Your Guide to Creating an
Energy Cooperative
For community leaders, JAC (community action board) presidents, and neighbors ready to get organized. No jargon, no fine print. Step by step, from the first meeting to the day the panels start producing.
It's like buying a cow together
Imagine several families in your village or neighborhood pooling their money to buy a dairy cow. Each family puts in a little, the cow gives milk every day, and each family gets its share. Nobody owns it alone: everyone owns it together. If the cow produces more milk than they need, they sell the surplus and split the profits.
An energy cooperative works exactly the same way, except instead of a cow it's a system of solar panels. Instead of milk, it produces electricity.
The most important part: you are the owner. It's not a government program that comes and goes. It's not a company that installs panels and keeps everything. You decide, you benefit, you control. And every member has exactly one vote, regardless of how much money they contributed.
Three concrete things
Figures from the CleantechHUB Community Playbook. These are estimates, not promises.
0
COP less on the electricity bill, per month. An average Colombian family pays between COP 120,000 and COP 250,000 per month for electricity. How much you save depends on your current consumption and the size of the project.
0
Of the project belongs to the community. It's not a favor or charity: it's real ownership. You receive Community Participation Certificates that represent your share of the business.
0
Hours of free training. Training in solar energy, cooperative management, basic finance, and community leadership, at no cost to members.
Let's be upfront about money
These figures are model estimates, not a guaranteed return. Actual savings depend on how much electricity your family uses, the size of the project, your grid operator's tariff, and the weather that year. No project is 100% risk-free. What is true: solar panels are proven technology with a 25-year manufacturer warranty, and the legal structure (the Patrimonio Autonomo, an independent trust) protects the project's assets.
Nobody from CleantechHUB will ever ask you for money upfront to "secure your spot." If someone does, they are not from CleantechHUB.
You are the owners, not the beneficiaries
At least 30% of the project belongs to the community, backed by Participation Certificates. Every family has exactly one vote, regardless of how much they contributed. This is not a program that comes and goes: it is yours, and it stays.
Are you ready?
Eight questions, two minutes. There are no wrong answers: it's a thermometer, not an exam. At the end we'll tell you where to start.
Five phases, from start to finish
From the first meeting to panels generating electricity: approximately 8 to 14 months. Tap each phase to see what happens in it.
-
Before organizing anyone, understand the idea well. What an energy cooperative is, how much you can actually save, how they did it in the Netherlands, Denmark, Germany, and Costa Rica, and what Colombian law allows.
-
Everything starts with 5 to 10 determined people: the Steering Committee. They reach out, explain, run the community assessment, and lead the community to the decision to formalize.
-
To sign contracts, open a bank account, and receive financing, you need legal status. Here you choose the legal form, draft the bylaws, hold the assembly, and complete the five registrations.
-
You decide what type of project makes sense, CleantechHUB connects you with a technical operator, financing is assembled, and the panels are installed. The community oversees, documents, and gets trained.
-
The panels are now producing. It's time to read the dashboard, clean the panels, keep transparent accounts, hold the annual assembly, and decide together how to grow.
8 to 14 months, step by step and supported
From the first meeting to the day the panels start producing, there are 60 hours of free training in solar energy, cooperative management, and basic finance. CleantechHUB provides support through each of the five phases; the community decides.
What is an energy cooperative?
A short video to show at the informational meeting or send via WhatsApp.
The sun shines for everyone
Your community has the right and the ability to turn that sunlight into electricity, savings, and jobs. All that's missing is the first step.