ASTER - PV and charging infrastructure for social housing

The ASTER project is working to make the housing stock of social housing agencies more sustainable.

Government

Client

ASTER resume

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Period

Study: October 2021 - current

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ref. 21009.002

Services

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ASTER is a large-scale sustainability program that installs solar panels on 50,000 public housing units in Flanders—the largest solar panel project ever—while also investing in charging infrastructure for electric mobility. This gives 150,000 tenants access to locally generated renewable energy and sustainable transportation options, while keeping energy bills manageable thanks to smart control systems. As an external expert, Ingenium provides full technical support—from the design of specifications and award criteria to the operational phase—and also assists with the contractual and financial structuring of this transformative initiative.

Solar Power and Charging Infrastructure for Public Housing

ASTER is providing a major boost to efforts to make the social housing stock in Flanders more sustainable. The cooperative ASTER cv (Access to Sustainability for Tenants through Energy-Efficient Retrofit) was established to accelerate the transition of social housing agencies’ housing stock toward sustainability.

The program is installing solar panels on 50,000 social housing units—the largest solar panel project ever in Flanders—and is also investing in charging infrastructure for sustainable mobility. As a result, 150,000 residents will have access to locally generated solar energy from their own rooftops.

Based on its knowledge and experience, Ingenium was appointed as an external expert on ASTER’s advisory committee and has been providing guidance to the program since October 2021.

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A Double Challenge: Accelerating the Transition to Sustainability While Keeping Energy Bills Manageable

The energy transition presents social housing agencies with a twofold challenge: making their housing stock more sustainable at an accelerated pace while keeping tenants’ energy bills manageable. However, for most agencies, investing individually in solar panels or charging infrastructure is not feasible on the scale required today. To address this challenge systematically, the Flemish social housing agencies established the cooperative ASTER cv—with the goal of equipping their housing stock on a large scale with renewable energy and preparing it for electric mobility.

Based on its in-depth knowledge and experience in building technologies and energy systems, Ingenium was appointed as an external expert on ASTER’s advisory committee. In this role, Ingenium will assist ASTER cv as a technical advisor throughout the entire rollout process—from initial design to the operational phase. Specifically, the assignment includes, among other things:

• Preparation of technical specifications for both the PV systems and the charging infrastructure;

• Development of award criteria that ensure quality, performance, and reliability;

• Technical support and advice during negotiations with potential contractors;

• Technical advice regarding the awarding of contracts;

• Assistance in the search for suitable staff for the ASTER organization;

• Ongoing technical support for the further development and rollout of the program.

Not just technical guidance, but also financial structure

In addition to providing technical guidance, Ingenium ASTER also assists with the development of the contractual and financial structure of the projects. Particular attention was paid to the allocation of responsibilities and risks among the partners.

Next, a financing competition was organized to attract non-recourse project financing on competitive terms.

The focus was on a clear and unambiguous financing structure based on the project's cash flow and the creditworthiness of the social housing sector.

EMS Integration

A key focus of the technical approach is the integration of smart control systems (EMS). These systems maximize the self-consumption of locally generated PV energy while keeping the grid costs of the charging infrastructure under control.

In this way, technical sustainability is linked to sound financial stability—a crucial prerequisite for a program of this scale, which will provide 150,000 residents of public housing with access to renewable energy and sustainable mobility.

ASTER: Five Years of Results & a New Phase

Over the past five years, we have collectively installed 14,067 solar systems—comprising 142,646 panels and 60 MWp of installed capacity—on social housing units in Flanders. In addition, we installed generation meters at 3,524 existing systems, accounting for an additional 7.6 MWp. ASTER now manages more than 67 MWp of solar energy, making it the largest residential solar operator in Flanders.

ASTER is now launching an ambitious four-year contract for home batteries—both plug-in batteries and fixed systems. By keeping locally generated solar energy on the roof longer, social housing tenants save significantly on their energy bills. By 2025, those savings had already reached €120 per household per year; with batteries, ASTER aims to expand those savings further and structurally reduce energy poverty.

EnergyKing and Cast4All are joining us as new partners for installation and monitoring. This proves that our expertise in renewable energy makes a lasting difference—for social housing tenants, for ASTER, and for society.