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- ELIA Green Building — Schaarbeek
Belgium’s national grid operator, powered by its own sun — 2,900 m² of BIPV canopy covering 100 % of annual electricity demand
An energy-self-sufficient headquarters in Brussels — 2,900 m² of BIPV canopy generating enough electricity to power the entire building, year-round
A headquarters that produces what it consumes — zero-energy performance, BREEAM certification, and a solar identity visible from the street
Elia, Belgium’s national electricity transmission system operator, set out to build a headquarters that would embody its climate commitments in concrete, measurable terms. The ambition was not symbolic: the building had to produce enough renewable energy on-site to match its own annual electricity consumption. Architectes Associés developed a concept in which the solar strategy was lifted off the rooftop and placed at ground level — a 2,900 m² photovoltaic canopy spanning the car park in front of the main building, visible from the street and integrated into the architectural identity of the campus.
ISSOL® supplied and engineered the custom BIPV modules that form this canopy. With 430 kWp of installed capacity, the system delivers approximately 400 MWh per year — enough to cover the full annual electricity demand of the building. The project received BREEAM “Very Good” certification and was awarded “Exemplary Building” status by Brussels Environment, making it one of Belgium’s most recognised near-zero-energy office projects of its generation.
Solar canopy as primary energy infrastructure — vehicle shelter, architectural landmark and 430 kWp generator in a single structural layer
- 2,900 m² of ISSOL® Square BIPV modules integrated into the canopy structure spanning the car park — the PV array is the canopy, not an addition to it; no separate shelter structure, no redundant layers
- 430 kWp total installed capacity from a horizontal-to-tilted canopy plane — modules optimised for Belgian irradiation conditions, producing approximately 400 MWh per year across the full array
- Annual production matched to building demand: the solar canopy generates enough electricity to cover 100 % of the ELIA Green Building’s annual consumption, demonstrating real-world near-zero-energy performance — not just a modelled target
- Tailor-made modules: each ISSOL® Square panel engineered to the dimensional and structural logic of the canopy design — no standard off-the-shelf grid, ensuring the BIPV system reads as a coherent architectural surface rather than a panel layout imposed on a structure
- CO₂ reduction estimated at 70 to 100 tonnes per year, with financial return delivered through reduced energy bills and Belgian green energy incentives — the canopy performs as both an environmental asset and a financial one over its service life
- BREEAM “Very Good” and Brussels Environment “Exemplary Building” recognition: the BIPV canopy was a primary contributor to both certifications, demonstrating that large-scale integrated photovoltaics can anchor a building’s sustainability case rather than supplement it
Why it fits: A canopy that spans 2,900 m² in front of a landmark headquarters has to resolve two simultaneous demands: it must perform as a high-yield energy generator, and it must read as considered architecture — not as a field of bolted-on panels. ISSOL® Square’s custom dimensioning allowed the modules to be engineered to the structural rhythm of the canopy frame, so the BIPV surface has a consistent, purposeful geometry. The result is a solar installation that functions as a building element from day one — shelter, identity and energy infrastructure in a single layer — while delivering the 430 kWp output that makes the ELIA Green Building genuinely self-sufficient in electricity.
Parameters for rapid evaluation
| Parameter | Value | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Application | BIPV solar canopy | PV-integrated car park canopy; primary energy infrastructure for the headquarters campus |
| ISSOL® solution | ISSOL® Square | Custom-dimensioned BIPV modules; engineered to the structural rhythm of the canopy frame |
| BIPV surface | 2,900 m² | Full canopy span over car park in front of the main building; BIPV is the canopy structure |
| Installed power | 430 kWp | Modules optimised for Belgian irradiation; tilted canopy plane for maximum annual yield |
| Annual production | ~400 MWh/yr | Covers 100 % of the ELIA Green Building’s annual electricity consumption |
| CO₂ reduction | ~70–100 t/yr | Estimated annual savings; financial return via reduced energy bills and green energy incentives |
| Canopy function | Integrated shelter + energy | No separate canopy structure; the BIPV system is the vehicle shelter — single structural layer |
| Modules | Custom per module | Each panel dimensioned to the canopy grid; no standard size applied; coherent architectural surface |
| Certifications | BREEAM Very Good | Also awarded “Exemplary Building” status by Brussels Environment; BIPV canopy a primary contributor |
| Energy performance | Near-zero energy | One of Belgium’s first large-scale office projects to achieve near-zero energy performance at completion |
| Architect | Architectes Associés | Solar canopy as the primary architectural and energy intervention on the campus |
| Completed | 2013 | Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium |
“The solar canopy was never conceived as a technical add-on — it was the architectural move. By placing the photovoltaic system where it could be seen, used and experienced every day, we made the building’s energy ambition legible: not hidden on a rooftop, but present at the threshold, sheltering every arrival.”
ELIA Green Building — New Schaerbeek · Schaarbeek, Brussels, Belgium, 2013
430 kWp at ground level — a solar canopy that is architecture first, energy infrastructure second
