Grid Fees For Solar in Wallonia

• Wallonia approves grid fee implementation for residential PV installations, among other measures
• It was earlier planned to be imposed from 2019, but the Wallonia Commission for Energy has decided to implement one year later - as of January 1, 2020
• Commission believes it will help promote energy savings, install decentralized renewable energy systems, and the like
• Flanders, another Belgian region, is considering offering incentives to consumers for investing in community solar

Belgium's French-speaking Wallonia region is planning to implement a grid fee for residential PV installations as of January 1, 2020. The Wallonia Commission for Energy (CWaPE) was earlier planning to impose the fee as of 2019. The solar grid-fee was passed as part of a power and gas tariff regulation for the period from 2019 to 2023.

The fee will have to be paid to the region's power suppliers. Depending on size and location, the fee can be as high as €560.

Explaining the rationale behind this step, the Commission has listed six objectives that include promoting energy savings and installation of decentralized renewable energy systems along with fair compensation of invested capital.

In another part of Belgium, the Dutch speaking region of Flanders, is planning to have an incentive system in place that will reward consumers who invest in solar panels or wind farms, but not on their own residence rooftops. Flemish Minister of Energy Bart Tommelein has shared his government's plans to reward investors in community solar. This includes supermarkets, schools, and the like. In an interview with local newspaper Gazet Van Antwerpen, Tommelein said that people who invest in such projects can achieve a return of 5 to 6% per annum.

Recently, Tommelein inaugurated a 2.2 MW rooftop solar system on the rooftop of Nike Distribution Center in Belgium (see Nike Belgium Adds PV Rooftop System).