At the end of the project, evidence is available for investments launched during REScoop MECISE for a total amount of 162 M€, of which about 50 M€ realized.
Wind projects Eeklo HMH, Amel-Büllingen, Alken, Lanaken, Mechelen, District Heating Eeklo, many PV projects in Belgium and the hydro projects in Wallonia are successful applications of the REScoop-Municipality approach leading to concrete investments. Klimaatscholen2050 and the strategic partnership with the city Leuven and the province of Vlaams Brabant have the potential to generate a constant stream of additional sustainable investment projects over the coming years. Law firm DLA Piper investigated the legal framework for REScoop-Municipality co-development and co-investment. In the future collaborations between REScoops and local authorities will be set up more professionally when following the “3CO response model”, 3CO referring to Control, Contribution and Consideration, the 3 relevant aspects determining the involvement of the public party in a collaboration with REScoops.
The concession agreement formally awarded by the city of Eeklo is a tangible result from the efforts performed under MECISE. The investment of the 1st phase DH infrastructure alone is estimated at 12 M€, the total investment including EE-investments at heat consumers rising to 20 M€. In this context he project website www.warmteneteeklo.be can be considered as first example of REScoops aggregating EE measures for municipalities.
Ecotraject did not attract sufficient participants to sustain such an EE guidance service on a permanent basis. The action of Courant d’Air targeting one specific measure (invest in LED lighting at home) resulted in almost 50.000 € of EE-investments in a short period of time and with limited effort.
REScoop MECISE SCE – Mutual for Energy Communities Investing in a Sustainable Europe – a European Cooperative Society was founded in Brussels on 18 October 2018. An investment committee was established in order to evaluate technical and economic feasibility of potential investment projects. From the investments developed under MECISE a first potential investment portfolio of roughly 100 M€ was compiled. Based on this portfolio, realistic schemes for the SCE to attract bank financing were elaborated by an independent expert in renewable energy project finance.