PV analyst Wannes Demarcke tells pv magazine that solar deployment in the Belgian region of Flanders slowed in the first months of this year. Initial figures show a decline from 2023 levels following the expiration of subsidies and reduced value-added tax on buildings less than 10 years old.
JULY 15, 2024 PATRICK JOWETT
Image: Jadon Kelly, Unsplash
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The region of Flanders, Belgium, installed 230 MW of new solar between January and May of this year, according to data from the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency.
The figures suggest slower uptake in solar deployment in Flanders in 2024. In 2023, a total of 1,147 MW was installed across the region, marking a record in a calendar year for the area. In 2022, a total of 666 MW was deployed.
Wannes Demarcke, a policy analyst for ODE Vlaanderen, told pv magazine that the figures up to the end of May are not complete yet, as there is “always some delay before installations get added onto the website.” However, he added that figures will remain lower when compared to the first months of last year.
He attributed the drop to a Europe-wide market decline driven by lower prices, as well as the expiration of an investment subsidy that provided up to €750 ($818) for solar installations. The subsidy and reduced VAT of 6% (down from 21%) on buildings younger than 10 years ended at the close of last year. Demarcke also noted a battery subsidy available during the first quarter of 2023 in Flanders, which prompted a surge in installations during that period.
“Changes in subsidy regime often lead to advanced sales and a decline as people need to adjust to the new model,” said Demarcke.
Flanders has the largest regional share of installed solar capacity in Belgium. The country’s cumulative installed solar capacity surpassed 10 GW at the end of last year, after adding 1.8 GW in 2023.
