Buying directly from local; green generators

Facts

· Country: Belgium

· Type of provider: Energy supplier

· Focus:

Rethink and reduce:

The Bolt energy platform is all about questioning the assumptions behind the current economic & business logic. Bolt was created as a solution to a gigantic climate problem: energy. Today, 9(!) out of 10 green energy contracts in Flanders are green washed. So, you buy energy from polluting sources, which were green washed by buying certificates from abroad. Anyone who thinks logically knows that a certificate from Iceland, for example, cannot provide green electricity in Belgium. After all, there is no 2000 km of cable over the sea. Moreover, the big players are eagerly exploiting the apparent complexity of energy and ignorance on the part of the people to sell contracts at unfair prices. That is what Bolt wants to change.

Summary of the project

Bolt makes it possible and easy to buy energy directly from local green generators. The energy market today is not transparent. Traditional suppliers sell grey energy as green, and do not help to make our country more sustainable. That is what Bolt wants to change. Bolt wants to help accelerate the energy transition to pure green with their new energy platform.

Switching to renewable energy is one of the most decisive factors in saving the climate. Only, the energy sector in Belgium is stuck. Large companies are sticking to old practices and are not flexible enough to change quickly. Bolt does. With the Bolt platform, we can very quickly and very easily get the whole of Belgium to switch to truly sustainable energy. We think it goes without saying that power comes out of our socket every day. Nobody knows where that electricity comes from. With Bolt we want to make energy tangible again. By being as transparent as possible, we guarantee that your electricity is truly green, local and at a fair price. Bolt is just an energy supplier, a link between the energy consumer and the energy generator. We make agreements so that fair energy can be exchanged, but the energy generators are the stars of the story. They ensure that green electricity is generated in Belgium on a daily basis. Bolt (connecting factor between consumers and local producers) buys all its electricity directly from local renewable energy producers. This gives producers an incentive to further expand their production capacity and has a positive influence on the energy transition. As a newcomer to the energy market, it is Bolt's mission to make the Belgian electricity network truly sustainable.

Cross-border

Bolt is an energy supplier, the connecting factor between the energy consumer and the energy generator. Bolt makes agreements so that fair, green and local energy can be exchanged. Bolt's Energy Platform can serve as inspiration for setting up similar initiatives in other countries. The transferability of this case is high.

Involved parties

Bolt wants to get people interested in sustainable energy through meaningful partnerships. They have worked together with, among others: Studio Brussel (with the first mobile solar park in Belgium), Brussels Beer Project (consumer and producer), Boeren & Buren (platform for short chains), Eva De Roo (ambassador).

Pieterjan Verhaeghen, co-founder: "The cooperation with Brussels Beer Project is a perfect example of strong cross-fertilization between two companies that are fully engaged in sustainable and circular entrepreneurship. With Bolt, we want to actively work on the creation of local energy communities, with individuals and companies who want to make a difference in the energy transition together"