The City of Ghent launched a new tool to stimulate the purchase of solar panels. On a digital map the solar potential of every roof in Ghent can be assessed. With this tool, citizens, shop owners and companies can easily discover how suitable their roof is for solar panels, and how much solar energy they can produce.
The solar map takes into account the orientation and inclination angle of every roof. The negative influence of the shadow of surrounding buildings and large trees is also taken into consideration.
Together with the existing heat map of Ghent, this solar map is an important energy map to inform citizens and companies in Ghent on the energy value of their house or building, and to stimulate them to make their houses more energy efficient.
Within its climate policy, the city of Ghent aims at doubling the amount of renewable energy from 7.5% in 2011 towards 15% of the domestic energy demand in 2019. The solar map is one of instruments to engage citizens and companies to cooperate in the process towards a climate neutral city.
The solar map, a realisation of an idea from the Environment Department, is actively promoted towards SMEs by the Economics Department. This is a perfect example of an integrated SEAP implementation.
