The roof of the renovated, protected market hall Halles des Abattoirs has been equipped with a 2-megawatt photovoltaic system – a pioneering project highlighted in the new Learning from Europe series by The smarter E. Renovations restored the beauty of the original 19th-century zinc roof and gave it a solar touch. More than 5,800 black modules with aluminium strips were integrated into the curved roof of the former slaughterhouse as a building-integrated photovoltaic (BIPV) solution.
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The developers also took a creative approach to financing. More than 180 residents contributed between €500 and €10,000 through a crowdfunding campaign, raising a total of €300,000 to co-finance the project. This allowed locals to support sustainable development and climate protection in their own community, while earning an annual return of 5 per cent over eight years. The total cost of the project, including roof modifications for the PV installation, came to €1.7 million.
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Skysun owns and operates the PV system and has a long-term partnership with the building’s owner, Abattoir SA. Most of the electricity generated is sold directly to Abattoir SA, saving the company around €60,000 in energy costs each year. Surplus electricity is fed into the public grid. According to Skysun, the system – commissioned in October 2021 – has proven technically reliable and efficient, regularly exceeding the expected 1,653 megawatt hours (MWh) annually under normal weather conditions.
Skysun
From Thursday to Saturday, the “SolarMarket” serves as a market hall, event space and base for food industry businesses. While the building was in use before the renovation and PV retrofit, its poor condition, including water damage, had begun to limit its usability. The refurbishment has significantly improved its functionality.
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In addition to the Halles des Abattoirs, Skysun has developed several similar building-integrated solar solutions with a combined capacity of over 2.5 megawatts (MW). These include the Marché International food market in Mouscron (1.708 MW), the Greenland Lanson office park in Jette, Brussels (333 kilowatts), and the David Lloyd Club fitness spa in Uccle, a suburb of the capital (99 kW). (hcn)
This article was first published by The smarter E Europe as part of a new series called “Learning from Europe”. It presents innovative and successful projects from across Europe that show how a renewable 24/7 energy supply can work. pv Europe is media partner of The smarter E Europe.
