Renewable energy
-
-
Renewable energy
Ghent wants to maximise the available amount of renewable energy from the sun, soil, wind and waste flows.
Renewable energy
Ghent wants to maximise the available amount of renewable energy from the sun, soil, wind and waste flows.
-
-
Ghent supports innovation in sustainable alternative fuels and helps develop heat and steam networks wherever this is useful. New builds and renovations with a sufficiently reduced energy demand are supported so as to facilitate the transition to non-gas heating. Our ambitions:
- Doubling the number of solar panels by 2050
- 30 wind turbines by 2030
- Fossil free neighbourhoods by 2050
- Making existing district heating more sustainable
programme
-
Ghent's durable energy projects
-
-
Focus on renewable energy
Inhabitants of Ghent who have already made their home energy-efficient are ready for the next step: more renewable energy.
Solar panels with or without batteries, a heat pump or a heat network, join an energy community or wait for the hydrogen revolution? The new evolutions in renewable energy trigger a lot of questions and doubts with homeowners. De Energiecentrale guides these inhabitants of Ghent through the maze of innovative renewable techniques for their remaining energy needs after full renovation and insulation. They keep the best solutions for their homes and budgets in mind. The Energiecentrale helps finding solutions even on a collective level, in cooperation with participants and with local energy communities and cooperations.
-
The New Docks’ Pilot Project
This ZAWENT technology is a new and sustainable system which harvests renewable energy from waste water and organic food waste and combines different existing technologies.
Rising from the remains of a rich industrial past comes a new vibrant part of the city, where old and new Ghent residents alike can live along the waterside, surrounded by green spaces. In the area between Dampoort and the Muide neighbourhood, there are 1,500 new homes emerging, as well as a primary school, crèche and sports hall. Sustainability is the main theme in this new urban neighbourhood. The private partner will make the new development fully climate-neutral by focusing on energy efficiency, renewable energy and water reuse.
One third of this neighbourhood’s energy is generated by a new and sustainable system which harvests renewable energy from waste water and organic food waste. The waste from vacuum toilets is collected together with ground-up organic waste of the residents and converted (using an anaerobic digester) into biogas which provides heat and power. The remaining two thirds come from the residual heat of a nearby soap factory, transported by a heat network.
ZAWENT means Zero Waste Water with Energy and Nutrient Recovery. It does not only recover heat, it also purifies and recycles waste water. The purified residual water is in turn recycled by a nearby company, and so the circle is completed.
-
Neighbourly power
How can we generate as much solar energy as possible at district level, let everyone enjoy a yield and at the same time keep the electricity grid stable?
The project ‘Neighbourly Power’ that ran from 2018 to 2020 in Sint Amandsberg-Dampoort was a collaboration between the citizen cooperative Energent, a local poverty organisation, the grid operator, an energy supplier and Ghent University. The city of Ghent acted as a facilitator and full partner of the project.
The aim was to gain experience with the large scale social roll-out of solar energy, identify barriers and formulate policy recommendations. This project resulted in a doubling of the number of PV installations of both households and companies in that area and provided insight into the possibilities of social solar panel initiatives. Energy subsidies for heat pumps, underfloor heating and hybrid systems provided an additional financial incentive for the transition to renewable energy sources. For the installation of solar panels, Ghentians could take out an energy loan at a low interest rate.
In order to not destabilize the distribution network, the electricity generated by these panels was used as much as possible immediately in the district, ànd additional balancing was tested out. Smart meters as well as batteries were distributed with funding from an additional European project. Charging stations for electric cars were rolled out preliminary to provide extra balancing and capturing capacity. The Ghent University grabbed the opportunity to research the feasibility of east-west oriented solar panels in a Norther European climate.
-
Fossil free districts
The diverse district Muide-Meulestede is one of two districts that prioritarily switch tot fossil-free heating by 2030
In our current climate action plan (2020-2025), we are already drawing up and executing a strategy to switch two neighbouring districts (Muide-Meulestede and Mariakerke) to fossil-free heating by 2030.
The Muide-Meulestede district is located close to the old harbor and is a densely populated, diverse district, with people from all income classes, ages and backgrounds. For this district, technical feasibility studies showed the potential of decarbonisation as a combination of district heating with heat waste from a nearby plant and electrification with heat pumps. A behavioural study was conducted in the pilot neighbourhood of Muide Meulestede to prepare for the transition to non-gas heating in a socially correct way and to involve citizens into the transition process.
The Mariakerke district is a residential area with lots of green space. Currently, in collaboration with energy cooperative Energent, we are installing additional solar panels, heat pumps and home batteries. Ghent University is researching the feasibility and critical success factors for complete electrification. Further steps into the transition plan are discussed with the citizens in a participation traject with stakeholders and frontrunners.
-
Winter Circus
Deep renovations are the perfect timing to review energy issues, even in less evident or historic and landscape defining building such as the Ghent Winter Circus.
The former car park Mahy, in the late 19th century built as the Ghent Winter Circus, is located in the centre of the city. Despite its central situation, the building has since a long history of neglect and under-utilisation. Currently the Ghent urban development service is renovating this iconic building: surrounding a central indoor courtyard, office space for start-up and scale-up companies is provided. Underneath the centre stage, a concert hall is builded.
To heat this huge and iconic Winter Circus, the City of Ghent is fully drawing the card of renewable energy. Underneath the concert hall in the basement a Borehole Thermal Energy Storage (BTES) system of 240 m² with 150 meter deep holes is installed. The temperature at this level of the earth is 8 to 10 degrees celsius. This BTES will provide heating in the winter and cooling in summertime. A win for energybills and for the climate.
-
The Solar map and Heat Zoning Plan
The Ghent Solar map and the Heat Zoning Plan inform the Ghent home-owners about their personal options for renewable energy.
The Solar Map shows home-owners what the potential is of their homes for solar panels. Orientation, yearly solar irradation, shadows and the potential of electricity generation are shown on the map.
The Heat Zoning Plan is a tool for citizens to find the best fitting form of green power for their homes. Is district heating possible? Or, on the contrary, is an individual heat pump a more feasible option that suits their energy needs?Both tools are easy to be consulted via the online tool ‘Check je huis’ (Check your house). An empirical data driven method is turned into a very easy consultable tool, leading home owners towards better decisions and the supportive service of the one-stop-shop for renovation, De Energiecentrale.
-