Joint ownership of solar power plants in Recklinghausen
Recently, the citizens of the German town of Recklinghausen decided to exploit the potential offered by community renewable energy projects. There are many rooftops in the town which present an excellent opportunity to use solar energy. The municipal authorities supported the initiative and offered the roofs of municipally owned buildings for rent. Three associations were set up because they decided to go for 3 solar power plants. These operate on a cooperative basis, with 70-80 citizens involved in each. The solar plants (with a capacity of about 80 kWp) produce a total of 195 MWh of electricity per year. The investment cost of the project was approximately EUR 250 000. Citizens could join the project with an investment of up to EUR 500, while the average investment was EUR 3 300. Those who invested in the project are benefiting from a return on the electricity sold each year. This way, the invested funds remain in the local environment.
Scattered Hotel Borgo Soandri
Hotel Borgo Soandri is a dispersed hotel located in the municipality of Sutrio in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region of Italy. It operates as a cooperative and brings together local providers of around 150 accommodation units in the existing building stock, typical 18th-century stone houses facing narrow cobbled streets and carefully restored village squares. The cooperative provides common services such as promotion and marketing, as well as a reception and reservation system. The real value of the dispersed hotel is the opportunity for visitors to experience, in a spontaneous way, everyday village life surrounded by nature, while the village itself remains authentic, without intrusive tourist facilities. The hotel offers local producers the opportunity to sell local produce. Borgo Soandri is an excellent example of innovation in relation to tradition: a successful fusion of modern hotel and gastronomic offer, authentic architecture and local identity.
