Although the story of cooperatives goes back a long time in our country, the concept of Energy Co-operatives is very new. Until 2012, energy production, especially from Renewable Energy Sources, and the realisation of this through cooperatives was a completely unknown practice. After the first Energy Cooperative established in 2015, more than 40 energy cooperatives have started to be represented and operate in every corner of our country. In 2016, with the amendment made to the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Generation, "Energy Cooperative" has become legally defined.
The Energy Cooperatives Network was established to bring together these cooperatives, which are scattered in every corner of our country, to create a common synergy and to develop national and international cooperation. The objectives of the network can be listed as follows:
1) To improve the exchange of information, experience and resources among the Energy Cooperatives spread throughout the country;
2) To enable Energy Cooperatives to have a more positive, citizen-based and strong voice in Energy Policies;
3) To ensure the development of a cooperative business model in the energy sector;
4) Setting an example and guiding new community-based energy production initiatives to be established
5) To develop national and international cooperation of Energy Cooperatives;
6) To advocate for Energy Cooperatives against large producers in the sector.
The Energy Cooperatives Network project was developed on the idea of the International Renewable Energy Cooperatives Conferences, the first of which was held in 2016 and has been repeated every year since then. The idea of creating a platform where co-operatives and their representatives from different provinces, which come together even once a year, can be in constant communication was developed through a project initiated by TROYA ENVIRONMENTAL ASSOCIATION and TROYA RENEWABLE ENERGY COOPERATIVE, which also organise the Conferences, in cooperation with the Support Foundation for Civil Society.
