In Belgium, the government has established the legal framework governing energy sharing. It is therefore now possible to share your energy (generated from renewable, non-fossil sources such as wind or solar power) with a third party, whether within the same building or through an energy community.
There are 3 types of energy community, and the steps to set one up differ from one region to another:
The three types of energy community are:
- the citizen energy community (CEC),
- the renewable energy community (CER)
- the local energy community (CEL) – only possible in the Brussels-Capital Region.
They differ mainly in the type of people involved, the type of energy shared (whether or not it comes from renewable sources) and the owner of the installation.
As a reminder, an energy community may carry out activities and services defined by law:
- Production, consumption, storage and sharing of electricity*
- Supply of electricity
- Aggregation services
- Flexibility services (more information here)
- Charging services for electric vehicles
- Energy-efficiency services
- Sale of electricity produced by the energy community.
At present, the members of an energy community must be connected to one or more distribution system operators (DSOs) in accordance with the applicable territorial rules, particularly in the case of sharing across DSOs (cross-DSO). They must also have a smart meter in order to take part in energy sharing.
For more information on the different types of energy sharing, click here.
What are the steps to set up an energy community?
1. Identifying the objectives and the members
As a first step, it is important to identify the objectives of the energy community, such as the production, distribution or consumption of renewable energy (see the service activities above).
It should be noted that the primary objective of energy communities is to generate environmental, social and economic benefits for their members and for the region in which they are located. An energy community may therefore not be geared solely towards financial gain.
Next, it is important to determine who its members are (natural persons, companies, etc.) and its representative (or manager). The energy community can bring together several producers and several participating consumers.
2. Setting up a legal entity
First of all, it should be noted that, unlike energy sharing within the same building, setting up an energy community, whatever its form, requires the establishment of a separate legal entity (legal person) distinct from that of its members.
Drawing up the articles of association will allow the various members to agree on the community’s objectives, the role of each participant, the prices, any management fees, the allocation key, etc.
3.Notifying the regulator of the activity
Before starting their activities, energy communities must notify the regulator of their creation by submitting a complete file, including the objectives and the operating arrangements.
This step is carried out via a form to be completed:
- For Brussels, the form is available on the website of Brugel
- For Wallonia, the form is available on the website of the CWaPE
- For Flanders, the form is available on the website of the VREG
Once the form and the supporting documents (list of members, articles of association, copy of the internal rules, etc.) have been submitted, the regulator can rule on the file.
Brussels
- BRUGEL has thirty calendar days from receipt of the initial authorisation request to check that the file is complete and to request additional information and/or changes to be made.
- BRUGEL then has sixty calendar days from receipt of the complete application (including any additional information and/or updated documents) to rule on the application.
Wallonia
- The CWaPE has ten working days to check whether the file is complete.
- If information is missing, the community’s representative has up to 6 months to complete the file.
- If the file is complete, the representative of the energy community will receive an acknowledgement of receipt.
Flanders
- After registering the energy community on mijnfluvius, it must be notified to the VREG. This activation requires all members to give their consent regarding the management of the community and the sharing of data on the energy exchanged.
- The community starts as soon as all the mandates have been approved, or at the latest 30 days after the date of the application if all the conditions are met.
4. Authorisation
Once the file is complete, and after technical advice from the network operators concerned, the representative of the energy community will receive an acknowledgement of receipt from the regulator. The regulator will also publish the authorised energy communities on its website.
The authorisation received is valid for a renewable period of 10 years in Brussels and Wallonia and 5 years in Flanders.
RaYSun, your partner for setting up energy communities
RaYSun offers a full range of tailor-made services designed to guide you through the various stages of setting up an energy community : from the initial project thinking and its financing through to implementation and day-to-day management.
Would you like to set up or take part in an energy community? Do not hesitate to book an appointment with one of our experts. We will be happy to think through the best solution for your project together with you.