We invite you to share your expertise in renewable energy projects and become a mentor for teams of Ukrainian green energy enthusiasts!

Register in the project's mentor database here.

The mentoring programme "Citizen Energy for Resilient Ukraine" is part of a two-year project implemented by the wechange eG cooperative and the Sustainable Development Agency Synergy with the financial support of the German Federal Foreign Office.

The Energy Community Mentoring Programme will run from August to October 2023. It will enable community energy groups and public figures interested in green energy projects in Ukraine to benefit from free expert support on the way to establishing energy communities. This includes issues of financing, working in the legal and regulatory environment, cooperation with local authorities and local stakeholders, writing business plans, managing RES projects, etc.

The mentoring programme is aimed at providing expert support to the teams participating in the RE-ENERGIZE UKRAINE Case Study Challenge, which aims to help three Ukrainian communities develop business plans for renewable energy projects and energy communities. Both new and existing community energy groups will participate in the Case Championship and mentoring programme, which will help to establish links between different representatives of the public and energy sectors, share experiences and gain professional knowledge in the field of renewable energy.

Each team will be assigned two experienced mentors from Ukraine and Germany who will offer individual sessions and support in solving cases. Mentoring will focus on the most important issues for the team, which will be identified during the team selection process. Mentors will provide their services on a paid basis, which is made possible by the financial support of the Federal Foreign Office of Germany.

Who will become mentors?

Ukrainian and German renewable energy experts and leaders of energy cooperatives will be selected on the basis of their experience and knowledge of Ukrainian realities.

Mentors:

• are interested in mentoring;
• have experience in renewable energy projects;
• fluent in English;
• are ready for at least 4 consultations and kick-off meetings, and spontaneous questions;

Experts selected for mentoring are invited to attend preparatory training to learn more about mentoring methods, understand how to build energy communities and meet energy community leaders from Germany. The training will take place on July 25-26, 2023 in Berlin and will be conducted by trainers from the European federation of citizen energy cooperatives Rescoop.

How is mentoring structured?

The mentoring programme consists of an initial meeting and at least three follow-up consultations lasting at least 60 minutes each. The mentorship will run from August to October 2023. 

The initial meeting between the mentor and the team is held to

• clarify the expectations of the mentorship;
• define the initial goals for the mentorship;
• create an action plan;
• agree on a timeframe and schedule of meetings;
• sign a basic mentoring agreement.

The next three consultations will cover the creation of a business plan for an energy community based on one of the facilities proposed as part of the case study.

The role of a mentor is to support energy community projects by:

• Providing expertise so that teams can move forward with the creation of a business plan;
• Referring the team to other institutions, organisations and support services;
• Providing information, support and inspiration to team members;
• Advice on various issues related to the implementation of RES projects.

The role of a mentor is not to

• Provide funding and other support beyond mentoring;
• carry out the work of the group instead of its members;
• resolve conflicts in the group;
• deal with organisational issues.

Both mentors and mentees learn new things through structured exchange. Mentors share their experience and support the creation of new energy communities, project planning and implementation. Their time is rewarded. The mentees benefit from the expertise of the experts and successfully promote their own local projects, thus Ukraine's energy independence and decarbonisation.

After each mentoring session, the teams create a short protocol in which they record questions and results. The most important results of the mentoring and the developed business plans will be included in a handbook on energy communities in Ukraine, which will be published within the project in early 2024.

Registration for potential mentors is open until 30 June 2023 at this link.