The European Commission (EC) has approved the certificates schemes for renewable electricity and high-efficiency cogeneration facilities implemented in Flanders (Belgium) under the European Union (EU) State aid rules and in particular the 2014 Guidelines on State Aid for Environmental Protection and Energy.
The renewable power scheme (also labelled as green certificate) enables Belgian renewable power producers to receive one green certificate for each MWh they generate, while the combined heat and power (CHP) certificates scheme allows high-efficiency cogeneration plants to receive one certificate for each saved MWh. Renewable electricity producers and high-efficiency CHP installations can then sell their certificates on the market and thereby obtain additional revenues on top of the electricity market price.
These two schemes will help Belgium to reach its 2020 target of generating 13% of its energy needs from renewable energy sources without any distortion of competition.