Belgium: Grid Operators to Compensate Solar Panel Owners
The Walloon government has adopted a groundbreaking decree requiring grid distribution network operators to compensate owners of photovoltaic solar panels when their systems are forced to disconnect from the grid due to overvoltage. The compensation mechanism, set to take effect in 2027, aims to protect the approximately 300,000 “prosumers” — households that both produce and consume electricity — from financial losses caused by grid saturation on sunny days.
Context
Wallonia has experienced a massive increase in residential solar panel installations over the past decade, with roughly 300,000 households now equipped with photovoltaic systems. However, the region’s low-voltage distribution network, managed primarily by operators ORES and RESA, was not designed for bidirectional electricity flows and high levels of decentralized production.
On sunny days, local electricity grids can become saturated, causing voltage to rise beyond safe limits. Inverters automatically shut down to prevent damage, preventing solar panel owners from injecting electricity into the grid — and causing financial losses. According to RTBF, approximately one in three solar panel owners experience these disconnections.
Key Developments
The decree, adopted in first reading on May 28, 2026, was announced by Walloon Minister-President Adrien Dolimont and Energy Minister Cécile Neven, both members of the Reformist Movement (MR). It must pass second and third readings before final adoption.
Under the new rules, solar panel owners who suspect disconnection issues must submit a request form to their grid operator. The operator will then monitor the household’s smart meter for one year. Compensation will be proportional to the actual production loss — the kilowatt-hours not injected — multiplied by the average electricity price. For an average installation, this could range from tens to several hundred euros per year, estimated at approximately €0.35 per kWh not produced. If disconnections occur less than 1% of the time, no compensation is paid.
“The grid operator will be able to follow the communicating meter for one year,” Minister Neven explained, as reported by RTBF. “It will observe if disconnections are effective and the prosumer will be compensated in proportion to the quantity of kWh they were unable to inject onto the network.”
Minister-President Dolimont framed the measure as a dual-purpose policy, according to L’Avenir: “The idea is to solve this problem through a compensation mechanism that makes distribution network operators responsible. This should also encourage them to invest more so that eventually these disconnections no longer exist.”
Analysis & Implications
The estimated annual cost of the compensation scheme could reach up to €20 million for ORES, the main Walloon grid operator, and up to €5 million for RESA in the Liège region — a combined maximum of approximately €25 million per year. Grid operators will bear these costs initially, though there is a possibility they could be passed on to all consumers’ electricity bills after 2029, subject to approval by the Walloon regulator CWaPE. If fully passed through, the estimated impact would be approximately €10 per household per year.
Energy Minister Neven has assured that there will be no impact on consumer bills until 2029, as reported by La Libre: “The current tariff period ends in 2029. There will be no change for all citizens until 2029.”
However, the measure has drawn criticism from grid operators. Annabel Vanbéver, spokesperson for ORES, told RTBF: “We are against the very principle of compensation, because these are funds not allocated to the real solution, which is investment in network modernization.” She added that compensation “will be expensive and, in itself, will solve nothing.”
The prosumer advocacy group BeProsumer has also expressed concerns. Spokesperson Régis François noted that while proportional compensation is a positive step, the association is waiting to see the exact mathematical formula for calculating payments. He warned that if the concept of “bad voltage quality” is not included in the calculation, approximately 25% of members could be excluded from compensation.
According to the MR’s official statement, the mechanism is designed to provide a concrete and long-awaited response to losses suffered by prosumers who have “taken their part in the energy transition.”
What’s Next
The decree must still pass second and third readings before final adoption, and the exact compensation formula has not yet been published. The mechanism is scheduled to enter into force in 2027, with no retroactive effect for losses incurred before that date. Key questions remain, including whether other Belgian regions — Flanders and Brussels — will adopt similar mechanisms, and whether the compensation costs will ultimately be passed to all electricity consumers after 2029.