Are you planning to produce your own energy? There are a number of steps that should be followed to the letter to ensure your installation is compliant. This is the prerequisite to be able to inject electricity into the grid. And make money from it.
Don't miss a single step. Then you'll then benefit from all the advantages of your green energy:
- Use electricity for free;
- And earn income from green certificates.
From requesting installation to selling green certificates
Whatever the source of your green energy - photovoltaic panels, cogeneration or other - the steps are the same.
10 steps
The green energy installer will study the feasibility and profitability of your project. They'll work with you to determine the power you need.
The technical requirements vary according to the power threshold of your installation. Based on their analysis, they'll send you a quotation.
Would you like to install a system over 5 kVA?
You must ask Sibelga for an agreement in principle for the installation of this system. Our technical department will analyse the feasibility of the project and determine whether the desired power will require additional work, such as upgrading the connection.
Submit your work request to obtain an agreement in principle. (The quotation you receive following your work request will serve as an agreement in principle.)
Would you like to install a system under 5 kVA?
There's no need to request an agreement in principle; you can just have your panels installed and even make an appointment for the compulsory smart meter installation.
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Good to know: an installation of less than 5 kVA provides sufficient power for a single-family home. |
Once you have chosen your installer, they will install three pieces of equipment in your home:
- Your photovoltaic panels or cogeneration system;
- An inverter, to convert direct current into alternating current, making it compatible with the grid;;
- A green meter. This is an additional meter to measure the total electricity produced by your installation.
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Important: your installation must meet our technical requirements to be compliant. Your installer of the photovoltaic panels or cogeneration system must be familiar with these requirements. |
When your installation is complete, you must request a visit from an accredited inspection body.
This inspector will check that your production unit and electrical installation meet current standards. If this is the case, you will receive a certificate of conformity within two working days on average.
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Note : the green index on the certificate of conformity is the start of your energy production statement. So, if the other steps are delayed, it's this initial index that will be taken into account when calculating your green certificates. |
Once you've received your certificate of conformity, you can then ask us to install a smart meter.
A self-production installation requires a new meter. This is a digital meter, known as a smart meter. This smart meter is unique in that it measures both the electricity drawn from and the electricity injected into the grid separately, known as a bidirectional measurement.
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Did you know? It is impossible to have a meter that "runs backwards" in the Brussels-Capital Region. This phenomenon was observed among private customers whose electricity production exceeded consumption. The compulsory installation of a bidirectional meter allows you to accurately measure your consumption and injection into the grid. |
Your smart meter request: 4 situations
The application procedure may vary depending on your situation:
- Do you have a conventional meter? All you have to do is ask for it to be replaced by an bidirectional smart meter;
- Do you already have a digital meter? This type of meter is often already bidirectional. Request activation of your injection index;
- Would you like to add an extra meter? Request an extra meter ;
- Is your building not yet connected to the grid? You need to request a new connection. When making this request, make sure you specify that you intend to install photovoltaic panels or a cogeneration system. We'll take care of your connection and the installation of your bidirectional meter.
Following your request, either one of our technicians will come to your home to install your bidirectional meter, or we will activate the injection measurement remotely, if you already have a smart (and therefore bidirectional) meter.
Following the installation of the bidirectional smart meter, you will automatically receive a Sibelga certificate of your bidirectional meter installation.
This certificate is essential:
- To give you the right to inject energy into the grid;
- To access green certificates issued by Brugel.
To qualify for green certificates, you must have the conformity of your green meter verified by an Accredited Certification Body (ACB) designated by Brugel.Following the visit, if your installation is compliant, the ACB will issue its certification.
Find the list of Accredited Certification Bodies on the Brugel website.
After receiving certification from the ACB, you will gain access to 2 tools:
- Sibelga's Green meter application (https://greenmeter.sibelga.be)
This is where you submit your green meter readings. This submission can be done on a quarterly basis. - Brugel's extranet (https://extranet.brugel.be)
In your personal account on this site, you'll find your green certificates, provided that you've correctly submitted your green meter readings correctly in the Green meter application.
A few days after submitting your green meter readings in the Green meter application, you'll find your green certificates on Brugel's extranet site.
The number of green certificates awarded depends on the source, power and start-up date.
To convert your green certificates into euros, you'll need to resell them. You can choose your buyer from all green certificate buyers in the Brussels-Capital Region.
In Brussels, the market price is around €80 per green certificate. (Please note: these prices vary considerably depending on market trends.)
Can you outsource steps?
There are many steps and players involved in the installation process for green energy production. However, you can entrust the whole process to an intermediary.
Some solar panel installers take care of all the administrative formalities.