Can a school run on its own electricity?

Yes. A school can run on its own electricity with solar panels, a battery and a backup source. In Incourt, a private school runs fully off-grid this way. The hard part is not the technology but the calendar. A school is empty in the sunniest weeks and busy in the darkest ones. An off-grid system for a school is therefore sized on the winter term and on the biggest loads, with a generator or the grid for the weeks the sun cannot cover.

Maybe the idea came up at a board meeting. The roof already has panels, yet the electricity bill keeps rising. Or the grid operator quoted a heavy price for the new wing. Somebody asks: why can our school not produce all its own power?

What most boards do not see at first is the calendar. Your panels deliver their best weeks when the pupils are on holiday. In December the classrooms are lit from eight in the morning, the ventilation runs all day, and the panels deliver little. Adding more panels is the obvious fix, but it mainly adds more surplus in summer. Without storage and a backup plan, the school still buys its winter power from the grid.

The school in Incourt chose the other route. It was founded in 1995 as a private school without subsidies, and teaches pupils from 7 to 18. Its view: independent education calls for an independent electricity supply. New solar panels, a battery system and a generator now supply the whole site, in a custom off-grid design.

Can a school go fully off-grid in Belgium?

Yes. A school may run without a grid connection, as long as the installation meets the electrical safety rules. The Belgian electrical safety code (AREI in Dutch, RGIE in French) applies to an off-grid installation too. The system is inspected like any other installation.

Off-grid means the school forms its own small grid. An inverter-charger (the device that turns battery power into normal 230 V or 400 V power) sets the voltage and frequency. The panels charge the battery during the day. The battery supplies the building in the evening and at the weekend. A generator starts when the battery runs low after a few grey days.

Our article on energy independence in Belgium explains the rules and the difference between off-grid and a backup battery in more detail. Here we look at what is different for a school.

When does a school use electricity, and when does the sun shine?

A school uses most of its electricity on weekdays between about 8:00 and 17:00, in term time. That is a good match with solar power during the day. It is a poor match with the calendar: weekends, school holidays and winter.

• Weekends and evenings: the panels keep producing while the building is closed. A battery holds that energy for Monday morning.
• Summer holidays: the best solar weeks of the year fall in July and August. A UK school solar specialist estimates that a day school uses only about 35 to 55% of its own solar production on site.
• Winter term: according to PVGIS, the European Commission solar tool, 1 kWp of panels in Belgium produces about 31 to 33 kWh in December against about 127 kWh in June.

That is why a school is harder to make independent than an office that works all year, and easier than a house that uses most power in the evening. The winter term, not the yearly total, decides the size of the system.

Off-grid, semi-off-grid or solar on the grid: which fits your school?

Most schools do not need to leave the grid to use more of their own power. Three routes exist, and the right one depends on why the school wants independence.

A semi-off-grid system keeps the grid connection, but the school runs on its panels and battery first. The grid only tops up when the battery gets too low. A farm in Tielt works this way and takes only about 5% of its yearly use from the grid.

How big must a school's solar and battery system be?

Start from the use per pupil and from the winter months. Energie+, a Belgian reference site on energy in buildings, puts the average electricity use of schools in Wallonia at 200 kWh per pupil per year. It sees 50 kWh per pupil in well-performing schools.

For a school of 400 pupils, Energie+ estimates about 600 m² of panels at 160 kWh per pupil, and almost 200 m² after a renovation to 50 kWh per pupil. Every kWh you save before you build is a kWh you do not have to produce and store in winter. LED lighting, ventilation that follows occupancy and a kitchen that does not heat everything at once come first.

Then size three things separately:

Our guide to the parts of an off-grid system explains the role of each component.

What does an off-grid school gain, and what does it cost?

The gain is independence and a lower, more predictable energy cost; the cost depends on your use, your roof and the backup you choose. We do not publish a price per school, because two schools of the same size can differ by a factor of three in use per pupil.

An off-grid project for a research and education site in Beernem shows the kind of reasoning. The site paid more than 800 euro a month for electricity, about 10,000 euro a year. Enough panels to cover its needs would have meant a Fluvius grid study, a disconnection panel and perhaps a medium voltage cabin, costs that could reach 30,000 euro. Off-grid avoided that spending. The site now runs on 17 kWp of panels, a battery and a generator for dark periods.

The same logic applies to a new school building or a new wing far from the street. Our article on a new building without a grid connection shows what that route involves. For businesses in general, our article on when off-grid pays off for a business lists the cost drivers.

Off-grid is not the right choice for every school. A school next to a strong grid connection, with no independence goal, usually saves more per euro with insulation, efficient lighting and panels on the grid.

Which subsidies and obligations apply to schools?

In Wallonia, schools can apply for UREBA, the regional subsidy for energy works in public and non-commercial buildings. Schools are named among the eligible organisations. A prior energy audit is required, and the application must come before the works start.

• UREBA (Wallonia): 40% of eligible costs for most works, with a 30% bonus when the building reaches a set energy target. The list includes works to bring the electrical installation in line before installing solar panels. Batteries are not on the published list of works, so check your project with the Service public de Wallonie before you sign.
• Flanders only, solar obligation: school buildings whose connection takes more than 250 MWh a year (from 2026) or 100 MWh a year (from 2030) must install solar panels on their roof. AGION also offers schools an interest-free energy loan.
• Private schools: whether a non-subsidised school qualifies depends on the programme rules. Ask the administration before you count on aid.

What happens when a school or municipality asks us?

We start with your consumption, not with a catalogue. Does your school board or municipality have to tender the work? Read how a public body buys a battery or off-grid system.

1. Step 1: Send us your electricity invoices or quarter-hour data, the number of pupils, the opening hours and the main loads (kitchen, ventilation, heat pump, sports hall).
2. Step 2: If the data is missing, we can measure your consumption for a short period first.
3. Step 3: Our design office calculates the off-grid system for your school: type, number and orientation of the panels, type and power of the inverters, type and size of the batteries and, where needed, the generator.
4. Step 4: Installation, inspection and commissioning.
5. Step 5: You follow production, consumption and the battery in real time through the monitoring software, with the app and the Victron VRM portal.

The same approach works for other institutions: a municipal building, a research site or a retreat. A meditation centre in Hechtel-Eksel uses power mainly at weekends and charges its battery during the week. Our article on power for weekend and seasonal sites covers that case.