Renewable energy in Belgium solar, wind, biomass & greener living

What are the different types of renewable energy in Belgium?

Renewable energy makes it possible to produce electricity, and sometimes gas, from natural elements that are inexhaustible on a human scale. In Belgium, we have a total of 5 main types of renewable energy production methods.

Photovoltaic and thermal-solar energy

Solar energy is produced by solar thermal collectors and solar photovoltaic panels. Each one uses a different method to transform energy, and each one is used for different applications.

Solar photovoltaic panels, or solar panels (panneaux solaires), are used to convert the sun's light (photons) into electricity (voltage). Hence, the name, photo-voltaic. These are the solar panels you are used to seeing on top of houses and buildings, or even in large solar panel farms used by power plants.

The solar thermal collectors (capteur solaire thermique) capture the heat of the sun. In your residence, this would be used to power certain heating appliances, such as a water boiler. You might have seen boilers connected to something that looks like a solar panel, but is actually a heat collector. Also, you could have district heating powered by solar thermal technology. District heating networks (réseau de chauffage urbain) provide heating to buildings in a city area from a central heating plant.

On an industrial level, concentrated solar thermal systems (CSTs) are used to power certain processes such as drying, washing and pasteurising. These are commonly used by the food and beverage industry, as well as textile and chemical-producing companies.

Biomass: energy produced from organic material

Biomass transforms organic waste into energy, thanks to the following processes:

• Burning: normally of wood and agricultural plant waste (straw, peanuts, etc.)
• Gasification: a process which uses heat and a reagent to decompose the biomass into a combustible gas mixture (syngas), which is used to create synthetic natural gas
• Anaerobic digestion: a process which uses microorganisms to transform waste into biogas

Biomass is mainly used in the field of transport and heating. The energy recovery of biomass makes it possible to increase the share of renewable energies and to participate in the energy transition.

Hydroelectric energy from rivers and dams

Hydroelectric energy (l'énergie hydraulique) works by using the movement of water to turn turbines, which generate electricity. That could be the tidal movement of waves in large bodies of water, or the flow of rivers.

In Belgium, it is mostly rivers and dams which produce hydroelectric power. Dams build up the potential of water in rivers, and then the water cascades down over a turbine to turn it and produce electricity. Smaller turbines also sit on the edge of a flowing river and turn as the river runs.

Most of the hydroelectric energy is produced in Wallonia, with over 100 hydroelectric sites, compared to Flanders which has over 15 sites.

Wind energy from the air

Wind turbines generate electricity using the force of the wind. Some are located out at sea, we call them "offshore wind turbines".

There are small wind turbines made for residential use, but in Belgium you are better off using solar panels for your home. With wind turbines, you will need planning permission from your local authority, which is not easy to get. There is also not a lot of wind at the elevation at which residential wind turbines would be installed.

Solar panels, on the other hand, do not need any planning permission, have lower maintenance costs, easier installation, and have been proven to generate a cost-efficient amount of energy in Belgium.

Geothermal energy from the earth

Geothermal energy produces energy from the heat located underground. It is tapped by digging either deep wells underground, at a depth of over 2,000 metres, or shallow wells at 150 metres or more.

In Belgium there are currently 2 main active projects for deep geothermal energy production: one by Janssen Pharmaceuticals for their own private use, and the other a joint venture by Engi-Fabricom and Vito in the Balmatt site in Mol.

There are over 150 projects for office buildings to use shallow wells for heating and cooling, such as the NATO offices in Brussels, and the AZ Maria Middelares hospital in Ghent.

How to be more ecological at home

If you want to make your home and the way you consume energy greener, several technologies have come onto the market to help you achieve your goals:

• The home battery stores excess electricity produced by your solar panels, giving you green electricity and heating after the sun goes down
• The pellet stove, a heating system operated by the combustion of wood pellets, is less polluting than oil boilers and more sustainable than natural-gas boilers
• The heat pump is a sustainable and economical heating system, more energy-efficient than traditional heaters. It also allows heating from natural elements (air, water, earth). There are models of green heat pumps for swimming pools — considered to be the most ecological way of heating your pool
• The electric car, when recharged using electricity produced by green sources, is practically emissionless to run

Who are the green electricity suppliers in Belgium?

More and more energy suppliers in Belgium are investing in renewable energy and sometimes even becoming producers themselves.

Apart from the dedicated green energy providers in Belgium, there are also energy providers who simply offer a green energy contract option.

Below, find the cheapest green electricity offers of the moment by calling our advisers free of charge.

What is carbon offsetting?

Global warming is causing more and more damage to our planet and our health. This is why several measures have been put in place for years to counter it, one of which is carbon offsetting.

Almost any activity — heating, eating or travelling — emits carbon dioxide (CO₂) into the air. CO₂ is a greenhouse gas considered to be one of the biggest causes of global warming. Many companies offer their customers the option to offset their emissions by financing projects dedicated to ecology or to aid in developing countries. In this way, the consumer creates a balance between their own emissions and their ecological commitment.