When people talk about the energy transition, it is usually about billions in investments, political framework programs or international climate targets. However, a significant part of the transformation is taking place at a completely different level: locally, collectively and increasingly supported by citizens.
Energy cooperatives have been an integral part of the German energy transition for decades and yet are barely visible to many people. This is a shame, because they offer something that no fund, ETF or corporation can replace.
What are energy cooperatives?
An energy cooperative is a community organized as a cooperative in which citizens, municipalities and companies jointly contribute capital to finance and operate renewable energy projects. The legal form is the registered cooperative (eG), the same basis on which cooperative banks and housing cooperatives are built.
The principle has a long history. As early as the 19th century, Friedrich Wilhelm Raiffeisen and Hermann Schulze-Delitzsch independently developed the idea that even small players can have a big impact by working together. Today, this idea is more relevant than ever.
A key feature: unlike stock corporations, the principle of ‘one vote per member’ applies – regardless of how many shares someone holds. This makes cooperatives an instrument of genuine democratic co-determination.
What do energy cooperatives actually do?
The spectrum ranges from solar installations on school roofs and church spires to community wind farms, local heating networks and electromobility projects. The figures from the German Cooperative and Raiffeisen Association (DGRV) give an impression of the collective impact: energy cooperatives in Germany have already invested around 3.6 billion euros in the energy transition and generate around eight terawatt hours of green electricity every year. This corresponds to CO₂ savings of around three million tons – comparable to the annual emissions of a large city like Stuttgart.
New cooperative projects on the joint Impact Hub & valueverde platform alone will generate around 162 million kilowatt hours of electricity per year in 2025 – enough to power tens of thousands of households.
In addition to the ecological dimension, many cooperatives offer their members an economic perspective. Historically, annual dividends have averaged between two and five percent. It is often possible to join with comparatively small amounts, often starting at around 100 euros.
Easily find the right cooperative and support your Impact Hub: https://impacthub.valueverde.net/
Why is membership worthwhile?
There are many reasons to join an energy cooperative:
- Climate protection: Every euro invested contributes directly to the energy transition – not via detours, but in concrete, visible projects on site.
- Democratic co-determination: The principle of one vote per member ensures genuine participation, regardless of the amount of the deposit.
- Regional added value: profits remain in the region and strengthen local businesses, municipalities and citizens.
- Financial returns: Stable distributions make cooperatives an attractive alternative to traditional forms of saving.
- Stability: Cooperatives have the lowest insolvency rate of all company forms and are subject to regular audits by independent associations.
Why does citizen energy remain invisible to many?
As convincing as the model sounds, there are still considerable hurdles for many interested parties. There is no central overview: Which cooperatives are there? Which projects do they implement? How do returns, risk and climate impact differ?
The necessary information is usually scattered, incomplete or only accessible via personal contacts. Traditionally, joining is done via local events or time-consuming personal research. Those who do not happen to come across a cooperative in their neighborhood often do not even find out that this option exists, and younger and more mobile people in particular fall through the cracks.
A digital platform as a bridge
Digitalization is opening up new opportunities here. Just as share trading was gradually opened up to broader sections of the population, it is time to make cooperatives more visible and accessible.
Together, the Impact Hub Leipzig, Dresden, Hamburg and valueverde have created easy access. A joint platform bundles information on energy cooperatives, makes projects transparently comparable and enables direct participation. Simple, digital and transparent.
Participate in the energy transition
Energy cooperatives show how a successful transformation works – because they bring together different topics: Climate protection, economic participation, regional value creation and democratic co-determination.
This is precisely where the cooperation between the Impact Hub Leipzig and valueverde comes in: not with another energy project, but with the attempt to make existing projects visible and enable low-threshold participation in them.