Description
Country: Belgium
Klimaan is a citizen-driven energy cooperative based in Mechelen, Belgium, committed to building a sustainable, inclusive, and climate-neutral society. Founded in May 2019, Klimaan empowers citizens to actively participate in the energy transition by investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency projects across the region. Its key focus areas include solar and thermal energy, building retrofitting, local energy communities (LECs), and shared e-mobility services.
The cooperative operates on democratic and transparent principles — one member, one vote — and works closely with local authorities, housing companies, civil society, and other energy communities. Klimaan’s mission goes beyond infrastructure: through education, gamification, and community engagement, it ensures the energy transition is socially fair and widely supported.
Role under the Project
Project Function: Belgian demonstrator lead in U2Demo
As the lead for the Belgian pilot in the U2Demo project, Klimaan is responsible for developing and testing a Citizen Energy Community (CEC) in the Otterbeek social housing district of Mechelen. This real-world demonstrator involves the rollout of rooftop solar PV installations—scaling from 70 to potentially 197 homes—to test models for peer-to-peer (P2P) energy sharing.
Klimaan deploys open-source energy-sharing tools that enable residents to actively exchange and manage renewable energy. To boost participation among social housing tenants, it incorporates behavioral strategies and gamification elements.
Klimaan also coordinates the entire Belgian use case, including:
- Defining use cases and stakeholder engagement
- Technical implementation and platform testing
- Monitoring and optimizing local energy flows
- Analyzing results and business models
- Contributing policy recommendations based on real-world findings
Through its role, Klimaan demonstrates how technological innovation and social inclusion can work together to advance the energy transition at the community level.
Contact person: Thomas Heylen