Belgium’s Flanders region to provide €58 million for PV rebates in 2021

Zuhal Demir, the energy minister of Flanders, Belgium, said last week that the rebate scheme for new rooftop PV installations will start on Jan. 1.

The scheme is expected to help increase installed solar capacity in the region by approximately 1.5 GW by 2025. This would amount to roughly new 400,000 residential solar arrays.

“Today there are approximately 3,600 MW of solar panels in Flanders, spread over more than 500,000 installations, which cover approximately 5% of total suitable roof area,” said Demir.

The 2021 budget for the scheme is €57.6 million ($68.8 million). Homeowners will be eligible for maximum rebates of €1,500 per PV system, up to 10 kiloVolt-ampere (kVa). The government will give €300 per kilowatt installed for the first 4 kW. It also plans to hold tenders for projects ranging from 40 kW to 2 MW in the spring, but it has yet to provide details.

“The new scheme, which replaces the current green certificate scheme, is aimed at avoiding over-subsidization,” Demir said.

The minister also encouraged all future PV owners to maintain high rates of self-consumption.

“This makes solar panels more profitable and the bill lower,” she said. “Self-consumption increases, for example, if electrical appliances are controlled intelligently.”

The Flemish authorities will also continue to provide rebates of €300 for the purchase of residential batteries. The incentive was originally set to expire at the end of December, but will now be maintained until the end of 2021. The local authorities are also considering the introduction of energy communities.