Brussels Region’s biggest solar farm is here

The Brussels Expo is now home to 11,000 solar panels, set up after just four weeks of work

This week, officials at the Brussels Expo announced the completion of the complex’s sustainable energy project. Over the past four weeks, the centre became the home of 11,000 new roof solar panels, making it the biggest solar production plant in Brussels Capital Region.

The Brussels Expo is the biggest exhibition hall in the Benelux region and offers 12 different halls with a total space of around 115,000 square meters. The complex was constructed in 1935 to mark Belgian independence and has remained a strong magnet for large-scale exhibitions ever since.

The building’s complex’s outward appearance is very characteristic of modernist architectural styles from the time it was conceived. However, the push for quick sustainable energy installation also reflects a durable future-oriented approach to its future.

Another record for solar energy

Brussels City Mayor Philippe Close attended the inauguration of the revamped Expo. He was quoted in a press statement explaining that this initiative is a part of the city’s overall push to decarbonise and add more renewable energy, reaching net-zero emissions by 2040.

Officials also praised the speed of the construction process. In just four weeks, Energy Vision was able to install 11,000 solar panels on the roofs of the buildings, which are capable of producing 4.7 megawatts at peak.

This makes Brussels Expo the biggest producer of solar energy in the Capital Region, displacing the previous Gare Maritime and its surrounding buildings, put into operation in 2020.

The panels will mainly go towards powering the Expo itself, however, the excess electricity will be rerouted to nearby charging stations for electric vehicles.

Denis Delforge, CEO of Brussels Expo, was quoted in a press statement, saying that this modernisation is a crucial step in the modernisation of the complex. Moreover, he pointed out that it was a testament to the buildings’ architects that adding the photovoltaics barely changed the appearance of the expo, as they are located on the roofs.