Elektrizitätswerke Schönau

Elektrizitätswerke Schönau (EWS) traces its origins to citizen initiatives that emerged in Schönau im Schwarzwald after the 1986 Chernobyl reactor accident. In 1996 the EWS raised the funds for their electricity grid, becoming known as the "Schönauer Stromrebellen." On 18 September 2009 the present EWS eG cooperative was founded in Schönau im Schwarzwald through the conversion of Netzkauf GbR (founded 30 November 1990). The cooperative, together with its subsidiaries and participations, works for the energy transition and a complete and efficient energy supply based on renewable energies, with civic engagement, co-determination and decentralization as pillars. It reports 15,000 members. Its certified tariffs cover green electricity, heating electricity, car electricity and biogas, and it states it funds climate protection projects with around 2 million euros per year.

The history of the Schönau power rebels began in 1986 after the Chernobyl reactor accident. In the early summer after Chernobyl, concerned parents in Schönau im Schwarzwald founded the citizen initiative "Eltern für eine atomfreie Zukunft." In 1988 the power rebels attempted to "simply save away nuclear power" to show local alternatives. In 1991 they forced a citizens' referendum to prevent the local grid operator from securing the electricity grid for decades; after winning the first referendum, opponents mobilized and Schönau residents had to go to the polls again. By 1994 nothing stood in the way of the grid takeover, raising the question of where the needed millions would come from. In 1996 the EWS succeeded in collecting the funds for their electricity grid, with the promise of being "a disruption for the nuclear lobby." In the liberalized electricity market, the credibility of the Schönau power rebels became the guarantor of success in nationwide electricity sales. On 18 September 2009 the present EWS eG was founded in Schönau im Schwarzwald through the conversion of Netzkauf GbR, which had been founded on 30 November 1990 and had emerged from a citizen initiative after the Chernobyl reactor catastrophe.

Green electricity provider rooted in citizen engagement and the energy transition, known as the "Schönauer Stromrebellen."

• Ökostrom (green electricity)

• Wärmestrom (heating electricity)

• Autostrom (car electricity)

• Biogas

1. 1100 % Ökostrom – Klimaschutz mit Rebellenkraft | EWS Schönauews-schoenau.de
2. 2Die Geschichte der Stromrebellen | EWS Schönauews-schoenau.de
3. 3Über unsere Genossenschaft | EWS Schönauews-schoenau.de
4. 4Geschichte der EWS | EWS Schönauews-schoenau.de
5. 5Elektrizitätswerke Schönauwikidata.org