Belgium

Analysts from the Becquerel Institute say that they expect 337 MW of new solar capacity in Belgium for the first half of 2024. They anticipate around 900 MW for the full year, due to growth in specific segments.

PV analyst Wannes Demarcke tells pv magazine that solar deployment in the Belgian region of Flanders slowed in the first months of this year. Initial figures show a decline from 2023 levels following the expiration of subsidies and reduced value-added tax on buildings less than 10 years old.

Once completed, the four-hour battery energy storage project will operate under a 15-year contract with Elia, Belgium’s electricity grid operator, and be located next to Engie’s gas power plant in Vilvoorde.

Belgian energy company Perpetum Energy has built a 40 MW solar carport at Pairi Daiza, a privately owned zoo and botanical garden in Hainaut, Belgium. It said the total investment reached €40 million ($43 million) investment.

A new report by SolarPower Europe finds that more renewables, electrification and flexibility can boost European competitiveness, slashing average day-ahead energy prices by a quarter in the next six years and a third by 2040.

A European research team has investigated interconnection and encapsulation strategies to improve the damp heat and mechanical resilience of vehicle integrated photovoltaic (VIPV) modules, finding carbon-fibre reinforced plastics to be promising.

The European Commission says it has started working on a new pilot mechanism, and Italy has agreed to expand collaboration with Austria and Germany, while also supporting cooperation between Italian companies and Finland’s Wärtsilä.

The so-called “network checker” will allow residential PV customers in Belgium to check if there have been any inverter failures in their local area. It comes after Belgian grid operator Fluvius launched a compensation scheme for those who are not reconnected within 30 working days of a curtailment.

PV Cycle Belgium says it collected and processed 404 tons of solar panels for recycling during the first quarter of this year. It notes that the number of solar panels it has collected over the last five years has more than quadrupled.

Netherlands-based developer Giga Storage has obtained the irrevocable permit for the construction of a 600 MW/2,400 MWh battery energy storage system (BESS) project in Belgium.