CoopsDay: A celebration of people power in the energy transition

Every year, on the first Saturday of July, we celebrate the International Day of Cooperatives - also known as CoopsDay. This year, the celebration takes on a special dimension: the United Nations proclaimed 2025 the International Year of Cooperatives, recognising the pivotal role of cooperatives as drivers of sustainable and inclusive transformation.

Energy communities are built on the cooperative principles. Voluntary and open membership, democratic member control, member economic participation, autonomy, education, cooperation among cooperatives, and concern for community are at the core of energy communities, ensuring a social, economic, and environmental impact truly rooted on the ground.

To mark this special occasion, we spoke with some of our members to reflect on the value of cooperatives at community and personal levels. We aim to understand what it means - and feels like - to be part of an energy cooperative!

Fostering a sense of belonging

Many of our members agree that energy cooperatives provide them with a space to take action on urgent global challenges, such as climate change and biodiversity loss, while also addressing local needs and strengthening the social fabric of their communities.

For Sanjay Kumar from Les 7 Vents, a French cooperative that engages citizens in energy‑efficient building renovations, “cooperatives act as collective catalysts for inclusivity and for strengthening our connection with the environment, fostering a sense of belonging.”

In Spain, Energía Bonita brings together citizens, municipalities and SMEs to produce and share local renewable energy on the Canarian island of La Palma. César García Botín, a member of this cooperative, expresses the value of his engagement in these words: “When I returned to my island, I found in the energy community the perfect place to continue fighting climate change while improving the lives of many in our community. It's a way to put the well-known motto ‘think globally, act locally’ into practice.”

Cooperating is caring (for your planet and your community)

Engaging in an energy community is a clear statement of commitment to both the community and the planet. Stefania Gyftopoulou from Flya Energy Community, Greece, sees energy communities as the seed to build “caring cities grounded in environmental sustainability, inclusion, and shared responsibility”. Thanks to close cooperation between citizens and the municipality of Chalandri, this energy community provides locally produced energy to at least 20 vulnerable households, in addition to participant dwellings.

In Antwerp, Belgium, energy cooperative ZuidtrAnt helps 385 households reduce their carbon footprint by producing solar energy and affordably retrofitting their homes. Sophie Loots notes: “Unlike profit-driven initiatives, energy cooperatives reinvest in local resilience, foster trust, and empower citizens to shape a fair and sustainable future together- and help keep energy costs affordable.”

Power to the people

“Energy communities are the future leaders in energy initiatives,” says Joe Kearney from EcoVision, Ireland. “Where private corporations focus on profits and shareholders, cooperatives and energy communities focus on people, long-term sustainability, and community wealth building – all of which keep the power in the hands of the people”. EcoVision brought together several energy communities in the counties of Tipperary, Clare, and Limerick to renovate old homes and community buildings, making the energy transition possible at the local level.

1,500 km from Ireland, in Italy, Sara Capuzzo, vice director of ènostra, shares similar thoughts: “Cooperatives are an extremely powerful, people-centred model with the strength to reshape the economy in favour of mutualism, collective welfare, and shared interest, rather than individual gain.” This Italian cooperative produces and supplies renewable, ethical, and sustainable energy to its 16,000 members through a participatory model.