0:18 Introduction
0:59 Can you explain how the ENERPLUS initiative came about, and why the name changed?
2:12 Solabria is a cooperative for the commercialization of 100% renewable electrical energy. How and why did this organization come to exist?
3:25 Is there any relationship or link between the creation of Solabria and 15M?
4:32 Why did you choose the legal structure of a cooperative to start this process?
5:43 Is this a non-profit cooperative?
7:26 What are the advantages of having chosen the cooperative structure in terms of internal coordination, management, and operations?
8:50 How many cooperatives are there working in the renewable energy market in Spain? On what scale/s are they operating?
10:17 You mentioned Unión Renovables. Can you explain how this network of cooperatives is organized?
10:39 Is there any relationship between the energy cooperatives that are part of Unión Renovables and the Red de Redes de Economía Alternativa y Solidaria (REAS), ethical finance models such as COOP57, and ethical banking organizations like Fiare?
11:19 The energy we consume requires production, transportation, distribution, and commercialization. Can a cooperative like Solabria produce, transport, distribute, and commercialize energy?
12:59 Who controls the processes of production, transportation, distribution, and commercialization of electricity in the Spanish State?
17:18 What are some of the problems related to the oligopoly of the energy market in the Spanish State?
20:22 What can we do on an individual level to short-circuit the abuses in this system?
21:16 Is it legal in the Spanish State to install solar panels on homes or find ways to independently produce electricity using renewable energy sources?
23:51 Who can or should have access to a discounted rate?
26:22 Is electricity a social right?
27:21 What steps does a cooperative need to take to start commercializing renewable energy?
31:33 Solabria isn’t a cooperative energy producer itself, but on your website you offer counseling for any person to become a producer of energy for self-supply. Can you explain that idea?
33:22 Is there any cooperative in the Spanish State that is both a commercialization company and a producer of electrical energy?
34:51 Are there municipal energy commercialization entities?
35:52 What types of members get involved in Solabria, and how do you know each other?
38:07 What service do the cooperative members receive once they join Solabria?
38:45 What difference is there between Solabria and other energy commercializing companies?
39:27 You also organize educational activities through Solabria in formal and informal educational spaces to explain the advantages of the cooperative model and the importance of getting behind a sustainable and renewable energy model. Can you describe these educational activities?
41:25 Can schools in the Spanish State enter into electricity contracts with Solabria?
42:46 Who leads Solabria’s educational activities?
44:07 Outside of formal educational spaces, do you also work to educate people in institutions and public administration?
45:34 What relationship do you have to the professional sector?
46:30 Is there a subsidy system in the Spanish State that helps democratize installation of the equipment that produces the energy we consume? Are those subsidies available to everyone?
49:12 What are we paying for when we pay our electricity bill through a cooperative like Solabria? How about when we pay it through one of the oligopoly companies that dominate the electricity market in the Spanish State?
51:51 Who establishes the price of the kilowatt now?
53:03 Are Solabria’s prices within reach for all people?
53:30 What would happen if cooperatives like Solabria took over the energy contracts for all the homes in this country?
53:55 What happens when a person or family can’t pay what they owe to an oligopoly company? Does the cooperative sector respond to nonpayment in the same way?
55:33 Why has the public service been lost?
56:19 What are we talking about when we talk about green energy, renewable energy, and sustainable energy?
1:01:44 What are some of the most important debates in the energy sector?
1:03:24 Who are the main producers of renewable energy in Spain?
1:04:23 How does a cooperative entity like Solabria understand the concepts of “profit” and “profitability?”
1:05:33 What have been the local governments’ institutional responses to the coming energy transition?
1:07:23 Keeping in mind all that you’ve explained, and considering the proposals that are emerging, it’s clear that we stand in support of a systems change, not just an energy transition. What thoughts do you have on that?
1:08:12 What challenges and advice can you share from your experience and process as a cooperative?
1:11:45 Is Solabria a political project? If so, what kind of politics are we talking about?
1:12:20 How do you keep hope alive?
“We are individuals who consume electrical energy every day, but we wanted to do it differently. To begin with, we wanted to consume only renewable energy. In other words, we belief that renewable energy is the future and should be the present. With the liberalization of the electricity market, we understood that commercialization was a key aspect and that we could establish a retailer. That is to say, we could create our own electricity company and only consume renewable energy. The other crucial aspect for us is the social part, which involves a cooperative model where all of us who are part of the cooperative are co-owners, so to speak, and each person’s level of involvement is voluntary.”
