Energy Communities will soon benefit from a new financial services provider to help grow the citizen energy sector.

From mid 2024 REScoop.eu, the European federation of citizen energy cooperatives and 5 of its members will launch the first loan by REScoop MECISE: the Mutual for European Citizens Investing in Sustainable Energy. MECISE is a European Co-operative Society registered in Belgium.

What will REScoop MECISE do?

Renewable energy projects are often capital-intensive. This can make it harder for citizens to participate, as commercial funders often have funds readily available and can move more quickly when an opportunity arises.

We want to address this issue. We want to see more energy managed by their local communities and more citizens able to invest in renewable energy projects. By working together co-operatives can address both these objectives.

REScoop MECISE will be able to pool funds from its members drawing on the financial strength of the European co-operative movement, but REScoop MECISE will do more than just provide finance. REScoop MECISE will bring together the collective expertise of some Europe’s most experienced energy co-operatives.

REScoop MECISE is flexible in its approach, offering both loans and equity and allowing communities to repay early and without penalty. REScoop MECISE may also buy commercial projects and then open them for local communities and citizens to invest. With its revolving fund REScoop MECISE will enable more projects that directly benefit their local communities.

Finally REScoop MECISE brings open, democratic and transparent governance to community energy finance. REScoop MECISE operations will be overseen by a board of the leading experts in community energy and the mutual will prioritise straightforward financing arrangements and clear financial reporting to its members.

Current Renewable Energy projects being financed

Refinancing of the 5 MW solar farm of Westmill Solar (UK)

Westmill Solar Park is located near to Watchfield, on the Wiltshire/Oxfordshire border, just off the A420 in the UK. The site consists of 30 acres of over 20,000 polycrystalline PV panels generating 4.8GWhr/year – this is approximately equivalent to the annual electricity consumption of 1,551 homes and preventing over 1500 tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions annually. When it was installed It was the UK’s first and world’s largest cooperatively run, community-owned solar farm.

The solar park was built in 2015 by Westmill Solar (one of the cooperatives from the Energy4All family), and was partly financed by a loan of a pension fund. This pension fund was merged with other pension funds and wants to divest because the loan (5 M£) is too small in their portfolio.

The cooperative Westmill Solar is interested in a flexible loan, so they can pay back sooner if possible.

This is an opportunity to launch REScoop MECISE, so our movement finally has the revolving fund that is so interesting for starting energy cooperatives across Europe and allow REScoops to jointly invest in larger projects all over Europe.

Westmill Solar Farm copy
Westmill Solar Park. (c) Soaring Solutions

REScoop MECISE and Westmill Solar agreed on a flexible loan with mutually beneficial terms.

REScoop MECISE is now open to other direct or indirect members of REScoop.eu to become member of REScoop MECISE SCE. One share of REScoop MECISE is 5000 €. The amount of funding to provide starts from 250.000 €, for a duration between 6 months and 10 years (periods of 6 months) at an interesting annual rate.

During the European Energy Communities Forum and AGM of REScoop.eu in Prague, between 13-15/05/2024 most current members of REScoop MECISE will be present and available for providing more information.

Energy Cooperatives that are interested and want to know more, can also contact: karel.derveaux@ecopower.be or +32 476 63 04 76