On December 12, 2023, the commissioning of the photovoltaic installation in Marche-Les-Dames, owned by the Lhoist group, took place. Comprising 6,831 panels and covering an area of about 4.4 hectares, this park will produce 4.7 MWh per year (equivalent to the consumption of 2,300 Walloon households). About 80% of the energy produced by the park will be directly consumed by the Marche-Les-Dames factory, helping to avoid the emission of 2,100 tonnes of CO2 per year.

The project initiated by the City of Soignies in 2020 is now set to come to life. This “photovoltaic island,” composed of panels installed on the water body of the Perlonjour quarry, will generate renewable electricity while contributing to the local energy transition.

To carry out this ambitious and innovative project, Soignies is partnering with the citizen cooperative CLEF and the investment fund Green for Power SA (G4P).

Specifically, 12,500 photovoltaic panels will be installed on the water body of the Perlonjour quarry in 2024. Covering an area of 28,986 m², the park will be the size of four football fields, making it one of the largest floating photovoltaic parks in Wallonia.

With a maximum capacity of 6.124 MWp, its annual production is estimated at 5,695 MWh/year, which will supply renewable electricity to the equivalent of 1,630 Walloon households.

Priority for the residents of Soignies

The project has now passed all the steps needed for its realization: obtaining a single permit, acquiring the land rights for the quarry (owned by HOLCIM), and finally, through a public tender, the selection of the citizen cooperative CLEF and the investment fund G4P (owned by SOCOFE and Perpetum Energy BV) for the construction and operation of the park.

“As a signatory of the Covenant of Mayors, the City of Soignies is committed to fighting climate change and implementing sustainable energy policies,” says the Mayor, Fabienne WINCKEL. “We are committed to achieving—and even exceeding—the European CO2 reduction goals and developing renewable energy on our territory. The photovoltaic island project is fully aligned with this approach, while allowing citizens to contribute to the local energy transition.”

Interested citizens can now come forward to become co-owners. It should be noted that the municipal council has required the future cooperative to give absolute priority to the residents of Soignies. They will be the ones who can purchase shares first. Beyond this initial priority, the project will then be open to other investors.

Gigantische zonnepanelen carport “Daarmee zijn we één van de meest duurzame winkelcentra van ons land”.

Waasland Shopping in Sint-Niklaas heeft de nieuwe carport officieel in gebruik genomen. Daarmee kan het shoppingcenter zo’n 17% van zijn eigen energie opwekken. “Ook in de toekomst willen we blijven investeren in duurzaamheid, dit om onze ambitie klimaatneutraal te zijn tegen 2050 waar te maken.” Klinkt het.

Het project is een volledige realisatie van Perpetum Energy Benelux en meteen ook één van de grootste carports in Vlaanderen. Perpetum tekende trouwens eerder ook al voor de grootste carport van Europa. (zie ons project te Brugelette, Pairi Daiza)

Door samen op de knop te drukken, activeerden burgemeester Lieven Dehandschutter van Sint-Niklaas, Vincent Hermans van Waasland Shopping, Toon De Meester van beheerder Ceusters en Luc Leenknegt CEO van Perpetum Energy de 1.550 zonnepanelen op de 4.362 m2 grote carport. Goed voor een vermogen van 1 MWp.

Waasland Shopping zal de komende maanden nog 50 laadpalen plaatsen, goed voor 100 laadpunten. Dit stelt zo’n 30% van de in totaal 310 parkeerplaatsen voor op parking C van het winkelcentrum. De bezoekers kunnen aan een voordelig tarief hun auto met groene energie opladen tijdens hun winkelbezoek. Bovendien zijn ze beschut tegen weer en wind.

Binnen enkele maanden zal Waasland Shopping meer dan 500.000 kilogram CO2-uitstoot per jaar kunnen besparen, het winkelcentrum kan uitgroeien tot het eerste energie-neutrale shopping center in ons land. Ook voor de stad Sint-Niklaas is dit een mijlpaal.

 

Waasland Shopping is taking into use a gigantic solar carport of more than 4,000 m2. “This makes us one of the most sustainable shopping centers in our country”.

Waasland Shopping in Sint-Niklaas has officially put the new carport into use. This allows the shopping center to generate about 17% of its own energy. “We also want to continue to invest in sustainability in the future, in order to achieve our ambition to be climate neutral by 2050.” It sounds.

The project is a full realization of Perpetum Energy Benelux and also one of the largest carports in Flanders. Perpetum also previously designed and constructed the largest carport in Europe. (see our project at Brugelette, Pairi Daiza).

By pressing the button together, mayor Lieven Dehandschutter of Sint-Niklaas, Vincent Hermans of Waasland Shopping, Toon De Meester of building manager Ceusters and Luc Leenknegt CEO of Perpetum Energy activated the 1,550 solar panels on the 4,362 m2 large carport. Good for a capacity of 1 MWp.

Waasland Shopping will install 50 charging stations in the coming months, good for 100 charging points. This represents about 30% of the total of 310 parking spaces in car park C of the shopping center. Visitors can then charge their car with green energy at an advantageous rate during their visit to the store. In addition, they are sheltered from wind and weather.

Within a few months, Waasland Shopping will be able to save more than 500,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions per year, the shopping center can become the first energy-neutral shopping center in our country. This is also a milestone for the city of Sint-Niklaas.

Peter Colpaert
Area Manager Perpetum Energy