The Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) has just added 470 new solar panels to Building Z on its Etterbeek campus, in collaboration with Green Spark Technics and Green Power Future. This brings the total number of panels on the Etterbeek and Jette campuses to 8,034. The expansion is part of VUB’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to cover every university roof with solar panels by 2030 and to achieve full climate neutrality by 2050.
Since the first panels were installed in August 2020, the number has risen rapidly. Today, almost every available roof is in use, together delivering a capacity of 3,599 kWp and an estimated annual production of 3,000 MWh. That’s enough to cover 12% of the university’s electricity needs — a remarkable share, given the many energy-intensive buildings on campus, such as laboratories. And even though some high-rise buildings have only one rooftop to serve up to twelve floors of energy demand, VUB expects the share of solar power to keep growing in the coming years. Further optimisation will reduce total consumption, making the solar contribution even more significant.
VUB energy coordinator Maarten Cumps explains:
“Maximising rooftop space for solar panels is an obvious choice from a scientific perspective. In a time of rising energy insecurity and geopolitical dependency, locally produced solar power increases resilience. And the market clearly shows that solar energy is now the cheapest way to generate electricity.”
Rector Jan Danckaert adds:
“With this expansion, we are taking another step towards our ambition to help shape the transition to a sustainable and climate-neutral society.”
The project was carried out in partnership with Green Spark Technics and Green Power Future, using a third-party financing model.
Marnix Van Vreckem, managing director of Green Spark Technics, says:
“As a Brussels-based solar installer, we are proud to have delivered this new installation at VUB. Thanks to our third-party financing model, companies and institutions such as VUB can make the switch to solar energy more quickly, without having to bear the full upfront investment themselves. At the same time, we guarantee maximum yield and reliability by taking care of management and optimal production for ten years.”
Contact details:
- Tineke Sonck, VUB spokesperson: Tineke.Sonck@vub.be – 0473 96 73 51
- Marnix Van Vreckem, Managing Director Green Spark Technics: marnix@greensparktechnics.be – 0497 65 10 74
- Bart Coen, Managing Director Green Power Future: 0485 46 58 01