News
A conversation with our new president and vice-president
During REScoop.eu’s General Meeting in Krakow, our members elected a new Board of Directors to guide the federation's overall management and strategy for the next four years. This marked a milestone for the federation, as Dirk Vansintjan stepped down as president after 12 years in the role, having reached the maximum number of mandates.
The new president of REScoop.eu is Mark Luntley. Since 2008, Mark has focused on creating community-owned renewable energy projects in the United Kingdom, and has represented Energy4All on REScoop.eu’s board for eight years. Our new vice-president is Ilonka Marselis. Ilonka is advocacy coordinator and strategic advisor at Energie Samen, the Dutch federation of energy communities. She has been on REScoop.eu’s board since 2023.
Today, we sat down with Mark and Ilonka to find out more about their vision for the federation and get to know them better.
First of all, congratulations on your new roles! What motivated you to take on this responsibility, and what does it mean to you, both personally and professionally?
Mark Luntley: I’ve served on REScoop.eu’s board for eight years. During that time, I’ve been continually inspired by the REScoop.eu team and their combination of radicalism and professionalism. I leave meetings inspired and enthused. I’ve learnt a huge amount and met brilliant people from very different backgrounds.
Ilonka Marselis: I am very honoured to have been elected as vice-president of REScoop.eu. Community organisation is very dear to my heart and therefore it means a lot to me being able to contribute to this movement now from this position. I was already advocating for community energy in the Netherlands, and now I am happy to promote the benefits of community energy at the European level. I am hoping to create more understanding and support for our movement.
Let’s now go back a bit. How did you first get involved in the community energy movement, and what has your journey been like up to now?
M.L.: I became concerned about climate change in the mid 90s, which led me to join the Centre for Alternative Technology and the first energy co-op in the UK: Baywind. In 2007, I saw an advert from a local group battling to build a wind farm in Oxfordshire, where I live. I joined them and eventually became their chair. Together, we managed to build the wind farm. Not long after, I joined Energy4All’s board, which led me to get involved with REScoop.eu – I still remember my first meeting, a Horizon event in Lille.
It’s a journey that has literally changed my life. I changed career, eco-renovated our family home, and now make different choices in how I eat, travel, and consume.
I.M.: I started out as a researcher of ecovillages, which are communities where people try to live in complete harmony with nature and each other. I developed immense respect for these projects, as it takes commitment to create such a different lifestyle with shared ownership, democratic decision-making and off-grid energy systems.
I find the same courage and commitment in founders and members of energy communities. They have an inspiring vision of how the benefits and burdens of the energy transition should be shared. Through projects they bring this vision into reality. Moving on from a few years of advocacy work in the energy transition for the Dutch association for municipalities, I was happy to get the opportunity to support the energy community movement for Energie Samen since 2023.
You both have years of experience and represent federations from your countries on REScoop.eu’s board. What key lessons from your experience will you bring to this new role?
I. M.: A federation always exists to serve its members. To do this properly, we need to be aware of their successes, dreams and challenges. Therefore, I believe staying in touch with members on a regular and in-depth basis is core to the success of a federation. Fortunately, Rescoop.eu works closely with members on a very regular basis.
Next to this, close ties with policy makers are essential to put a federation’s needs and opportunities on the political agenda. With a history of close collaboration with the European Commission and the European Parliament, REScoop.eu is well placed to serve its members and advance the community energy movement.
M.L.: I once worked for an inspiring chief executive who showed me how a board is a team where everyone brings different skills and experiences. She cared about every individual, and I’ve tried to follow her approach.
Part of the president’s role to ensure everyone is heard. I strongly believe that the role serves the board, not the other way around. I am here to support each member of this great board, listening as much as speaking.
REScoop.eu’s board is elected for a four-year term, and your mandate has just started. What are the board’s priorities for the federation over the next four years?
M. L.: We need to discuss that, but I think an important issue is to grow our movement, increasing the share of new renewable energy owned by citizens. We represent two million citizens, but the European population is 500 million, so there is scope to grow the movement. We also want to support our members to ensure citizens from all backgrounds can participate.
I. M.: The EU budget is another important issue for REScoop.eu. We need to think about how we speak to MEPs from different political orientations. With a growing focus on energy security and risk preparedness in the EU, we can reframe the relevance of energy communities in this context.
We also see that the activities of our members are broadening. Next to renewable energy production, REScoop.eu members are focusing more and more on energy-efficiency, flexibility (energy storage and energy sharing), mobility, and renewable heating and cooling. Our research and advocacy activities should follow up on all these topics.
How do you plan to divide tasks and responsibilities between yourselves as president and vice-president?
M. L.: We see it as a partnership. Our experience and areas of excellence complement each other perfectly. For example, Ilonka has experience in EU institutions and advocacy work, so it makes sense for her to lead on those sorts of issues. She also has in-depth knowledge of energy efficiency and district heating and cooling. On my side, I have extensive practical experience in large wind and solar cooperatives, and the evolution of the community energy movement in the UK, which will be invaluable for REScoop.eu work. Seeing how well we complement each other, we will assess who is better placed to capitalise on each event and opportunity. Collaboration is a core value of our movement, and something we will build on during our presidency.
What inspiring story do you usually share to illustrate the power of citizens collectively producing, distributing, and consuming their own sustainable energy?
I.M.: It is hard to choose. I admire so many of the energy communities active in the Netherlands! Each of them has its own unique way of contributing to wider community benefits through their energy projects. I love the stories of the bigger wind cooperatives that reinvest their revenues in the local communities by organising things like energy-efficiency advice, permaculture gardens, elderly transportation, food sharing systems and education.
We also have Deltawind, a wind cooperative that built its own physical ‘energy house’ to give free energy efficiency advice and support local residents with building renovations. Another great success is Ketelhuis, a cooperative that secured funding for their cooperative district heating and cooling project last year. This will enable 1,200 households in central Amsterdam to stop using natural gas for heating and switch to aquathermal energy instead.
M.L.: I love what Westmill wind and solar have achieved. We raised £23 million to build our two projects, despite being told by many people it could not be done. Since then, we've paid our members regular returns, and operated the site efficiently. But we’ve also created a local energy charity, giving over £1 million in community benefits, ranging from financing local energy renovation projects to women’s education in Nepal.
Finally, is there any message you would like to send to REScoop.eu members?
M.L.: Dirk Vansintjan, former REScoop.eu president, usually tells how Ecopower started around a dining table. Westmill began in a similar way, with a few of us wanting to take practical action on climate change. We had some lucky breaks at the beginning and people in the industry helped us when they didn’t have to. Today, many energy communities, particularly in Eastern Europe and outside the EU, face similar challenges to those we encountered in the early days. This is why I believe we all have a responsibility to “play it forward”. If we can, we should support other communities, who in turn will help the next generation.
On behalf of the entire board, I would also like to have a word of gratitude for Dirk. Thanks for everything you have done for the community energy movement during these twelve years of inspiring leadership. I am stepping into big shoes!
I.M.: I want to share words of gratitude to our members. I know it takes great dedication to develop community energy projects, and I admire their commitment and passion for turning ideas into action. I thank them for all their efforts in contributing to a more just and participatory energy system.
REScoop.eu and I are here to support you in any way we can. Our doors are always open to strike up a conversation about your local success stories or challenges. Together, we are stronger. And together we will build an energy system with a prominent place for energy communities.