Solar Plaza (Rotterdam, The Netherlands) has released an estimate that Belgium installed 880 MW of new solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity in 2011, a record for the nation. The company states that Belgium expects similar growth in 2012.

Solar Plaza states that with this new capacity, the nation has the second-highest installed PV capacity per capita in the world, after Germany. Solar Plaza cites industry figures who note that this development comes despite warnings that the PV market would decline in 2011 due to subsidy cuts.

"But prices decreased also in a way that consumers paid less for their panels in the end. In retrospect, all panic was for nothing," states Zero Emission Solutions CEO Alex Plofliet. "In Flanders 600 new Megawatt was installed and in the entire country 880 Megawatt, making 2011 the best year ever."

 "Newspapers wrote that the payback period was extended with five years, but that’s not true. Prices dropped again so it takes people seven years to earn back their money on panels that last for twenty years."

Industrial users retain tax incentive

Plofliet also states that in 2015 or 2016 electricity from PV will be cheaper than electricity from the grid. This time table should be even shorter for industrial users, who can still access tax deductions equal to 13.5% of their investments in solar.

Plofliet will be one of the speakers at Solar Plaza's Solar Future Belgium conference, which will be held on March 28th, 2012 in Brussels.

2012-02-22| Courtesy: Solar Plaza | solarserver.com © Heindl Server GmbH

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