Citizen Power
In the heart of Berlin, a student-led initiative named BürgerEnergie Berlin (BEB) was born in 2011 with a vision to bring the city's power grid back into public hands from private companies. This movement is part of a broader energy democracy and remunicipalization movement in Berlin, driven by concerns over rising energy prices, lack of transparency, and the desire to transition to more sustainable and community-controlled energy.
Progress since 2011
- Foundation and Citizen Involvement BEB was founded as a cooperative and citizen energy company to facilitate collective investment and engagement in Berlin's energy infrastructure. They aimed to empower residents to participate in decision-making and create a publicly accountable energy system.
- Political and Public Pressure The initiative contributed to growing public and political support for remunicipalization. In 2013, Berlin held a referendum on the “energy turnaround,” in which a majority of voters supported re-municipalizing the power grid and increasing renewable energy use, though the referendum was non-binding.
- Negotiations and Challenges Over the years, negotiations with existing private grid operators, notably Vattenfall, have taken place. However, progress has been slow and complicated by issues such as valuation of assets, legal frameworks, and the financial challenge of buying such critical infrastructure.
- Partial Success and Ongoing Efforts While full buyback of the entire grid has not yet been achieved, BürgerEnergie Berlin and allied city initiatives have succeeded in influencing policy, increasing renewable energy projects, and securing partial ownership stakes in some energy infrastructure.
- Recent Developments As of the early 2020s, discussions and efforts toward remunicipalization remain active but complex. The process requires significant investment, regulatory approval, and alignment between city officials, citizens, and energy companies.
Key Players and Inspiration
- Vattenfall, the Swedish energy giant, has been the most recent operator of Berlin's power grid.
- Brett Fairbairn, director of the Centre for the Study of Co-operatives at the University of Saskatchewan, attributes Germany's leadership in renewable energy to a combination of grassroots activism and high-level policy.
- A group from Japan visited Neumann-Cosel to seek inspiration for post-Fukushima energy solutions.
- Co-operative Hydro Embrun in Ontario, Canada, enjoys distribution rates that are half what Hydro One customers are paying, despite having no influence over its supply and rates set by the Ontario Energy Board.
- Ian Rowlands, professor at the University of Waterloo, is interested in the "Uberization" of the grid, where individuals could choose local power producers and their prices from an app.
Financial Support
- Luise Neumann-Cosel, one of the group's founders, has been working on this project since 2012.
- BürgerEnergie Berlin has raised over 11 million euros from Berliners.
- Half of the renewable energy capacity in Germany is in the hands of citizens.
Conclusion
BürgerEnergie Berlin’s initiative has helped drive awareness and political momentum toward public control of Berlin’s power grid, though the complete transfer of ownership from the private sector has not yet been realized. The movement remains a key actor in Berlin’s energy transition, pushing for remunicipalization and democratic energy governance despite ongoing financial and political hurdles. The group argues that the power grid is a public service and its operation shouldn't be profit-motivated.
