Good Practice - Project
Setting up citizen-owned energy cooperatives in Luxembourg’s Miselerland region
An initiative that established two citizen-owned energy cooperatives in the Miselerland region, leading to its first cooperative-owned photovoltaic plant.
Summary
This LEADER-supported project, led by GAL LEADER Miselerland, established two citizen-owned energy cooperatives in the rural Miselerland region of Luxembourg. It set up a working group of climate consultants from member municipalities, mobilised communities to make public buildings available for hosting photovoltaic (PV) systems and assessed the suitability of registered municipal buildings’ roofs for these systems. Following the project’s work, the first cooperative-owned photovoltaic plant was installed and commissioned in Mondorf in August 2023.
Results
- Two citizen-owned energy cooperatives established (in the Canton of Remich and the Canton of Grevenmacher);
- First cooperative-owned photovoltaic plant installed and commissioned in Mondorf in August 2023;
- Second photovoltaic project prepared for Wasserbillig, with viability calculations completed;
- Municipal working group of climate consultants established, providing a lasting regional structure for further citizen energy projects;
- Follow-on projects launched: Energy Communities Miselerland (2025-2027) and Energy Transition information campaign (2025-2026).
Promoter
- GAL LEADER Miselerland, Local Action Group
- Luxembourg Winegrowers' Association, civil society organisation
- Municipalities of the Miselerland region, public authority
- Energiepark Réiden, private business
- Energiekooperative Kanton Remich (EKKR), civil society organisation
- Energiekooperative Kanton Grevenmacher (EKKG), civil society organisation
Funding
Budget: EUR 27 716.64
Source:
- European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (LEADER)
Resources
Documents
Context
Miselerland is a rural, wine-growing region in eastern Luxembourg, running along the Moselle River. Like many of Europe’s small rural regions, it faces the twin challenge of decarbonising its energy system while keeping citizens involved in the energy transition.
Individual households and municipalities often lack the capital, know-how and legal expertise to organise collective investments in renewable energy, and dominant market actors tend to capture most of the value. Citizen-owned cooperatives offer an answer to this problem.
Objectives
- Establish citizen-owned energy cooperatives in the Miselerland region as vehicles for local investment in renewable energy;
- Mobilise Miselerland communities and municipalities to provide public buildings for photovoltaic installations;
- Carry out the enabling legal, technical and viability work that citizens and municipalities cannot easily do on their own;
- Anchor the energy transition in local ownership, keeping value and control in the region.
Activities, key actors, and timeline
- The project ‘Cooperative for Renewable Energies in Miselerland’ was led by GAL LEADER Miselerland, with the Luxembourg Winegrowers' Association acting as legal representative. It mobilised local communities in the Miselerland region to make public buildings available for hosting photovoltaic systems and assessed the suitability of registered municipal buildings’ roofs for this.
- After identifying founding members and drafting the statutes, two citizen-owned energy cooperatives were established. One covers the Canton of Remich and the other the Canton of Grevenmacher. Local residents are both members and equity providers of the cooperatives.
- The project’s work also included calculating the economic viability of two photovoltaic projects – in Mondorf and Wasserbillig. Installation and commissioning of the first cooperative-owned PV plant followed in Mondorf in August 2023.
- In addition, the project set up a working group of climate consultants drawn from 14 municipalities in Miselerland. It also supported the energy cooperatives' public relations work, particularly at citizen information events designed to bring in new members and capital.
Success factors/lessons learnt
- The project focused on the legal, technical and viability work that citizens and municipalities cannot easily do on their own.
- The LEADER contribution of EUR 27 716.64 covered the project’s enabling work, which included mobilising communities, structuring the cooperatives, drafting their statutes and calculating the photovoltaic plants’ viability. The PV plant in Mondorf was financed by citizens' own equity in the cooperatives, meaning the LEADER funding unlocked a much larger investment.
- Delivering the project through GAL LEADER Miselerland, with the Luxembourg Winegrowers' Association acting as legal representative, gave it institutional weight and was a natural fit for a wine-growing rural region.
- Establishing a regional working group of climate consultants across all member municipalities created a persistent structure that survives beyond the project and can carry out future initiatives.