Europe is diverse, both in terms of geography and in terms of culture. And the solutions for the energy transition in the various European countries are just as diverse. The smarter E Europe regards this diversity to be an opportunity to learn from each other and to make the energy transition happen even faster and more efficient in each of the countries. This series of articles presents innovative and successful projects from across Europe that show how a renewable 24/7 energy supply can work. The case studies should provide impulses and inspiration, turning “does not work” into “already exists”.
The “SolarMarket” in Anderlecht, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium, is a prime example of how to combine aesthetics with sustainability.
The roof of the renovated, protected market hall Halles des Abattoirs has been equipped with a 2-megawatt photovoltaic system. Renovations restored the beauty of the original 19th-century zinc roof and gave it a solar touch. More than 5,800 black modules with aluminum strips were integrated into the curved roof of the former slaughterhouse as a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution.
The developers also got creative when it came to financing the project. More than 180 residents participated in a crowdfunding campaign, contributing between 500 and 10,000 euros, for a total of 300,000 euros to co-finance the project. This enabled residents to drive local sustainable development and urban climate protection while achieving an annual ROI of 5 percent over an eight-year period. The total cost of the project, including adjustments to the roof to accommodate the PV system, was 1.7 million euros.
Skysun owns and operates the PV system and has a long-term partnership with the owner of the building, Abattoir SA. Skysun sells most of the solar power generated to Abattoir SA, helping the company save around 60,000 euros in electricity costs each year. Excess electricity from the PV installation is fed into the public grid. According to Skysun, the PV system, which was commissioned in October 2021, has proven to be technically reliable and efficient. Under normal weather conditions, it delivers more than the expected 1,653 megawatt hours (MWh) per year at a constant rate.
From Thursday to Saturday, the “SolarMarket” is used as a market hall, for events and by companies in the food industry. The building had been in use prior to the renovation and retrofit of the roof with PV, but its condition had deteriorated, including due to water damage, making continued use difficult. Thanks to the renovation, its functionality has been significantly improved.
In addition to the Halles des Abattoirs, Skysun has realized a number of similar building-integrated solar solutions with a total capacity of over 2.5 megawatts (MW), including a food market complex (Marché International, 1,708 MW) in Mouscron, Belgium, an office park in Jette, a municipality of Brussels (Greenland Lanson, 333 kilowatts (kW)), and a fitness spa in Uccle, a suburb of Brussels (David Lloyd Club, 99 kW).