Information tour with EESC

29-30 June, Belgium

On 29 and 30 June last, EPIA organised a PV information tour for the European Economic and Social Committee (EESC) throughout Belgium. 20 participants from the EESC and EPIA joined the two-day tour. Almost the entire value-chain was covered.

On Day 1, participants visited the following facilities:

• Cell producer: Photovoltech, Tienen
• Module producer: Soltech, Tienen 
• Research centre: IMEC, Leuven
• Guided tour of Installations in Heusden Zolder by BELPV:
  o Large Power Plant of 4.7 MW under construction on an ancient coal mine
  o Giant Roof of 350 kW, measuring 2,760 m2
  o Semitransparent BIPV system of 13 kW capacity

On Day 2, participants visited the following facilities:

• PV Installations on the roof of the Council of the European Union, Brussels
• Colruyt distribution centre, Halle. This major supermarket chain in BE is widely integrating renewables and in particular innovative PV systems on its facilities. The participants saw the on-going installation of flexible PV systems.
• Sustainable Leisure Park, Chevetogne, which had the first large PV installation dating from 1983 decommissioned in order to be recycled. It will serve as a test programme for PV Cycle.

The EESC is a consultative body that gives representatives of Europe's socio-occupational interest groups (and others) a formal platform to express their point-of-views on EU issues. Its opinions are forwarded to the larger institutions - the Council, the Commission and the European Parliament. It thus has a key role to play in the Union's decision-making process.

Pictures and presentations of the visit are available here.