A homeless charity will soon receive cheaper electricity prices to maintain the provision of support services in Brussels, thanks to a new deal with a local green energy provider.
A partnership between the new Brussels energy cooperative, brupower, and the organisation DoucheFLUX has led to the installation of solar panels on DoucheFLUX’s Anderlecht building.
DoucheFLUX provides essential services to the most disadvantaged, including homeless people, offering social and legal assistance, and access to warm showers and washing machines.
These services consume a lot of energy, so the partnership enables DoucheFLUX to continue its work using locally produced electricity at a stable and predictable price, according to the young cooperative.
Brupower, which currently includes around 300 citizens investing in renewable energy, aims to regain control of energy supplies and make clean energy accessible to everyone.
"The electricity we offer DoucheFLUX is below market price," explained Lionel Delchambre, chair of brupower’s board. "Thanks to this partnership, the association’s electricity bill is estimated to decrease by about 20 to 25%."
The project also features an innovative aspect where any excess electricity not used by DoucheFLUX is fed back into the grid and can be consumed by other Brussels residents who are cooperative members.
"When citizens own the means of production, energy prices can be determined more democratically, leading to greater resilience," noted Lionel Delchambre.
Brupower also partners with Saint-Gilles, where the commune has provided the rooftops of several public buildings for renewable energy production, following the same principle of granting access to clean energy while redistributing surplus to cooperative members.
