The municipality of the City of Brussels and the Lakense Haard have installed the first urban wind turbine on the rooftop of a residential tower in the Avenue de l'Héliport area, in collaboration with the start-up Renewind.
This installation is part of a broader national partnership with Renewind. The start-up aims to test the performance of various wind turbines over twelve months in different regions of Belgium and neighbouring countries.
Renewind’s turbines are designed to harness wind acceleration at building edges. Wind that travels upward along a building’s facade meets higher-altitude winds, creating an acceleration that can generate between 1 and 3 MWh per year.
Eventually, the Helihavenlaan building could host up to ten of these urban wind turbines. Many other flat roofs in Brussels could also be used for turbine installations in the future, according to Benoit Hellings, the city’s Climate Councillor.
"The City of Brussels has set an ambitious goal to produce 6 GWh of green local power by 2030," Hellings stated. "We have already achieved 66 per cent of that goal but remain dedicated to working and innovating to reach this symbolic milestone."
Currently, most of the locally-generated energy comes from solar power, which is more effectively harnessed during summer and spring. Hellings noted that "urban wind turbine technology may allow us to produce electricity year-round, with stable and predictable output."
