‘‘The cooperation was established in 2018 and initially benefited from the postcode exemption scheme. This scheme offered residents a discount on the energy tax if they invested in solar panels,’ says Jan Bouwens, chair of the Bodegraven-Reeuwijk energy cooperation. One condition of this scheme was that the investment was made through an energy cooperation. Bouwens: ‘We have now completed 22 projects, with a total of around 5,000 solar panels on municipal real estate, agricultural roofs and industrial roofs.’
Low threshold to participate
The cooperation works together with the municipality for this purpose. Jan Leendert van den Heuvel, Councillor for Sustainability, Nature & Environment: ‘Most energy cooperations depend on their members’ assets. This often creates a divide between people who have the ability to participate, and people who do not.’ Bouwens says that the cooperation also wants people with a low income to be able to participate: ‘That is why we started looking for an external investor: BNG.’
Lonneke de Waal, Account Manager at BNG: ‘As a bank, we like to contribute to the cooperation’s sustainable and social ambitions. But for us there are also risks associated with this. The municipality of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk therefore wants to guarantee the loan.’ Thanks to this loan, the cooperation can implement projects without members having to pay large amounts themselves. Bouwens: ‘The threshold for becoming a member has deliberately been kept low: we ask for a one-off contribution of 5 euros.’ According to Van den Heuvel, this social aspect really appeals to the municipality because everyone can participate.
Business case per project
Every project starts with a well-thought-out business case, which is checked by the Mayor and the councillors. After that, BNG conducts a credit assessment before any financing takes place. Van den Heuvel emphasises: ‘The cooperation adopts a businesslike and professional approach. After 22 projects, this process is also becoming ever more efficient.’
The cooperation now has about six hundred members. Bouwens: ‘The members share in the output of the solar panels. As a cooperation, we use the money left over to repay the loan at BNG and invest in local projects. For example, we donated LED lights to the local food bank, helped the Hortus Populus Bodegraven with the electrical connection, and helped a primary school in Driebruggen to redesign the playground.’
Social responsibility
The collaboration between the energy cooperation and the municipality of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk and BNG shows that social responsibility can go hand in hand with business interests. De Waal: ‘The energy cooperation shows how a local initiative of residents can have a major impact.’
‘By funding these types of projects, BNG shows that it is taking its social responsibility. This is beautiful to see,’ says Van den Heuvel. The cooperation directors are intrinsically motivated to contribute to the energy transition. Bouwens: ‘The news does not lie about it either: heat records, extreme drought, floods. We want to make a positive contribution, and that is what binds us together.’
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