2012-09-25 – Brussels’ largest photovoltaic installation has been inaugurated today. It is also the largest installation of its type in an urban setting in Belgium, and the first to be initiated by a public body in Brussels.
The roofs of three of the buildings of the TIR complex, which is situated on Avenue du Port and belongs to the Port of Brussels, have been covered with 3,920 photovoltaic panels measuring a total of 13,800 m². These have an output of 1.2 MWp, representing an estimated annual total of 970 MWh – equivalent to the annual average consumption of 360 households.
The project’s implementation followed a call for applicants by the Port of Brussels for a concession on the roofs of the TIR centre for the development of renewable energy generation activity. The project submitted by the company Blue Lines was selected, and a 20-year concession for the use of the roofs was granted to it by the Port in December 2011.
This development represents part of an overall plan for the urban integration and renovation of the TIR centre, which offers warehousing space that is ideally located near to the city centre and is thus playing an increasingly important role in urban distribution for Brussels.
The electricity that is generated will be fed into the electricity grid and sold to the power supplier Lampiris.
The installation represents a total investment of 2,200,000 euros by Blue Lines and should save 383 tonnes of atmospheric CO2 emissions every year.
During the inauguration, the Port of Brussels also announced the commencement of operations at its own photovoltaic installation, on the roof of its headquarters at Place des Armateurs. The installation, which has an output of 31.2 kWp, will supply power to the headquarters, and should cover around 10% of its total power requirements, with an annual output of 27 MWh. It will also save 10 tonnes of CO2 per year. In the event of surplus production, for example on sunny days when the building is not in use, the electricity that is produced will be fed into the Sibelga network.
