Belgium

Belgian electricity system operator Elia says solar was the leading source of renewable energy in Belgium’s electricity mix in 2024. Total solar energy generation in the country reached new highs last year, totaling 8.3 TWh.

New research from Belgium shows that energy-sharing alone is not attractive enough for citizens and businesses willing adopt solar through an energy community. According to the study, policy support for energy communities should take the form of network tariff adjustments reflecting the community’s measurable benefits for the distribution grid.

Researchers from Belgium and the University of Cyprus have completed outdoor stability tests of perovskite solar mini-modules providing two-years of data on stability performance. The tests showed that the modules’ performance loss rates during the burn-in period of perovskites ranged between 7% and 8% per month.

IGI Poseidon has partnered with Corinth Pipeworks to test carbon-steel pipes for hydrogen transport under high pressure, while Axpo has begun building a green hydrogen plant in Switzerland to fuel vessels and other applications from 2026.

Discussions at the Sustainable Solar Europe event, held yesterday in Brussels, reveal that clearly recorded and available information is the key to ensuring sustainable and ethical practices all along the solar supply chain. And clear standards for the accuracy and relevance of this information are needed to ensure that all are moving toward the same target. The day also saw the launch of such a standard in the Solar Stewardship Initiative’s Supply Chain Traceability Standard.

Powernaut’s software balances local generation from decentralized devices such as solar panels, batteries, and heat pumps with the needs of the power grid.

Similar to last year, battery energy storage systems (BESS) made up almost all new-build capacity selected in recent Capacity Remuneration Mechanism (CRM) auctions in Belgium. Simon De Clercq, senior research associate at Aurora Energy Research, tells ESS News that there is even more room for BESS players to participate in the procurement exercises.

The European Commission, Austria, Lithuania, and Spain have announced new financial support measures for renewable hydrogen development as the European Union prepares for the second European Hydrogen Bank auction.

A fire broke out at Brussels’ first net-zero energy structure, the Treurenberg building, in late October. The blaze, likely caused by building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) panels on the facade, led to an evacuation, with no injuries reported.

The UK electricity regulator has approved five new undersea energy links to connect the United Kingdom with the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, and between Northern Ireland and Scotland by 2032. Three will serve as traditional interconnectors, while two will also transmit power from offshore wind farms.