. Instead of having to pay the money straightaway, the beneficiaries get six years to pay back. In the meantime, participants become full members of the Ecopower cooperative from day one, gaining access to fair, local renewable electricity. “The difference in yearly bill was more than €300,” explains Jan De Pauw. “That’s equivalent to the price of one share.”
An investment plan closely connected with the community
Jan grew up in Eeklo and remembers the moment the city chose citizen ownership over profit. Following a municipal tender in 2000, Ecopower won the right to build two wind turbines by promising 100% citizen participation. “It will not be our wind turbines – it will be yours,” they told residents. Jan joined the cooperative immediately. Since then, Ecopower has grown from a few hundred to over 70,000 members, sharing electricity at cost.
The city had the opportunity to buy a 25% stake in the wind project. But Eeklo is not a wealthy municipality. Providing the necessary funds was not obvious, and even after three years, there was no room in the budget. At that point, the city asked itself a basic question: why should we try to own parts of a wind turbine when this same money could directly serve people in vulnerable situations?
That was the beginning of the POWER UP pilot. Instead of acquiring the shares, the city proposed converting them into “social shares”, i.e. placing them on the names of households facing energy poverty. That way, those residents could become full members of the energy community Ecopower and access renewable electricity at a fair price.
Jan and his colleagues at Ecopower agreed straight away. “For some people, buying a share of a cooperative is a lot of money,” he says. One share costs €250, and it has to be paid upfront. But once you’re a member, you can access Ecopower’s services, including electricity at cost price. This model was a way to make membership access possible for people who couldn’t otherwise afford it.
When the idea for POWER UP popped up, around 750 households in Eeklo were dropped by their supplier and forced onto the “supplier of last resort”, which charges one of the highest tariffs. These were the first target group. “They are supplied at one of the most expensive tariffs,” Jan says. “The cooperative tariff is one of the more stable tariff in the residential market”.
Jan de Pauw, Ecopower
“You need three things. First, a city that supports renewable production. Second, access to vulnerable residents. And third, a sponsor who can pre-finance the social shares—whether that’s the city, the cooperative, or another partner.”
A moving target: adjusting the model
Finding the right participants was not easy. Data protection rules, changing energy rules, and shifting social policies blocked access to many people in need. “The most effective way was through the city’s social department and a local community house.”
Unfortunately, new regulations came into force and created new hurdles: since then, many customers who were dumped down by their supplier now receive prepaid digital meters—cutting off their eligibility. “Today we cannot access prepaid meters,” says Jan. “That’s 600 people we cannot reach.”
To adapt, Ecopower widened its scope to include people who had previously qualified for the social tariff during the energy crisis. But competition was fierce: commercial suppliers offered sharper rates, even if service was poor.
So Ecopower added a second business model by installing solar panels on the homes of participants. “The cooperative invests in PV panels,” Jan explains. Households use the solar power for free, while Ecopower earns back investment from the grid injection. But as injection tariffs fell, this model too became fragile. Also, often, homeowners refuse permission to install PV on their tenant’s roof.
Lately the team has been exploring plug-in solar panels, which can be used in rental homes without landlord permission. “Since April, it’s possible in Belgium,” Jan says. “We’re looking at that for our new target group, so that we reduce their energy bill with sun and wind power.”
Meanwhile, talks are ongoing with the Flemish government to allow access to prepaid meters in social programmes. “We’re hopeful,” Jan says. “If we get that, we can reach the 600 households that need it most again.”
Lessons for other cities
For other municipalities considering a similar path, Jan is clear: “You need three things. First, a city that supports renewable production with citizen participation. Second, access to vulnerable residents. And third, a sponsor who can pre-finance the social shares—whether that’s the city, the cooperative, or another partner.”
Eeklo may only reach 100 participants by the end of the pilot. But the potential is far larger. “3% of Flemish households are dropped from their supplier and depend on the supplier of last resort and prepaid meters. That’s our real target group. We know what we have to do. And it’s not that hard. We just need a level playing field as energy communities”
SAVE THE DATE 27 June 2025
Jan de Pauw will be one of the speakers at the POWER UP capacity-building webinar on 27th June. Save the date and join us that day from 10:00-11:15 for talks around how to co-design energy schemes with households in vulnerable situations. REGISTER HERE
