Netherlands

702 cooperatives,
89% of municipalities

The Dutch cooperative energy movement grew from a few dozen cooperatives in 2010 to over 700 in 2024. Three cases explain how: a federation that provides political voice, a cooperative that scaled from 75 kW to 100 MW, and a regulatory scheme that let people without rooftops participate.

0 active energy cooperatives
0 members and participants (approx., 2024)
0 cooperative onshore wind
Federation / National umbrella

1 - Energie Samen

Country: Netherlands - Type: Federation/National Umbrella - Founded: 2019 (merger of several predecessor organizations)

History and Context

Energie Samen ("Energy Together") is the national umbrella organization for energy communities in the Netherlands. It was established in 2019 as the result of merging several organizations supporting the Dutch cooperative energy movement, including the former association of wind and solar cooperatives. Its creation responded to the need to unify the movement's voice before the national government, provinces, and municipalities, at a time when the Netherlands was accelerating its energy transition under the 2019 National Climate Agreement (Klimaatakkoord).

The Dutch regulatory context has been particularly favorable. The Subsidieregeling Cooperatieve Energieopwekking (SCE), which replaced the earlier Postcoderoos scheme, provides direct subsidies to cooperatives and homeowner associations for local and collective renewable electricity generation. In 2026, the government allocated EUR 78 million to this program.

The movement has grown steadily: from a few dozen cooperatives in 2010 to over 700 in 2024, present in 89% of the country's municipalities.

Governance Model

Energie Samen is constituted as a Cooperatie U.A. (Cooperative with Exclusion of Liability), the standard cooperative legal form in the Netherlands. As of late 2025, it has 438 direct members and 309 support organizations. Of its direct members, approximately 350 are local energy cooperatives and initiatives, and 13 are provincial federations with their own members.

Governance follows the cooperative principle of "one member, one vote." The annual general assembly (ALV — Algemene Ledenvergadering) is the supreme decision-making body. The executive team manages daily operations, with regional project offices providing direct advisory services to local cooperatives.

Scale and Capacity

According to the Lokale Energie Monitor 2024, the Dutch cooperative ecosystem that Energie Samen represents includes:

  • 702 active energy cooperatives nationwide
  • Approximately 139,000 members and project participants (6% growth over 2023), equivalent to 1.7% of Dutch households
  • 340.6 MW of collective onshore wind capacity in operation (4.9% of the country's total onshore wind capacity)
  • 276 MWp of solar projects in preparation, with 172 projects in the pipeline (361 MWp) planned for 2025-2026
  • 69% of cooperatives work on solar projects, 9% on wind, 11% on heating
  • 42% focus on helping residents improve the energy efficiency of their homes

Percentage of the 702 cooperatives working in each technology. They do not add up to 100% and this is not a division: a single cooperative can work in several technologies at once. That is why it is charted as bars, not a pie.

Financial Model

Ontwikkelfonds (Development Fund)

Managed by Energie Samen in collaboration with the National Green Fund (Nationaal Groenfonds), the Ministry of Climate and Green Growth, and InvestNL. It finances the costs of the preliminary — and risky — phase of wind and solar projects: feasibility studies, permits, wind measurements, environmental assessments. Initially available only in four provinces, it was expanded nationwide in June 2025. It offers development loans covering expenses even when it is not yet known whether the project will proceed.

Realisatiefonds (Realization Fund)

With resources from Triodos Bank and Rabobank, it enables small cooperatives to access construction financing. Loans range from EUR 30,000 to a maximum of EUR 1,000,000, financing up to 75% of the total project size; the remaining 25% must come from equity or subordinated bonds. Primarily oriented toward solar projects with SCE or SDE subsidies.

Academy

Training program for board members, project managers, and volunteers of local cooperatives: cooperative governance, financial management, project development, community relations, and regulatory framework.

Energie Samen revenue model

  • Membership fees from affiliated cooperatives
  • Fund management (administration fees from Ontwikkelfonds and Realisatiefonds)
  • Government subsidies for specific programs
  • Advisory and training services

Impact

  • Cooperative onshore wind production generates approximately 1.1 million MWh annually, equivalent to the electricity consumption of 363,000 households
  • Cooperative solar projects on ground-mounted and floating installations surpassed rooftop solar generation for the first time in 2024
  • Significant contribution to energy democracy: citizens shift from passive consumers to co-owners of the energy system
  • Local job creation in rural and semi-urban communities
  • Strengthening of community social cohesion

Lessons for Colombia

Directly applicable
  • The national federation model is essential for giving the movement a political voice and negotiating favorable regulatory frameworks. Colombia could create a similar organization grouping its emerging cooperatives and energy communities
  • Early-stage development funds (Ontwikkelfonds) solve the most critical problem: financing the pre-project phase, where risk is high and traditional banks do not participate
  • The partnership with ethical banks (Triodos, Rabobank) is replicable in Colombia through banks with a social mandate or impact funds
Requires adaptation
  • The Dutch model depends heavily on government subsidies (SCE/SDE) that do not exist in Colombia in the same form. However, the tax incentives under Ley 1715 (2014 renewable energy law) and Ley 2099 (2021 energy transition law) offer an alternative framework
  • Dutch institutional density (strong municipalities, century-old cooperative tradition) has no direct equivalent in Colombia, so technical support and training must be more intensive
  • The scale of investment per member (hundreds to thousands of euros) requires adaptation to the Colombian economic reality, possibly with much lower minimum investment amounts
Regional wind cooperative

2 - Zeeuwind

Country: Netherlands - Type: Regional Wind Cooperative - Founded: 1987

History and Context

Zeeuwind (Cooperatieve Windenergie Vereniging Zeeuwind U.A.) is the largest energy cooperative in the Netherlands, founded in 1987 in the province of Zeeland, in the southwest of the country, bordering Belgium. It was founded by a group of citizens who wanted to actively contribute to the energy transition and demonstrate that wind energy could be developed from the community level.

Zeeland, with its exposure to the North Sea, offers exceptional wind conditions. The founders saw the opportunity to harness this natural resource for the benefit of the local community instead of leaving it exclusively in the hands of large energy companies.

Governance Model

Zeeuwind is constituted as a cooperative association (Cooperatieve Vereniging U.A.). Its members include individuals, municipalities, and even businesses. Decisions are made at the general assembly where each member has one vote, regardless of the size of their investment.

As of August 2022, Zeeuwind had 2,994 members, making it the energy cooperative with the most members in the Netherlands. The minimum investment is accessible, enabling participation by citizens with different income levels.

Scale and Capacity

  • 71 wind turbines owned by members through the cooperative (2021)
  • Evolution from three Lagerwey 75 kW turbines in Bath (late 1980s) to commercial-scale turbines
  • Milestone: first 250 kW turbine in 1991 at Goese Sas, followed by two turbines in West-Kapelle in 1992
  • Flagship project: Windpark Krammer, a 100 MW wind farm developed jointly with DeltaWind, one of the largest community wind farms in Europe
  • Recent expansion into solar and heating projects, diversifying beyond wind energy
On Zeeuwind's total capacity

The source declares 71 turbines and co-development of Krammer (100 MW, shared with DeltaWind), but does not declare a total owned capacity in MW. Attributing all 100 MW of Krammer to Zeeuwind alone would overstate its scale, and summing 71 turbines without their individual ratings is impossible. That is why this case does not appear in the capacity chart.

Financial Model

  • Member shares: members invest in cooperative shares, which entitle them to a proportional share of project returns
  • Bank financing: for large-scale projects like Krammer, the cooperative combines member capital with bank financing
  • Government subsidies: use of the SDE++ (Stimulering Duurzame Energieproductie) scheme to ensure predictable revenue
  • Corporate partnerships: supply contracts with local companies like Zeelandia and COROOS, generating stable revenue

Members receive annual financial returns on their investment, typically in the form of dividends or discounts on their energy bills. Financial transparency is a fundamental principle: all financial statements are presented and approved at the general assembly.

Impact

  • Electricity generation sufficient to supply tens of thousands of homes in Zeeland
  • Significant reduction of CO2 emissions in the region
  • Creation of local jobs in project development, operation, and maintenance
  • Strengthening of the regional economy: financial benefits stay in the community
  • Demonstrative model that communities can own and operate energy infrastructure at scale

Lessons for Colombia

Directly applicable
  • Zeeuwind's gradual evolution (from three small turbines to 100 MW) demonstrates that cooperatives can scale significantly over time. Colombian cooperatives could start with small solar projects of a few kW and grow progressively
  • Portfolio diversification (wind, solar, heating) reduces risk and increases resilience
  • Including municipalities as cooperative members could be replicated in Colombia, where municipalities can be key allies
Requires adaptation
  • Zeeland's wind resource has no equivalent in most of Colombia (except La Guajira), but Colombia's solar resource is excellent and can serve as the primary base
  • The maturity of the Dutch electricity market allows direct electricity sales that still face restrictions for small generators in Colombia
  • The investment size per member must be adapted to Colombian purchasing power
Regulatory framework + solar cooperatives

3 - Solar Cooperatives and the Postcoderoos Model

Country: Netherlands - Type: Regulatory Model + Solar Cooperatives - Period: 2014-present

This is not an organization

The Postcoderoos is a regulatory scheme, not a cooperative. That is why it has a period (2014-present) and not a founding year, and why it does not appear as a pin on the case map: it has no location the source declares.

History and Context

The Postcoderoos model (literally "postal code rose") is a Dutch regulatory innovation that has been fundamental to the growth of solar cooperatives in the country. Introduced in 2014, the scheme allows residents who cannot or do not want to install solar panels on their own rooftops to participate in collective solar projects located within their postal code area.

The name comes from how the eligible area is defined: the postal code where the solar installation is located, plus adjacent postal codes, form a "rose" or pattern. Members of cooperatives within this area receive a discount on their energy bill proportional to the electricity generated by their share.

In 2021, the Postcoderoos scheme was replaced by the SCE (Subsidieregeling Cooperatieve Energieopwekking), which maintains similar principles but with updated regulations and a larger budget allocation: EUR 78 million in 2026.

Zon op Nederland is the Energie Samen platform that specifically supports local solar cooperatives in developing their projects, providing technical, legal, and financial assistance.

Governance Model

Solar cooperatives under the Postcoderoos/SCE model typically function as follows:

  • Legal form: Cooperatie U.A. (cooperative) or Vereniging van Eigenaren (VvE, homeowner association)
  • Membership: individuals, businesses, foundations, or organizations with a small-consumer electricity connection in the postal code area of the installation
  • Minimum requirement: at least 1 member per 5 kWp of installed capacity
  • Governance: general assembly with one vote per member, elected board, full financial transparency

Scale and Capacity

According to the Lokale Energie Monitor 2024:

  • 69% of Dutch cooperatives (approximately 484 of 702) work on solar projects
  • Cooperative solar projects on ground-mounted and floating installations surpassed rooftop generation for the first time in 2024
  • 172 projects in the pipeline (361 MWp) with completion planned for 2025-2026
  • 276 additional MWp in preparation
  • Cooperative solar generation contributes significantly to the Dutch target of 35 TWh of onshore renewables by 2030

Financial Model

For members

  • Typical investment of EUR 250 to EUR 500 per share (representing a determined number of solar panels or kWp)
  • Return through the energy bill discount: electricity generated by their panels is deducted from their consumption
  • The SCE subsidy covers the difference between generation cost and market price, ensuring financial viability for 15 years

For cooperatives

  • Member capital + Realisatiefonds financing (loans from EUR 30,000 to EUR 1,000,000)
  • SCE subsidy to ensure predictable cash flow
  • Operation and maintenance costs covered by generation revenue
  • Cooperatives typically seek large rooftops (schools, public buildings, industrial warehouses) or land to install panels

Impact

  • Democratization of solar energy access: tenants, apartment dwellers, and people without their own rooftop can co-own solar panels
  • Reduction of energy costs for members
  • Generation of environmental awareness and community cohesion
  • Contribution to the national energy transition target
  • Thousands of community solar projects operational nationwide

Lessons for Colombia

Directly applicable
  • The "shared solar" concept — sharing a solar installation among multiple members who lack their own rooftop — is highly relevant for Colombia, where many people live in apartments or homes without suitable rooftops
  • The postal code model could be adapted to Colombian neighborhoods, veredas (rural subdivisions), or comunas (urban districts)
  • The requirement of at least 1 member per 5 kWp incentivizes genuine community participation
  • The 15-year subsidy (SCE) provides financial certainty; Colombia could replicate this through long-term PPA contracts with energy retailers
Requires adaptation
  • The Colombian regulatory framework for shared self-generation is under development. CREG (the energy regulator) has advanced with resolutions on energy communities, but more clarity is needed
  • Net metering and compensation infrastructure is less mature in Colombia
  • Investment amounts per member must be calibrated for the Colombian context, possibly with shares starting at COP 200,000 (USD 50)

From a few dozen to over 700

The Dutch cooperative movement grew from a few dozen cooperatives in 2010 to 702 in 2024: 139,000 members, presence in 89% of municipalities, and 340.6 MW of cooperative onshore wind. The most replicable element is not a turbine: it is the Ontwikkelfonds that finances the pre-project phase, where banks will not go.

The Dutch model,
translated for Colombia

National federation, pre-project development fund, and shared solar by neighborhood

View the 5 lessons View the investment model