The Luiret project in Belgium
Renewable energy in Belgium
Belgium’s high population density limits the deployment of large-scale infrastructure of renewable energy as it often leads to local opposition. In 2024, offshore wind contributed 10%, onshore wind 7.9%, and solar energy 11.9% to the national electricity mix, with all three gradually growing. This page gathers ongoing and completed research projects on renewable energy in Belgium.
List of ongoing studies in Belgium:
Acceptability of agrivoltaic projects in Wallonia
This project was part of the master’s thesis of Antoine Dubois, titled « L’acceptabilité des projets agrivoltaïques en Wallonie : une analyse croisée des critères techniques, politiques et sociaux ». It was conducted as part of his Master’s degree in Geographical Sciences at UCLouvain, in 2025.
Energy communities : decentralisation and justice in the energy transition
This research brings into conversation the praxis of justice and decentralisation within the energy transition. With renewable energy communities at the crux of the energy transition, this research identifies and compares how different provisions refer to these in the framework of a decentralised energy justice, comprised of recognition, procedural, and distributional justice. Empirically, we focus on legislation addressing renewable energy communities across three levels of governance: supranational (European Union), national (Belgium), and subnational (Wallonia, Brussels region, and Flanders). Overall, we aim to gain a greater understanding of how renewable energy communities are designed in the context of the energy transition and their provisions in the context of a transformation of the energy sector.
Submission and approval of wind turbine projects in Wallonia.
This project explores where wind turbines are most likely to be planned and what factors influence their approval in Belgium. By combining spatial data with demographic, environmental, and infrastructural variables, the research highlights the territorial dynamics that shape the siting of renewable energy projects. This project was part of the master’s thesis of Lucas Franck, titled « Explanatory factors of the submission and of the approval of wind turbine projects in Wallonia, Belgium »
