Belgium has the largest energy storage facility in Europe
Belgium can call itself the home of the largest energy storage facility of continental Europe after a French company took interest in a small town in the province of Hainaut.
The solar energy company Corsica Sole has touched down in Deux-Acren, a town right by the language border, to create a facility capable of storing 100 MWh of energy in lithium-ion batteries. That’s as much power as 1,000 Tesla Model S cars.
In fact, Elon Musk’s company has something to do with this ambitious project. The batteries in question are so-called Megapacks from Tesla’s Gigafactory in Nevada.
Besides contributions from Tesla, the project was also in collaboration with InnoVent and the Belgian renewable energy company Yuso. In total, the energy storage facility was a €33 million investment.
The Deux-Acren site may be the biggest of its kind in Europe, but Belgium has several other similar facilities, namely in Ruien (in the province of East Flanders) and in Balen (in the province of Antwerp). If combined, these two facilities match the 100MWh of the site in Deux-Acren.
This is just another example of Belgium playing a key part in the transition towards renewable energy. The heart of Europe is at the forefront, whether it’s in energy storage, green hydrogen or even a major network of offshore wind farms in collaboration with several other countries.
Did you know that the Belgian computer and imaging systems manufacturer Agfa-Gevaert was presented with an innovation award for a highly effective technology that produces green hydrogen?