Significantly fewer solar panels registered in 2024 after the disappearance of the premium

Fluvius currently has approximately 100,000 registered PV installations in 2024. These are not final figures yet. The data still needs to be checked for, among other things, incorrect reports.

This is a decrease of approximately 40 percent compared to 2023. However, that was a record year for solar panels. More than 150,000 installations were added, and the installed capacity increased by more than 1,000 megawatts. Many families then decided to invest in solar panels due to the energy crisis. It was also the last year that a premium was possible.

For comparison: provisional figures from the Flemish Energy and Climate Agency showed that just over 500 megawatts would be added until the end of October 2024.

Moreover, Fluvius talks about registrations, and not about placements. After all, the grid operator only has insight into officially registered installations. It is suspected that not everyone registers the installations in time, which is mandatory. “We suspect that the elimination of the premium for the purchase of solar panels will also have an effect on timely registration,” Fluvius said. The grid operator previously said it suspected that a quarter of the new PV installations were registered too late. Such a registration is necessary because Fluvius needs to know how busy the power network is and where it should invest.