A cooperative in Flanders is wildly successful. But the Belgian co-op is two things at once: a builder of renewables and a power provider to its investors – a rare combination in Germany. Craig Morris looks at Ecopower’s success. When Dirk Vansintjan gives a presentation along with numerous suits-and-ties from the energy sector, he may show up in casual attire. But don’t get your guard down – this guy is about to blow away the room with numbers everyone understands (and would love to have). “The Flemish regulator found that we have the best service, and Greenpeace says we have the fairest and greenest electricity,” he begins, adding that the co-op he founded, Ecopower, also has 48 million euros in equity, some 40,000 customers (“at least 100 in every town in Belgium,” equivalent to 1.4 percent of all households), nearly 50,000 members, and 0 euros in long-term debt. There are two sides to Ecopower, which is a co-op and energy provider; in Germany, the two are generally separate. The co-op has largely invested in wind … Continue reading Best in class: Belgian energy co-op Ecopower