While civilians and businesses have invested massively into solar panels for their properties, the Belgian Federal Government has been slow to follow suit, with only 4% of federal buildings equipped with solar panels, De Standaard reports.
Last year, the private sector installed twice as many solar panels on buildings as in 2021. Approximately 100,000 panels were installed last year, with the help of regional government subsidies. Sky-high energy prices make solar panels a particularly attractive investment.
In contrast, the Federal Government has not yet put significant funds into on-site renewable energy projects. Of the 887 buildings and roofs managed by the Buildings Agency, barely three solar installations were added last year. In total, there are only 37 federal rooftops equipped with solar panels.
In other words, only 4% of federal buildings are thus equipped to harness energy from the sun. In terms of consumption, this power generation accounts for just 2.5% of the 233,511 megawatt hours of electricity consumed by the Federal Government. In a similar vein, there are only five SNCB station buildings roofs equipped with solar panels.
There are a number of large projects planned for the future, such as solar installations on the roof of the Federal Parliament and at the Royal Palace in Laeken, as well as at the Jubilee Park and a number of prisons and museums, but Groen party MP Kim Buyst says that the government can be more ambitious.
"If the government generates more renewable energy itself, the bill for civil society can go down and we can save millions," she stressed. Even after the planned investments, only 8% of buildings will be fitted with solar panels.
Mathieu Michel, Secretary of State responsible for the Buildings Agency, responded to the criticism, stating that the Flemish Greens were too infatuated with solar panels. "Taking care of the climate is more than just solar panels. They are not always the most environmentally-friendly solution," he said.
The State Secretary points out that the Federal Government had already reduced office space by 1,000,000 m2, saving 30,000 tonnes of CO2.
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Flanders still leads the way with regards to rooftop solar power. Of the Flemish Region's 2,361 buildings, 128 (5.5%) were equipped with solar panels, amounting to 17 megawatts of installed capacity. Further investments are planned in the future.
The port of Ghent will soon be equipped with "biggest solar roof in Europe" which will generate up to 250 megawatts of energy.
