Highlights
| | wind | |
| Example of the REScoop-municipality approach of joint development led by REScoops and local authorities leading to joint investments and co-ownership. | |
| 2 Wind turbines of 2 - 3 MW class | |
| 10.000 Mwh / year | |
| 6.000.000 € |
Lanaken is a municipality in the province of Limburg, in the south-east part of Flanders, at the border with the city of Maastricht in The Netherlands.
Energy coop "Bronsgroen" having exclusive focus on the Limburg province got in contact with the municipality council with regard to wind development. Bronsgroen being member of the federation of REScoops in Flanders, teamed up with Ecopower in order to convince the municipality to facilitate community energy projects for any future development on the whole of the territory of the municipality. As a result Lanaken launched a public tender inviting any wind project developper to formally propose potential wind developments in Lanaken. Involvement, participation and co-ownership of both citizens and municipality got a lot of weight as the selection criteria of this tender.
Additional information
Bronsgroen and Ecopower put in a joint offer and at in December 2016 the council of Lanaken formally selected both coops as priveledged partner for any futher wind development on the territory of Lanaken.
The offer offers the municipality the possibility to achieve full ownership of up to 2 wind turbines in function of the total number that can be realized eventually. Detailed development activities and all necessary studies in the course of 2017 showed a short term potential of 6 wind turbines, of which one sited on land owned by the municipality. Recently negotiations have started with a competing development on an industrial site. The municipal council has urged the provincial authority to facilitate these negotiatons assuring an haulistic approach for optimal exploitation of the available wind potential, independant of site ownership or other private interest. In addition this approach will guarantee a swift licensing process and the maximum of public acceptance for any additional wind turbine.
Close collaboration between REScoops and municipalities triggers new ideas for sustainable energy investments
The fact that two well established citizen's coops collaborate closely with the municipality of Lanaken is felt as a major success factor for the project. Thanks to this collaboration, new ideas for sustainable energy investments take shape. Sustainable maintenance of the large surface of forrests that cover Lanaken appears to open considerable potential for biomass heating for private households, in particular in combination with EE guidance support activities such as the Ecotraject offered by Ecopower. Furthermore, the waste heat from a paper mill industry located in one of the wind development zones, is examined for its potential as heat source for a districh heating network for the centre of Lanaken. Already now it is clear that the REScoop-municipality approach is effectively mobilizing citizens and local autorities to invest in sustainable energy developments were not considered feasible before.