Pathways to a Green Energy Transformation in Eastern Europe

Alternative Energy Scenarios for Ukraine, Belarus and the Case for Energy Cooperatives in the Region

Energy policy debates both in Ukraine and Belarus are largely shaped by energy sector legacies and power elites strongly linked to existing business schemes. In alliances with coalitions of Ukrainian and Belarusian civil society initiatives the Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung attempts to open horizons and to promote new thinking and substantial moves towards an energy transition in line with the Paris climate accords and national sustainable development goals. Both for Belarus and Ukraine new scenario analyses for a turn to a low carbon economy show how the transition to an energy supply based on renewables until 2050 might look like.

Thanks to efficiency gains in particular in the heat sector the final energy consumption is expected to decrease in both countries by more than a quarter despite overall growth of GDP. At the same time, mainly due to electrification of transportation and heat sectors, the overall electricity demand is growing, incrementally covered mainly by wind and solar. The authors expect the realisation of the alternative scenarios in the horizon until 2050 to be cheaper compared to the business as usual pathway. Dependence on imports of energy sources will almost disappear and CO2 emissions will be reduced in line with the Paris climate accords.

With an enabling legal framework, local energy cooperatives can significantly contribute to a just green energy transition. This is shown by the new comparative analysis that reviews current conditions, best practices and challenges for this type of decentralized community energy in Eastern Partnership and Western Balkan countries. The authors from “Women Engage for a Common Future” (WECF), Munich, and “Green Energy Cooperatives”, Zagreb, highlight potential benefits of energy cooperatives to national and pan-European policy objectives such as the development of renewable energies, alleviating energy poverty and strengthening prosperity of a community.

Co-authors of the three research projects will present their findings at the Roundtable.

Presentation of researchs and discussion:

“Belarus Energy [R]Evolution Scenario”
Ivan Filiutsich, Academy of Science, Minsk, Belarus
Irina Sukhi, Environmental Association “Ekodom”, Minsk, Belarus

“Transition of Ukraine to renewable energy by 2050”
Yulia Oharenko, Independent Researcher, Kyiv, Ukraine
Iryna Holovko, Environmental Association “Ekodiya”, Kyiv, Ukraine

“Energy cooperatives in Eastern Partnership countries and Western Balkans”
Katharina Habersbrunner, Women Engage for a Common Future (WECF), Munich
Zoran Kordic, Green Energy Cooperatives, Zagreb, Croatia

Chair: Robert Sperfeld, Heinrich Böll Stiftung, Berlin

Language: English

Information:
Petra Zimmermann
Project Coordinator East and Southeast Europe, Heinrich Böll Foundation
E-Mail zimmermann@boell.de
T +49(0)285 34 -365

Photo: CC-0 BY Jason Blackeye / Unsplash.com