Expert Technology & High-Tech Research Clusters

Fossil fuels like coal, petroleum and natural gas are becoming depleted and increasingly expensive. Furthermore, the continued use of these fossil energy resources is the major cause of greenhouse gas emissions, with long-term effects that may change our climate. That is why Flanders, for some time now, has been making great strides in the development of new technologies for renewable energy. These can primarily be found in the fields of biomass, wind power and solar energy.
  
Biomass
 
Flanders has built up extensive expertise in the field of biomass as a renewable energy source. Electrabel, Flanders' biggest energy producer, burns a significant amount of biomass together with charcoal in its energy plants at Rodenhuize, Ruien and Langerlo. In Flanders, almost all of the waste incinerators produce heat and/or electricity. Indaver is a fine example of such a high-tech waste management company. A company like Vyncke Energietechniek delivers 'industrial waste to clean energy' solutions around the world. It is Flanders' major private player in the biomass to heat industry.

To drive the development of the knowledge-based bio-economy in Flanders, Ghent Bio Energy Valley was created in 2005. Ghent Bio-energy valley is a joint initiative of Ghent University, the city of Ghent, the Port of Ghent, the organization for regional development in the province of East Flanders (POM Oost Vlaanderen) and several industrial companies from the Ghent region that are active in the fields of bio-energy generation, distribution, storage and use..

The city of Ghent is currently home to the biggest bio-fuel port in Europe. A number of companies are clustered around this logistics hub: from plants that produce bioethanol and biodiesel to plants that recycle paper and treat municipal and industrial waste. But also agro bulk shipping companies and all kinds of logistics players. Examples are Alco-Bio Fuel, Bioro, Stora Enso, OWS and Oleon Biodiesel.

Wind power

Flanders discovered the potential of renewable energy through wind power some time ago. Its biggest wind project, to date, is located at the Kluizendock in the city of Ghent. Another fine example of the possibilities of wind energy in Flanders is Nike's European Distribution Center (EDC) at Meerhout. It has six wind turbines which it uses to generate a large proportion of its required energy.

There are many companies in Flanders with international experience in the engineering and design of components for on- and offshore wind turbines right through to whole wind turbine parks. Pauwels Trafo, Hansen Transmissions, Smulders Group, Tractebel Engineering, C-Power and Electrawinds are the names of a few of these.
 
Solar energy

Although only a small fraction of renewable energy in Flanders comes from solar energy, the region houses many companies active in the technology surrounding solar energy. These companies develop and produce next-generation components for photovoltaic cells and modules. Umicore, Recticel, Photovoltech, 3E and Izen are just some of these high-tech companies.
 
Researching and developing advanced technologies 

The Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO) implements and develops energy technology, among other things. The institute provides energy suppliers, appliance builders, end users and government bodies with technical support in their quest for rational use of energy, optimum use of available or renewable energy sources and reducing carbon dioxide emissions. The department works on technological developments, conducts policy studies and also provides information about energy technologies.

The Environmental and Energy Technology Innovation Platform (MIP) aims to build and promote Flanders' international leading role in different areas related to environmental and energy technology. MIP brings together all the relevant and key players in a single, coordinating web where the authorities, businesses, industry and research institutes are all represented. The aim is to define and carry out collective research and development leading to innovative energy and environmental technologies. 

IMEC, Flanders' European leading research center on nanotechnology and nanoelectronics performs, among other things, R&D on photovoltaics. It has created several successful spin-offs in this field. The center creates solar cell technology available for technology transfer and is a world-renowned consultant on new cell and module technologies. IMEC also evaluates new materials and solar cells for and on behalf of external partners.