Whether they are electricity producers or consumers, an increasing number of Brussels-based companies are joining energy communities.
The recent conflict in the Middle East serves as yet another reminder: any disruption to the global supply of oil and gas can affect our energy bills in a matter of days. This reality, already evident during the conflict in Ukraine, has prompted the European Commission to promote, for several years now, the development of new forms of energy markets across the continent. At the forefront of these developments, Brussels has seen the emergence of several renewable energy communities in recent years.
What is an energy community?
The principle is simple: to connect solar panel owners and consumers directly—digitally. For the former, the community allows them to get more value from their production by selling their surplus electricity at a higher price than what they would receive for feeding it back into the grid. Any energy not consumed by the community remains under the producer’s control, who is then free to sell it to their traditional supplier.
Consumers, for their part, gain access to a local and 100% renewable source, which reduces their electricity bill and adds predictability. The management and prioritization of energy flows within the community is handled by an algorithm based on rules and allocation keys that have been pre-approved by members and are transparent.
Cost predictability
To date, Brugel counts 2,944 Brussels residents participating in these communities, a figure that is constantly rising. These communities can be organized at the regional level, within a municipality or neighborhood, or even within a single building. The regulator also counts about a hundred so-called “peer-to-peer” exchanges, involving a single producer and a single consumer, such as two friends or neighbors.
“As the Commission rightly understands, the great advantage of this system is that it allows users to avoid exposure to fluctuations in energy prices,” explains Max Boutsen, COO of RaySun, a company specializing in supporting communities. “Previously, every electricity consumer or seller had to go through a major supplier. However, their prices are highly volatile due to global markets, particularly because they are linked to gas prices. In contrast, an investment in a solar panel is fixed. It allows stakeholders within a community to agree among themselves on a very stable price over a long period. They thus reclaim the margin previously captured by the supplier.” Another advantage is that consumers who join a community are exempt from the “green energy surcharge” on their bill.
For businesses as well
These very real financial benefits open up new opportunities. They allow anyone installing panels on their roof to scale their system by taking new market opportunities into account. As a result, some companies are beginning to offer their surplus energy at reduced prices to their employees, customers, or distributors.
It’s not just citizens who are interested in this new kind of market. In its latest report, Brugel reveals that nearly 50 sharing arrangements have been established between businesses. There are also 152 such arrangements between businesses and citizens. “Two-thirds of sharing arrangements in the Brussels-Capital Region involve a business,” explains Adeline Moerenhout, communications advisor for the Brussels authority.
Facq, Dott, and the Slaughterhouses
Among them are many SMEs, such as the bakery “La fleur du Pain,” as well as major players like Thon Hotels, the bathroom manufacturer Facq, and Dott, whose shared scooters are recharged through a community network.
Another textbook example is the Brussels slaughterhouses, which own a massive fleet of solar panels and are also members of Beci. Their morning operations concentrate their electricity consumption between 4 a.m. and noon. After that time, they resell their electricity locally through the Energilia community. “Just as one would do with waste, it thus recycles its production through a short supply chain at a price two to three times higher than that offered by major suppliers,” smiles the RaySun manager. He also mentions the companies along the canal and in other industrial zones as players with enormous potential.
In just a few clicks
The system’s growing success is also largely due to its simplicity. “Today, in just 10 minutes and a few clicks, you can buy or sell your electricity. Thanks to their tremendous work, Brugel and Sibelga have made Brussels the European leader in energy communities,” notes Max Boutsen, who concludes: “The only reason a company isn’t involved today is that it doesn’t know about the system yet.”
ESG is one of Beci’s core missions. To find out more, click here.