Mechelen pilot project shows promising results for solar energy storage in social housing

A pilot project in Mechelen, Belgium, is showing promising results in helping residents of social housing make better use of their solar energy. Three homes in the Otterbeek neighborhood have been equipped with plug-and-play battery storage systems since January, allowing them to store solar power generated by rooftop panels for later use.

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A lot of the energy generated is unfortunately lost. With these plug-in batteries, families can store the energy and use it afterward.

Before the trial, only 17 percent of the solar energy produced by these homes was used directly by the residents. Now, with the new battery technology, this figure has jumped to nearly 50 percent. This means significantly less solar power is being fed back into the electricity grid, with more of it being consumed by the households themselves.

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Nearly half of the solar energy that the three pilot homes have generated since the beginning of this year is now used directly by the residents themselves. Before the experiment, that was only 17 percent.

"A lot of the energy generated is unfortunately lost," said Pia Indigne, the city's alderman for energy. "With these plug-in batteries, families can store the energy and use it afterward." The project is a collaboration between the citizen cooperative Klimaan, the City of Mechelen, and the Woonmaatschappij Rivierenland housing company.

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It is unfortunately not financially feasible for everyone. That is why we are very grateful that Klimaan wants to make the investment, both for the solar panels and the plug-in batteries. The residents of the social housing estate can use them immediately.

If the positive results continue, the city plans to implement this technology across all 197 social rental homes in the Otterbeek area. The project is scheduled to run until January 2027, with hopes that this trend toward smarter energy systems will become widespread.

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At the same time, we are building a smarter energy system that puts less pressure on the electricity grid. If the positive results are confirmed, we want to roll out this technology to all 197 homes in Otterbeek. I do think this trend will continue.