The meeting was kicked off by Lonneke de Waal, sector lead for Government and Education at BNG. She explained that BNG wants to be the leading financier in creating social and green added value and that the energy transition is a major theme for the bank in this regard. A good example of this is the municipality of Bodegraven-Reeuwijk. Five years ago the Bodegraven-Reeuwijk Energy Cooperative started installing solar panels on commercial buildings, with the help of financing from BNG. During the session, Jan Leendert van den Heuvel, councillor for Sustainability, said that the municipality encourages the energy cooperative to invest in sustainable energy. ‘Local ownership is important in this regard because of the involvement of residents and businesses. We need a sense of community and cooperation to move forward.’
Success of cooperation
Jan Bouwens, director of the energy cooperative, was then interviewed by Lonneke de Waal. Bouwens: 'Our energy cooperative has a low entry fee for membership, only 5 euros. We did that deliberately. That way, we can reach people with limited means. We also take care of everything for the companies where we install solar panels. For example, we help them arrange permits.’ According to both parties, the success of the collaboration is down to the collaboration itself. Clear agreements have been made, everyone’s role is clear and realistic return estimates are made for the projects.
Major boost to the energy transition
At the end of the meeting, Caspar Boendermaker, sector specialist in Sustainability, Heating Networks and Energy Transition at BNG, discussed what BNG can and wants to do to give local ownership a major boost in the energy transition. ‘In 10 to 20 years time, there will be more local energy communities for energy generation and storage. It is important that residents see what this means for them. And that it is accessible.’
Watch the video about the Bodegraven-Reeuwijk Energy Cooperative here:
