Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and quality of life · apl. Prof. Dr. Niko Paech, ... Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and ... Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and quality of

Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and quality of life Salina Centgraf

Felix Rauschmayer

Torsten Masson

Centgraf/ Rauschmayer/ Masson

Conference: Energy Systems in Transition, 11.10.2013

Project partners

Prof. Dr. Reinhard Pfriem , Dr. Irene Antoni-

Komar, Dr. Christian Lautermann

apl. Prof. Dr. Niko Paech, Dr. Daniel Dorniok

Carl von Ossietzky University Oldenburg

Dr. Peter Moser, Beate Fischer, M.A.

IdE Institute decentralised Energy

Technologies, Kassel

Dr. Thomas Köhler

ISP Eduard Pestel Institute for systems

research, Hannover

Practice partners

N-Werk Osnabrück

Energiegenossenschaft Odenwald

Die Energiegesellschafter Werne

Die Oldenburger Energiegenossenschaft

Energiegenossenschaft in Kirchhatten

Energiegenossenschaft Berlin

funded by the Federal Ministry of

Education and Research (BMBF)

Duration: June 2013 to May 2016



(Energy) cooperatives

Definition of cooperatives:

“an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common

economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly-owned

and democratically controlled enterprise”

(source: ICA 2011: http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html)

http://www.ica.coop/coop/principles.html



Energy cooperatives

number

year

Formation of energy cooperatives

since 2006 in Germany

Some facts:

• About 136.000 members in

Germany, 125.000 private persons

• Share of members:

about 426 millions €

• Investments in renewables:

about 1,2 billion €

• Supply of 160.000 average

households (source: DGRV brochure

2013)



Energy cooperatives

Systematic differences:

• Size

• Age

• Local/urban

• Grid

• Storage

• Production (photovoltaic,

biomass, windpower)

Aims of ECs:

• Enhance changes in society

• Enhance changes in the community

• Enhance changes in the energy field

• Community- based ownership

• Energy production and consumption

• Grid

• Storage

• production (photovoltaic, biomass, windpower)



Project EnGeno

Transformative power and role of EC for the energy turn



Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and

quality of life

Hypotheses and assumptions:

• People join ECs as members due to different motivations: financial, ecological,

social and ideological.

• Being member of ECs influences one´s environmental behaviour.

• Being member of ECs enhances one´s quality of life.



Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and

quality of life

Membership in EC

Individual needs and capabilites

Quality of life

EC as social setting

to change practices

Environmental friendliness

R E C O M M E N D A T I O N S

for

A C T I O N



Quantitative and qualitative research Mixed-methods-design

• Quantitative survey:

• non-members (motives, barriers, general environmental behaviour (GEB),

EC relevant aspects of the self-concept, efficacy and acceptance)

• members of EC (motives, GEB, place identity, self-concept, practices)

• Qualitative semi-structured interviews (motives, barriers, practices and QoL)

• four focus groups:

• identify important goals and test questionnaire

• prepare the qualitative interviews

• reflect results with board-members and policy makers



Recommendations for action

Recommendations for ECs

• Manual/guideline together with EC-board-members:

• Strenghtening ECs (number of members)

• Suggestions for enhancing members´quality of life

• Institutional, organisational and governance modifications

Recommendations for policy makers

• Strenghtening transformative power of ECs through change in regulations



Current state

• First version of the questionnaire in the discussion

• How to connect the individual and systemic level (practice theory and QoL)?

• Selection of ECs as practice partners



More on this…

soon more on the EnGeno-project at: www.engeno.net

more research about EC: www.forschungsnetzwerk-

energiegenossenschaften.de

http://www.engeno.net/



Qualitative research

Needs and

capabilities



CA agrees with needs approaches in critique of

resourcist and utilitarian approaches:

Well-being

more than having resources

not captured by happiness or other measures of utility

Achieved functionings as the various things a person may value doing

or being

CA goes beyond needs in emphasizing freedom: capabilities as the substantive freedoms to lead the kind of life the

person has reason to value

The Capability Approach and Needs

resources

(e.g. a bike)

functionings

(e.g. riding a bike)

valuation

(e.g. utility)

Documents

Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and quality of life · apl. Prof. Dr. Niko Paech, ... Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and ... Energy cooperatives, energy turn, and quality of