If you’ve just installed photovoltaic panels, it’s high time to get them certified. From 2024 onwards, it’s the end of “meters that run backwards” in favor of smart meters.
Belga Sola, a company based in Baillonville (Somme-Leuze) specializing in the manufacture and installation of photovoltaic panels, has had a tough few weeks. With the change in legislation scheduled for 2024 and the end of the notorious “meter that turns upside down”, private individuals and professionals have been investing in solar energy in droves. Sébastien Mahieux, managing director at Belga Solar, gives more details:
“What counts for December 31st is not the installation of the panels, but the certification.”
From January onwards, all installations will have to be fitted with a double-flow meter, which measures both withdrawals and injections separately. With this regulation, the Walloon Region abolishes the principle of compensation. The aim is to limit grid saturation and encourage self-consumption.
“The idea is to avoid overloading the networks. There are solutions for that, including battery development.”
A booming technology
These batteries are used to store electricity during production peaks. This rapidly developing technology will become increasingly affordable in the future.
“In Wallonia, we’re the exception. In other parts of the world, batteries are already widely used in households.”
The country’s energy transition, and that of Europe as a whole, requires a change in energy production systems.
“We’re going to consume more and more electricity. We’re expecting increases of 60% between now and 2030 for private consumers. This is due to the increasing number of electric vehicles on the market, heat pump installations and all the electrical systems being installed in homes to decarbonize.”
Belga Solar expects a slight drop in orders for photovoltaic panels from private customers in the short term.
