The social housing sector in Flanders has taken a giant step in direction of a extra sustainable future. Within the coming years, greater than 50,000 social rental homes within the area might be outfitted with nearly 400,000 photo voltaic panels – the biggest photo voltaic panel challenge within the area.
The mega challenge is coordinated by ASTER, an initiative of the Affiliation of Flemish Housing Firms (VVH). Standing for ‘Entry to Sustainability for Tenants by means of Power Efficient Retrofit’ in its entirety, ASTER goals to assist make vitality and insulation for social housing extra sustainable.
The cooperative was based in 2019 by a coalition of private and non-private events, together with VVH, vitality dealer Enbro, engineering agency Ingenium, monetary consultancy agency Insurgent and legislation companies Equator and Eubelius. The companions acknowledge that the sustainability of the social rental sector faces a variety of vital challenges – not solely do tenants usually have a small funds to attract on, however possession can be a problem.
Whereas owners can usually make choices about what goes on their roof – particularly if they’ve a indifferent home – social tenants don’t personal their roof. For the reason that proper to amend the property rests with the landlords, the initiative should come from the housing firms themselves.
Preparations for ASTER have been occurring for nearly three years, with a serious milestone not too long ago achieved – the number of EnergyVision because the lead set up accomplice. EnergyVision will care for the set up and upkeep of the photo voltaic panels, utilizing its intensive expertise in photo voltaic vitality initiatives and social tenants to implement the challenge.
EnergyVision was chosen primarily based on numerous standards, together with complete funding and upkeep prices, experience, expertise and high quality assure of supplies used and set up.
Long run objectives
ASTER will finally make investments greater than €150 million within the challenge, supported by a financing settlement with Belfius Financial institution. Inside the present tender, this funding could be additional elevated as much as a most of € 400 million, good for 1 million photo voltaic panels by the center of 2026.
The Dutch consultancy agency Insurgent supplied monetary recommendation to ASTER in the course of the financing course of. The consulting agency gives the construction, manages the due diligence course of, negotiates with monetary establishments and manages the method of attracting finance.
In accordance with ASTER, the financing mannequin – which is unbiased of subsidies and inexperienced certificates – ensures that this system has a fee mannequin “the place everybody wins”. Sven Van Elst, Normal Supervisor of the group, mentioned, “We are going to present tenants with solar energy that’s 25% to 30% cheaper than the present social each day price, and as much as 40% cheaper than industrial electrical energy costs.”
The electrical energy that’s not used might be offered by the social housing corporations to Energie.be. Revenues circulation fully again to social housing corporations and social tenants with out direct entry to photo voltaic vitality. The revenue may also be used for different sustainability initiatives of taking part social housing corporations.
The rollout has begun
The launch of the challenge began in September, and can finally embrace social housing in Flanders. In accordance with EnergyVision CEO Maarten Michielssen, it will see the corporate and its subcontractors make use of “greater than 250 full-time individuals over a number of years only for the ASTER challenge,” bringing vital financial profit to the area as a complete.
Matthias Diependaele, Minister of Housing in Flanders, added, “From Flanders, we absolutely help this challenge. The numbers are spectacular, with this photo voltaic panel challenge we are going to present 395,000 photo voltaic panels to 52,500 properties in 64 totally different social housing corporations within the subsequent 5 years.With this, one third of the whole variety of social homes in Flanders might be outfitted with photo voltaic panels.
“This implies a double social profit for a really significant issue: we’re taking a severe step in direction of the Flemish local weather objectives, and the set up of photo voltaic panels may have a constructive impact on the invoice within the vitality of social tenants.”
