Mosques are switching to green energy too, thanks to NourEnergy

Photo: February 12, 2014, Darmstadt, Germany -- Emir-Sultan Mosque / joho345 - Own work via Wikimedia Commons / CC BY-SA 3.0 

One of the principles of Islam is that both humanity and nature are created by God, and humans have been entrusted with the responsibility of taking care of the Earth. A group of socially engaged Muslims is embracing this and has been campaigning and working with mosques to switch to green energy.

NourEnergy e.V. was the brainchild of a group of university students who wanted to contribute to society with their acquired knowledge. Passionate about energy technologies, they decided to share their knowledge with the other members of society so they could address environmental issues.

Photo: The company brochure

NourEnergy e.V. offers planning and supervision for projects to switch to clean and sustainable energy: photovoltaic systems, solar thermal energy, rainwater harvesting, energy efficieny, and permaculture. It was founded in 2010, and the team consists of third-generation Germans of Turkish, Moroccan, Afghan, Arabic and other origins.

Company spokesperson Diana Schild told My Salaam that the diversity of the team helps: “[They] use their plurality in their seminars, workshops or even during their work as consultants to build bridges between different countries and cultures in order to guarantee a dialogue. The principle of openness and diversity is one of the main objectives of NourEnergy right after environmental protection.”

For their first project, the founding group decided to approach the board of the Emir Sultan mosque in Darmstadt with the idea of installing a photovoltaic system (whereby electricity is generated from sunlight) on the rooftop of the local mosque. Shortly after their first success, other projects followed, and the need to become an association arose.

Photo: The NourEnergy team at work

Chairman Tanju Doganay said, “It was one of my greatest desires to be able to give back to the diverse society that provided me with so much throughout my childhood and my studies, and to build bridges with the knowledge I have acquired throughout the years. A bridge that not only connects humans with each other, but one that also connects humans with nature. The most important field I can think of to achieve this is protection of the environment.”

NourEnergy is also a way to fight the negative stereotyping of Muslims. Doganay says that it’s not surprising that people internalise, often unconsciously, negative ideas about Muslim when all they hear daily on mainstream media are reports biased against Muslims.

“The right movements are spreading within the middle-class German population and gaining popularity,” he said. “The tendencies in Europe are anything but pleasant. I want to work against this hostile trend with the other team members of NourEnergy. We should tirelessly remind people that Islam and the people practicing this faith with passion and love in a conscious way are assets for society as a whole and for coexistence.”

Photo: The NourEnergy team at work

Currently, mosques and other communities and social organisations approach NourEnergy for advice on issues regarding the use of photovoltaic systems. Each request is checked thoroughly to assess the technical and financial possibilities. If there is serious interest after the first meeting, NourEnergy prepare an assembly plan and look for a suitable firm to take over the installation works. Additionally, they look for ways to support the establishment to finance the facility (donations, for instance). NourEnergy’s services are free.

It has been a long and hard journey for them to get people, especially Muslims, to show greater interest in environmental protection and sustainability through renewable energies, Diana said. “After we installed the first two mosques in Germany with photovoltaic systems, we experienced, from a technical point of view, a long period without challenges. However, we still managed to expand as an association. Within a short amount of time, NourEnergy […] gained new members from marketing, journalism, law, finance and other educational backgrounds. We worked for four years to raise awareness for environmental protection and the connection to Islam. We spoke about the importance of environmental issues and our responsibilities towards [both] creation and nature.”

As a result of all that hard work, they completed a project in 2016 and are forging ahead. Solar energy is proving to have the greatest demand, and they are now working on three new solar panel projects. For NourEnergy, the future seems bright—but clean and green as well.

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