Clean Energy: Lumituuli

This chapter analyzes Lumituuli Inc., the first nation-wide customer-owned wind power producer in Finland. Its main business operations consist of commissioning and operating wind generators and funding these activities via share offerings targeted mainly at ordinary people. Electricity produced by the turbines is sold to the firm’s shareholders. Thus, Lumituuli is a customer-owned firm having more than 1200 shareholders; mostly private citizens but also other firms, associations, and municipalities. Lumituuli is a socially oriented company whose ultimate goal is to raise awareness about the possibilities and potential of wind power and extend its use. Its activities help to scale down the use of fossil fuels, reduce carbon emissions, and facilitate a transformation to renewable resources in the economy. Investment in Lumituuli ensures that new wind power capacity will be installed. Moreover, to broaden its scope, the company has released public loans which enable people to make direct investments in building new wind turbines without using the power generated from them. This move has enabled the disconnection of investments and personal electricity use. Lumituuli has offered opportunities to get involved with a €1000 minimal investment. Lumituuli has strong communal and civil society foundations, as the firm has played a distinctive role as a model for and as an active supporter of local community projects and of citizens in economically sustainable ways.