The implications are different depending on whether or not you have local electricity generation, such as solar panels or cogeneration. The position of your green meter in relation to the battery also plays a role.
There are 5 possible scenarios:
Before we go any further
It is crucial to understand the difference between the green meter reading and the grey meter reading.
- The green meter reading is the quantity of electricity generated by your panels (or your cogeneration), plus the quantity of electricity returned by the battery.
- The grey meter reading is the quantity of electricity from the Sibelga grid, stored in your battery.
Battery inside the green meter circuit
With its own inverter
When your battery is in the green meter circuit, it can potentially be supplied with electricity from the grid, which is known as "grey electricity". In this case, you must have a bidirectional green meter. When you enter your meter readings in the Green Meter platform, you'll need to enter two readings, the "grey" and the "green".
Therefore, you must:
- Have a smart meter.
- Have a bidirectional green meter.
- Declare your battery within 30 days following the date of the compliance report.
- Enter both the "grey" and the "green" meter readings in the Green Meter platform.
The green certificates will be calculated based on the volume of green electricity generated, i.e. (1)+(2)-(3).
Even without extracting from the grid
If your battery is in the green meter circuit, you must have a bidirectional green meter and enter the "grey" and "green" meter readings. This applies even if your battery is only used for self-consumption and does not extract energy from the grid. If this is the case, your grey meter reading will be 0.
On the same inverter as the panels
This setup is similar to the previous example. Therefore, you must:
- Have a smart meter.
- Have a bidirectional green meter.
- Declare your battery within 30 days following the date of the compliance report.
- Enter both the "grey" and the "green" meter readings in the Green Meter platform.
The green certificates will be calculated based on the volume of green electricity generated, i.e. (1)+(2)-(3).
Battery outside the green meter circuit
Your battery is connected to your installation via an inverter that is separate to that of your panels (or your cogeneration), and outside the green meter circuit. This scenario also applies to "plug & play" batteries connected to an ordinary electrical outlet. If this is the case, you don't need to have a bidirectional green meter, nor do you need to enter the grey meter reading on the Green Meter platform.
Therefore, you must:
- Have a smart meter.
- Have a bidirectional green meter.
- Declare your battery within 30 days following the date of the compliance report.
- Enter the "green" meter reading in the Green Meter platform.
The green certificates will be calculated based on the volume of electricity generated, calculated via the green meter (1).
"Plug & play" solar power kits
Do you have a solar power kit that includes solar panels and a battery connected directly to an electrical outlet? You do not receive green certificates. You don't need to have a green meter, nor do you need to enter your green meter reading. However, you do need to declare the battery and the panels in the solar power kit, and have a smart meter.
Battery with cogeneration
When your cogeneration is not running, it consumes electricity from the grid, known as "grey electricity" (for temperature maintenance, circulation pumps, etc.).
Whether or not your battery is in the green meter circuit, nothing changes for you. In any case, you must have a bidirectional green meter. When you enter your meter readings in the Green Meter platform, you'll need to enter two readings, the "grey" and the "green". Therefore, you must:
- Have a smart meter.
- Have a bidirectional green meter.
- Declare your battery within 30 days following the date of the compliance report.
- Enter both the "grey" and the "green" meter readings in the Green Meter platform.
The green certificates will be calculated based on the volume of green electricity generated.
Battery with no local electricity generation
You're installing a battery without having solar panels, and so you don't have a green meter or receive green certificate. In this case, you must:
- Have a smart meter.
- Declare your battery within 30 days following the date of the compliance report.
How do I tell the difference between green and grey meter readings?
There are many different brands and models of green meters available. As this component is neither supplied nor installed by Sibelga, we cannot be aware of all the technical specifications. Your installer must be able to explain to you the features of the green meter they have installed.
However, we can help you to tell the difference between the green and grey meter readings on your green meter. To do so, send an email to greenmeter@sibelga.be stating the brand and model and attaching photos of each LCD screen on your green meter so that we can best guide you.