For example, to | new energy a competitive rate and guaranteed 100% locally generated green electricity, including from Zon op Alphen itself. “This collaboration is important to our organisation because they are our partner in setting up local energy communities and projects for local self-supply of energy,” says chairman Erik de Ruijter.

An example of such an energy community is our project Samen Slimmer Verduurzamen (Smarter Sustainability Together) in Benthuizen, which we started last year in collaboration with the Benthuizen Village Council. “The aim is for the participants in the project (residents, the football club, churches and businesses) to work together to reduce their energy consumption, so that in a few years” time they will generate as much energy as they consume,“ says De Ruijter. ”In Hazerswoude-Rijndijk, we are starting the same project this year, again in collaboration with the village council. The first step will be to ask residents what their wishes are and to help them save on their energy bills."

The EA board is in discussions with two parties in Alphen regarding self-supply. De Ruijter: “We hope to reach an agreement before the summer. The collaboration with to | New energy is therefore very useful and also strategically important.”

Energiek Alphen aan den Rijn and Zon op Alphen are running a campaign to encourage residents of the municipality to switch their energy contracts to to | new energy contracts. The cooperative receives a fee for this. These proceeds are used to develop new initiatives.

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