Som Energia

Som Energia is a Spanish renewable-energy cooperative established in Girona, Catalonia, in December 2010. The initiative began in November 2009, when former students and lecturers from the University of Girona and other contributors started developing a member-owned alternative to Spain's conventional electricity suppliers. Its creation was influenced by cooperative energy models elsewhere in Europe, particularly Ecopower in Belgium and Enercoop in France. The cooperative was created to give members access to electricity generated from renewable sources while keeping prices broadly comparable with those of conventional suppliers. Its model combines electricity supply with direct participation in renewable-energy production: rather than limiting its role to selling power purchased from the market, Som Energia also seeks to finance and develop its own generation projects. This links consumption, collective ownership and investment in the energy transition. Som Energia's activity is centered on Spain and is organized around cooperative membership rather than conventional shareholder ownership. Members support the organization through participation in the cooperative and can use its electricity-supply services. The brand's public identity is therefore closely associated with energy democracy, renewable generation, collective action and a reduction in dependence on fossil-fuel-based electricity. By January 2019, Som Energia reported more than 54,300 members, investment of more than €13 million in renewable-energy production projects, cumulative production above 11.80 GWh, and a workforce of 47 people. These figures describe the cooperative at that point in its development and should not be treated as current operating statistics. Som Energia is also a member of REScoop, the European federation of renewable-energy cooperatives, connecting it with a broader European movement of community-owned and cooperative energy organizations. The cooperative's distinctive proposition is the combination of retail supply and member-backed renewable infrastructure. Its principal offering is renewable electricity for members, while its wider purpose is to help create a more participatory and sustainable energy system. Available reference material does not provide a complete account of later membership, financial, generation or organizational developments, so current scale and performance require verification from the cooperative's latest publications.

Som Energia emerged from a group initiative in Catalonia rather than from an established utility company. In November 2009, former students and lecturers at the University of Girona, together with other participants, began working on the creation of a renewable-energy cooperative. Their objective was to adapt the cooperative-energy approach seen in other European countries to the Spanish market. The examples identified in the available reference material include Ecopower in Belgium and Enercoop in France. The cooperative was officially founded in December 2010 in Girona. It was described as the first renewable-energy cooperative of its kind in Spain. From the outset, the project combined two related aims: allowing members to consume electricity from sources characterized as 100% renewable, and creating or supporting renewable-energy production facilities of its own. This gave Som Energia a broader mission than that of a conventional electricity retailer, because the cooperative sought to connect retail consumption with investment in new generation. Its organizational model is based on cooperative membership. Members collectively constitute the ownership base, distinguishing Som Energia from investor-owned electricity companies whose strategic control is linked to external shareholders. The cooperative's stated consumer proposition was to make renewable electricity available at prices similar to conventional energy, while its production activities were intended to contribute to the wider transition away from carbon-intensive energy systems. During the 2010s, Som Energia expanded its member base and renewable-energy activities. The available material records that, by January 2019, it had more than 54,300 members. At that same point, it reported having invested over €13 million in renewable-energy production projects, produced more than 11.80 GWh, and employed 47 people. These indicators show the development of a substantial cooperative organization, although they represent a historical snapshot rather than verified current figures. Som Energia's institutional role also extended beyond Spain through its membership in REScoop, the European federation of renewable-energy cooperatives. That affiliation places the cooperative within a wider network promoting community ownership, democratic participation and renewable-energy development. The available sources do not provide sufficient detail to reconstruct every project, tariff, leadership change or subsequent expansion. Accordingly, the documented history is strongest for the cooperative's founding purpose, its Catalan origins, its early growth and its position within the European cooperative-energy movement.

• 2019

  Cooperative reports significant membership and project investment

  [1]Som Energiaen.wikipedia.org

  In January, Som Energia reported more than 54,300 members, over €13 million invested in renewable-energy production projects, production above 11.80 GWh and 47 employees.

• 2010

  Cooperative officially founded in Girona

  [1]Som Energiaen.wikipedia.org

  Som Energia is officially established in December in Girona, Catalonia, with the aim of supplying renewable electricity and developing renewable-energy projects.

• 2009

  Project to establish Som Energia begins

  [1]Som Energiaen.wikipedia.org

  Former students and lecturers at the University of Girona and other contributors begin developing a Spanish renewable-energy cooperative, drawing inspiration from cooperative initiatives in Belgium and France.

Member-owned renewable-energy cooperative focused on supplying renewable electricity and expanding community participation in energy production.

• Electricity retail · 2010

  Renewable electricity supply

  Som Energia's core customer-facing offering is electricity supply for cooperative members. The cooperative was established to provide access to electricity from sources described as 100% renewable, with an intended price level similar to conventional electricity. The service is part of a member-owned model rather than a conventional investor-owned utility structure.

• Renewable generation · 2010

  Renewable-energy production projects

  Som Energia invests in and develops renewable-energy production projects, linking the cooperative's supply activity with the expansion of renewable generation capacity. Available material confirms more than €13 million of investment in such projects by January 2019 and reported production above 11.80 GWh at that time, but does not identify every individual facility or provide current project statistics.

• 2010

  Adopt a member-owned renewable-energy modelStrategy

  Background

  The founding group sought to create a Spanish organization modeled in part on European renewable-energy cooperatives such as Ecopower and Enercoop.

  Action taken

  Som Energia was established as a cooperative intended to supply renewable electricity to members while investing in and developing its own renewable-energy production projects.

  Aftermath

  The model positioned Som Energia as an early Spanish example of cooperative renewable-energy supply and supported its subsequent growth in membership and project investment.

  Source

1. 1Som Energiaen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Som Energia official websitesomenergia.coop