Belgium

The energy regulator of Belgium’s French-speaking region has announced the fee for residential PV will come into force next year and may apply only to installations grid-connected after July 1 this year, as proposed by the regional government.

BloombergNEF figures show financial vehicles linked to environmental and/or social benefits amounted to $247bn worldwide in 2018. The US led the way, almost entirely because state-backed mortgage provider Fannie Mae issued $19.8bn worth of green home loans.

After providing €2 million for two projects in October, the government of Flanders has now selected six more floating PV projects totaling 11.1 MW, which are planned to be built with public support.

Consumer- and municipally-owned energy systems are lauded as key elements of the energy transition. However, their market design in many regions is still prohibitively complex. The European Committee of the Regions has presented a policy recommendation to address these issues, and enable a just and democratic energy transition.

Belgian grid operator Elia has published a vision paper explaining how it intends to link consumers’ behavior at lower voltage levels with price signals in the wholesale electricity market, thus also enabling better integration of renewables.

Testing lithium-ion, redox flow, and sodium-sulfur technologies, EPC provider CMI Energy wants to establish which types of system, or which combinations, are most suitable for different applications using the 4.2 MWh facility.

The Floating PV NV company has secured €2m for a floating solar plant on a site owned by Belgian raw material provider Sibelco. The funding is part of a €6m plan to support floating PV in Flanders.

EDF has launched yet another ambitious plan, this time aiming to become the leader in e-mobility by 2022. It has outlined three targets, and cemented new partnerships, to achieve this goal.

The Belgian research institute developed its cell in partnership with EnergyVille, Solliance and German research center, ZSW.

The heatwave across Western Europe saw wind power 20% lower than usual while solar irradiance was 20% above average, according to Vaisala, a provider of measurement systems and equipment for meteorology. If this balancing effect is confirmed by further analysis, the technologies may ensure future energy supply by providing a diversified, ‘climate-resilient’ portfolio.