Community Owned Wind Farm
#MoveTheDate Solutions
Personal / Community: Community project
Energy sub-category: Power generation
Description: The development of wind energy kicked off Ærø’senergy transition, making it one of the many renewable energy projects on the island. Many people across Denmark directly felt the effects of the 1970s oil crises. This experience sparked the interest of engaged citizens to explore alternative energy technologies. In the following years, the people of Ærø set up a number of wind turbines in a manner that can be described as both pioneering and grass root. For a short period in the 1980s, Ærø hosted the world’s biggest wind farm. To help with additional renewable energy projects,the island's community established the ÆrøEnergy and Environment Office,which took the role of a local intermediary. By 2000, 23 small wind turbines stood on the island. With the help of the Energy and Environment Office, the community made plans to replace the 23 small turbines by a smaller number of big turbines. By 2002, three big wind turbines stood on the island with a capacity of 12 MW producing around 40 GWh accounting for roughly 130% of the electricity consumed by the community on the island.
Website about this solution: http://co2mmunity.eu/outputs/community-energy-cases
Why I love this solution: The renewable energy development on Ærø started with twelve individuals from different walks of life who all had an interest in technology. All of them had experienced the impacts of the oil crises of the 1970s.Together, they founded a citizen group and gained access to a room in the local school, providing them with a space for regular meetings. Amongst other things, they built their own wooden wind turbines. These early attempts laid the foundation for the community-owned wind farm. A shareholder company owns and manages the wind farm. This company is community-owned because only inhabitants from the island had the right to buy shares when the project was initiated. The general assembly of shareholders makes all the important decisions that go beyond daily management.