Solar Panels Made More Affordable for Farmers, SMEs

At a press conference earlier today, Luxembourg's Minister of Energy Claude Turmes unveiled new details of the "Clever Solar" campaign, intended to promote solar energy in Luxembourg. 

The Energy Minister presented new pricing for photovoltaic installations above 30 kW as well as a newly developed solar cadastre aimed at promoting the installation of solar panels. Minister Claude Turmes also took the opportunity to take stock of the development of solar energy in Luxembourg.

With the aim of further supporting the development of solar energy in Luxembourg, the government has adapted the pricing system. Aid for photovoltaic installations above 30 kW and up to a maximum of 200 kW will henceforth be directly accessible to farmers, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and tertiary buildings, while larger projects from 200 to 500 kW and 500 kW to 5 MW, will remain subject to a call for tenders.

Minister Claude Turmes specified: “Solar energy is an energy of the future, and the latest figures have been clear proof that more and more residents are joining it: the production of photovoltaic plants is constantly increasing. By allowing more actors to benefit from the advantageous pricing previously reserved for cooperatives and civil societies, we hope to convince even more actors that photovoltaic energy is not only beneficial for the climate, but also for the economy since it directly supports crafts".

The Energy Minister also presented the solar cadastre, a tool for planning photovoltaic projects and assessing the available solar potential. The solar cadastre is now available on http://energie.geoportail.lu.

Developed with myenergy, the national solar cadastre is a simplification tool which makes it possible to easily identify roofs potentially suitable for the reception of solar panels: thanks to filters, single-family homes, residences and municipal and state-owned buildings will thus be divided into categories according to their potential for receiving solar panels. The tool will also provide information on the energy potential of a possible photovoltaic installation, as well as the financial profitability of the installation.

Minister Claude Turmes summarised: “In 2019, the installed power from solar energy in Luxembourg reached a new peak of 150 MW, covering the electricity needs of around 100,000 people. The increase in installed capacity between 2018 and 2019 was three times greater than in previous years. These very encouraging figures are clear proof that Luxembourg is making way for the sun".

The trend for the future also seems promising: following a solar call for tenders, 20 projects with a total power of 30.78 MW (equivalent to the consumption of 8,800 homes) were allocated in April 2020 and must be completed before the end of 2021.

At the European level, Luxembourg ranks 7th in relation to the installed photovoltaic capacity per inhabitant. Minister Claude Turmes concluded: "The targets for photovoltaic installations for 2020 have already been exceeded at this stage and Luxembourg is on track to reach its targets for 2030".

In order to further support this development, the Energy Minister also presented a new campaign to promote advantageous pricing for photovoltaic installations. All information is available on www.myenergy.lu and via tel.: 8002-1190.