World's largest solar carport planned at Belgian zoo

Brussels — The world's largest planned solar carport is to be created at a zoo in Belgium, enabling the zoo to maximize its land use while reducing carbon emissions.

The planned 20 MW installation at the Pairi Daiza zoo in western Belgium will generate 20 GWh/year from spring 2020, more than covering the zoo's demand, developer Perpetum Energy said.

The surplus can be used by visitors to charge electric vehicles, with 80 charging points available from when the car park opens, and up to 800 points planned to be added in the coming years.

Any remaining surplus will be fed into the public electricity network, Perpetum on its website.

Electricity from the PV panels will save 6,860 mt of CO2 each year, compared with a gas-fired power station emitting 350g CO2/kWh, Perpetum said.

The project is funded by Green 4 Power, owned 30% by Perpetum and 70% by Integrale.

Green 4 Power is an ethical investment company focused on funding renewable energy projects.

French company Neoen brought a 16 MW solar carport project online earlier this year, at the Corbas and Saint Priest districts south of Lyon. It said this was France's largest photovoltaic shade project to date.

2030 RENEWABLE TARGETS

The EU has set itself a binding target to source 32% of its final energy from renewables by 2030, as part of efforts to decarbonize its economy by 2050.

Belgium has proposed a draft target to source 18.4% of its final energy from renewables by 2030 as its contribution to the EU target, up from a binding 13% target for 2020.

The European Commission has recommended Belgium raise this 2030 renewables ambition to at least 25%.

Belgium has to finalize its 2030 plans by the end of the year.

-- Siobhan Hall, siobhan.hall@spglobal.com

-- Edited by James Burgess, newsdesk@spglobal.com