Created in 2008 by and for citizens, the citizen cooperative CLEF brings together more than 1,600 cooperators who take an active part in the strategic energy debate.
CLEF defends the point of view that the exploitation of renewable energies must benefit the community and the greatest number. It implements and promotes an ethical and solidarity-based economic alternative favoring the decentralization of energy production and the relocation of profits. This approach allows the citizen to have control over the production and supply of energy. CLEF works with citizens to inform and raise awareness about renewable energies and the rational and responsible use of energy.
CLEF is approved by the National Council for Cooperation (approval 5184) and a founding member of the REScoop Wallonia federation, whose member cooperatives obey the democratic principles defined by the charter of the International Cooperative Alliance, which guarantees their citizenship and solidarity character.
CLEF, in collaboration with fifteen other citizen cooperatives, created COCITER, the Comptoir Citoyen des Energies , the only 100% cooperative and 100% green Walloon electricity supplier. The electricity offered by COCITER comes from the production tools of the founding cooperatives. It is therefore of origin controlled by the cooperating citizens who are both producers and consumers. This is why COCITER is 1st in the Greenpeace ranking of electricity suppliers .
More info @ http://www.comets-project.eu/images/deliverables/D42_Comparative_Case_Studies.pdf