This small German town took back the power and went fully renewable

The town of Wolfhagen, Germany, achieved 100% renewable electricity by replacing a private utility with a public company, Stadtwerke Wolfhagen, and establishing a citizen-led cooperative, BEG Wolfhagen. This hybrid model allows citizens to act as co-owners and co-decision-makers, with the cooperative owning 25% of the energy company and holding board seats to influence pricing and reinvestment. The case demonstrates that rapid decarbonisation is compatible with democratic governance and collective empowerment, providing a scalable alternative to purely state-led or private-sector energy transitions.

• Wolfhagen has achieved a state where 100% of its electricity is sourced from renewables, with surplus capacity available.
• The town transitioned from private to public and cooperative ownership by refusing to renew the licensing agreement of the private company E.ON in 2005, replacing it with the public company Stadtwerke Wolfhagen.
• The citizen-led cooperative BEG Wolfhagen, formed in 2012, owns 25% of the energy company and possesses over €3.9 million in wealth with more than 800 members.
• Democratic control is exercised through the cooperative's holding of two out of nine board seats, granting citizens voting rights on electricity production, supply, energy pricing, and capacity reinvestment.
• The cooperative manages an energy-saving fund, financed by the energy company and governed by an Energy Advisory Board, to support member-led energy efficiency initiatives.

APA

Russell, B. (2020). This small German town took back the power and went fully renewable. World Economic Forum. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/this-small-german-town-took-back-the-power-and-went-fully-renewable/

Chicago

Russell, Bertie. This small German town took back the power and went fully renewable. World Economic Forum, 2020. https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/this-small-german-town-took-back-the-power-and-went-fully-renewable/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Russell |first1=Bertie |title=This small German town took back the power and went fully renewable |publisher=World Economic Forum |date=2 January 2020 |url=https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/this-small-german-town-took-back-the-power-and-went-fully-renewable/ |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{russell2020this, author = {Russell, Bertie}, title = {{This small German town took back the power and went fully renewable}}, institution = {World Economic Forum}, year = {2020}, month = jan, url = {https://www.weforum.org/stories/nature-and-biodiversity/this-small-german-town-took-back-the-power-and-went-fully-renewable/}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }