Here in Brussels, what if you could bring power-generating capacity via wind right into the heart of the city? That’s precisely what Brussels is trying out with urban Windmill Installation.
The green energy revolution is sweeping across Europe. It is mostly powered by solar panels and wind turbines. Only solar panels have been deemed suitable and flexible for installation both in the countryside and in cities. Wind turbines seem relegated to offshore locations.
Brussels decided to try a smaller wind turbine model designed by the startup Renewind. The Renewind mini wind turbine can be installed on a building’s roof. It can supply electricity to households. This could be a game changer for cities that do not see much sunshine but are exposed to regular air currents.
The first Renewind Windmill Installation was on a housing tower’s roof on Avenue de l’Héliport in Laeken. It cost only 6,000 euros. The plan previews ten such Windmill Installations on the same building’s roof. Renewind’s invention is designed to make the most of wind acceleration at the roof’s edge. This phenomenon could produce between 1 and 3 MWh per year.
Brussels Alderman for Climate Benoît Hellings said that urban wind turbine technology would probably allow the city to produce electricity in all seasons. The output would be stable and predictable. The plan is to expand this new technology across Belgium and test it out in other regions.
The City of Brussels and the Lakense Haard have installed the first urban wind turbine on a residential tower’s rooftop in the Avenue de l’Héliport area. This was in collaboration with Renewind. This Windmill Installation is part of a national partnership with Renewind. The start-up aims to test various wind turbines’ performance over twelve months. They will test in different regions of Belgium and neighboring countries.
Renewind’s turbines are designed to harness wind acceleration at building edges. Wind travels upward along a building’s facade. It meets higher-altitude winds creating an acceleration. That can generate between 1 and 3 MWh per year.
The Helihavenlaan building could host up to ten of these urban Windmill Installations. Many other flat roofs in Brussels could be used for turbine installations in the future. The City of Brussels has set an ambitious goal. It wants to produce 6 GWh of green local power by 2030. They have already achieved 66 per cent of that goal. They remain dedicated to working and innovating to reach this symbolic milestone.
Currently, most locally-generated energy comes from solar power. It is more effectively harnessed during summer and spring. Urban Windmill Installation technology may allow the city to produce electricity year-round. The output would be stable and predictable.
Minister of Energy and Climate Change Alain Maron wants to find solutions to produce wind energy in Brussels. Today there are only two small wind turbines in the Brussels Region. They are on top of Sibelga’s headquarters and the roof of car manufacturer Toyota. Maron thinks it should be possible to install large wind turbines in Brussels as well. They produce a lot of electricity. You need many solar panels for the equivalent of a large wind turbine. Energy generated by wind does have its place in Brussels.
A larger project could have been built on the Coca Cola site in Anderlecht. The consultation committee issued an unfavorable recommendation. It was because of the expected negative impact on the environment. This was in particular noise nuisance. It was a wind turbine 150 meters high.
There is now a solution for this: a new Windmill Installation model designed by an American company. This is only a prototype. The results are not yet known. Nevertheless, the minister finds the concept encouraging.
The Coca Cola project was rejected mainly due to urban planning considerations. There is no legal framework for the installation of large wind turbines. It is not easy to install a wind turbine in Brussels. Priority must be given to solar panels, biomethanisation, geothermal energy. Improving the energy performance of buildings is also important.