ROBIN WOOD has scrutinized the green electricity offers of 1,200 providers and publishes the results today in the "ROBIN WOOD Eco-Electricity Report 2020.". The environmental organization rates eight offers as recommendable. The current research report was realized with the support of the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany.
The beginning of the year is a good opportunity to switch to a green electricity provider and thus contribute to climate protection. But watch out! Not all offers that are advertised as green and eco actually have a benefit for the climate and the environment. The ROBIN WOOD Eco-Electricity Report helps consumers to orient themselves in the confusing market and to make an informed decision.
"Anyone who believes that they are supporting the energy transition by buying so-called green electricity is mistaken. Many offers come from companies that operate coal and nuclear power plants themselves or sell their electricity. It is therefore all the more important to take a close look at who the green electricity comes from," emphasizes Ronja Heise, ROBIN WOOD energy consultant.
For the Report 2020, ROBIN WOOD conducted extensive research on the websites of the providers in the second half of 2019 as well as a survey by means of a questionnaire. The results are therefore mainly based on information provided by the electricity suppliers.
ROBIN WOOD has checked according to the following criteria: The providers sell electricity exclusively from renewable energy sources; they are independent - in terms of ownership and also in their electricity purchasing - from the coal and nuclear industries, and they additionally promote the energy transition by purchasing electricity from new plants or through fixed investment programs. Eight nationwide providers succeed in this - namely: Bürgerwerke - Energie in Gemeinschaft, EWS - Elektrizitätswerke Schönau, Greenpeace Energy, Grün.Power, Mann Strom, Naturstrom, Ökostrom Plus and Polarstern.
With its green electricity criteria, the ROBIN WOOD report goes further than the best-known green electricity labels, in which economic ties play only a subordinate role in the assessment.
For example, a tariff from the provider NaturEnergiePlus Deutschland has been awarded the "Green Electricity" label, even though the provider is wholly owned by the energy company EnBW. EnBW operates both nuclear and coal-fired power plants. The situation is similar at Energiewerke Waldbröl, which carries the "OK Power" label. The company is 51 percent owned by Aachener Stadtwerke (STAWAG), which has stakes in coal-fired power plants.
"It is an outrage when the money of green electricity customers ends up directly or indirectly with coal and nuclear companies. More transparency and access to the relevant data is needed here. The ROBIN WOOD Eco-Electricity Report 2020 succeeds in bringing light into the darkness", says Maximilian Voigt from the Open Knowledge Foundation Germany.
The Green Electricity Report 2020 can be found free of charge online at www.robinwood.de/oekostromreport-2020.
It contains detailed descriptions of the recommended providers as well as a search function that can be used to call up the ratings of all the nationwide and regional providers examined. These results are supplemented by background information on the green electricity market and on switching electricity providers.
A printed version can be ordered from the ROBIN WOOD office from February 2020: info@robinwood.de
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