The document summarizes the story of the Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS), a citizen-owned electricity company in Germany. It describes how citizens initiated the company in 1986 following the Chernobyl disaster to pursue clean energy without nuclear power. Citizens financed and took ownership of the local electricity grid in 1997. EWS now supplies over 140,000 customers with electricity from renewable sources and promotes energy efficiency. The company is organized as a cooperative that aims to democratize energy production through citizen involvement and ownership of renewable energy projects.

1. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
The story of the Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS)
How citizens run the electrical grid and what it
means for the energy transition
Tanja Gaudian
Krk, 18.10.2013

2. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Chernobyl Accident
1986 Launching of the citizens' initiative
"Eltern für eine atomfreie Zukunft"
(parents for a nuclear free future)

3. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Anti-nuclear motivation
Inviting children from Chernobyl
Competitions in energy saving
Seminars with experts on electricity themes
Recalling of hydroelectric power plants
Financing of block-type thermal power plants
(cogeneration) and solar power plants

4. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Democratic Legitimation
1991: First referendum. The licence for electricity supply
will not be prolonged prematurely
1994: Foundation of the Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS)
1996: Second referendum. EWS gets the licence for electricity supply in Schönau

5. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Buying the grid of Schönau
Social bank from Bochum makes a fund of 4 Mio DM to buy the electricity grid
Nation-wide donation campaign "Ich bin ein Störfall“ scores 2 Mio DM
1997: EWS buys the local grid. 100% clean energy supply in Schönau!
I am a disturbance/ an incident

6. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
The revolution goes on
1998: 150 Anniversary of the Baden Revolution.
The parson and the citizens install the first
solar panels on the church without permission

7. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Liberalization of the energy market
Since 1998 national supply of clean energy
140.000 customers for electricity, 8.500 customers for gas
Including 10.200 businesses, institutions and industry
Ursula Sladek gets the
Goldman Environmental Prize –
She thanks President Obama
with the brochure
„100 good reasons against
nuclear power“

8. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Company structure: A cooperative

9. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Guidelines
Demokratization of energy
production and supply
Nuclear phase out and
climate protection
Energy equity

10. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Saving Energy
Consulting
Free hiring of ammeters
Replacement of old energy pumps is
subsidized
In Schönau: 800 pumps = 320.000kWh savings
Low base fee, higher electricity fees

11. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Energy-Contracting
EWS gets 150.000€ for modernizing the street lights of Schönau with LED
Municipality saves 35.000 kWh or 20.000€/year, amortization after 6 years
The lights are produced in the region

12. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Support program
Every kilowatt-hour contains 0,5ct to subsidize
renewable energy plants owned by citizens
The so called "Sonnencent“ can voluntarily be
increased up to 1 or 2 ct/kWh –
10% of the customers do so
2150 renewable energy plants
22.093.230 kWh in total
Total invests of more than 35 Mio €

13. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Clean energy producers
23% of the energy in Germany was produced by
renewables (2012)
5 %
7 %
11 %
35 %
Only 5% of the renewable energy plants are
owned by the big 4 energy suppliers
4 Million people are member of a renewable
energy cooperative
13 %
14 %
14 %
More than 700 REScoops in Germany

14. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Changing the distribution network
Formerly four monopolists allocated
the whole marked
Electricity was sent over huge
transmission grids from big generating
plants to customers
Since 2007 more than 200
municipalities have bought back their
electricity grid
Grids are no longer one-way systems:
Thousands of small generators must
be able to feed into the grid
Grids on the local level must be
expanded

15. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Buying a grid
Profitable investment: low riscs, guaranteed rate of return
Local value creation: jobs, trade tax, contracts, citizens can participate
Save supply: current investments to maintain and extend the grid

16. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Managing a grid
Setting up of smart grids and a foresightly planning to reduce peak loads
High investments (on the level of the tax writeoff)
Underground cabling for more efficiency and less disruptions
Partizipation in research projects
(smart-meter-project, integration of RES, storage technologies)

17. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Feed-ins in Schönau
922 kW solar power
2000 kW wind
370 kW hydro power
95 kWel cogeneration
50 kW natural gas

18. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Energy transition
100% Renewables
Decentralization
Citizens involvment

19. atomstromlos. klimafreundlich. bürgereigen.
Thank you
www.ews-schoenau.de
t.gaudian@ews-schoenau.de