The principle of energy sharing

Ideally, you use the energy you produce directly, making it free energy. But that's not always possible...  

The surplus energy that would normally be reinjected back into the grid can now be shared!  You can share with your family, with neighbours, or even with a whole district.

There are 3 types of sharing

1. Peer-to-peer.
   For example, between two neighbours, or between two members of your family.
2. Within the same building.
   For example, in a condominium where production is shared between all the apartments.
3. In an energy community.
   For example, when one or more local producers want to share their energy with the whole district.

Who are the different parties involved?

External stakeholders

• Would you like to be guided through the whole process?
  Call a Brussels Environment Facilitator for free. 
• Sibelga is an important stakeholder in all cases.  
  We need to install smart meters and manage the monitoring of participants' consumption.
• If you want to create a community, Brugel will also have to approve your project.
• You can also use third-parties to manage invoicing.

Stakeholders in the sharing project

• You need at least one renewable energy producer.
  In the case of sharing between two homes, there is only one producer. In the case of energy sharing within a building or community, there may be multiple producers.
• There must be consumers to use this renewable energy.
  Let's imagine that photovoltaic panels have been installed on the roof of an apartment building. In this case, all apartments are potential participants.

A mandatory smart meter

The smart meter is essential for sharing, so each participant in the sharing project must have one.

By checking the meter readings of all participants at 15-minute intervals, we can see what is being injected into the network and what is being consumed at the same time, every quarter of an hour. We can then apply the necessary calculations to the distribution.

Two invoices

If you take part in an energy-sharing project or community scheme, you'll have two different invoices.

• One invoice for the consumption from the energy-sharing project.
  This is the energy you'll consume directly from the surplus of the local producer who shares their energy with you.
• One invoice from your energy supplier.
  This is the energy consumed that does not come from the local producer. You pay the market price, through your usual supplier.

Attractive prices!

The end consumer will have access to electricity at a very attractive price. In fact, the price of the "energy" part is discussed between the various participants. It could even be zero if you wish. 

The energy producer will first consume the electricity they produce themselves (individual self-consumption), therefore already saving on energy costs. What's more, by reselling the surplus to members of the sharing scheme, they're increasing their financial income.

This is an advantageous system, as the surplus energy can be resold by the producer at a higher rate than the purchase price offered on the market. The aim, of course, is to achieve a "win-win" situation for the producer and participating consumers.

What does the energy-sharing invoice consist of?

A sharing invoice is made up of two parts:

• The network part (distribution rates);
• The energy part (negotiated between the producer and the participant).

1. The network part (distribution rates)

The network part of your energy-sharing invoice will depend on the situation of the various participants on the network. There are 4 different types to consider, depending on whether you are:

• Within the same building;
• Under the same network substation (medium to low voltage);
• Above the same network substation, and under the same Elia primary substation;
• Above the Elia primary substation.

Of course, this is limited to the Brussels-Capital Region.

The principle is that the closer the various participants are to each other, the lower the cost of using the network. This is to encourage people to share as locally as possible.

2. The energy part (negotiated between the producer and the participant)

This price is discussed between the various participants. It could even be zero if you wish.

Want to get started?