The government in the Belgian region of Flanders is cutting back on subsidies for large solar parks.

Flanders’ Energy Minister Melissa Depraetere is lowering green power certificates for corporate solar parks. Under current rules, solar park owners can receive subsidy payments during periods of negative prices for up to six hours at a time. 

The Flemish government is lowering this threshold to fifteen minutes, with European regulations preventing the complete abolition of the subsidy. The change also applies to owners of wind power plants in the region.

“Families with solar panels pay to feed electricity into the grid, while large installations receive subsidies even during periods of oversupply. That is difficult to explain,” Depraetere said.

The minister says the change will save €179 million ($206.5 million) from electricity bills. Reports from Flanders estimates this will translate into an annual saving for households of around €6.

“We are putting an end to over-subsidization and thereby removing unnecessary costs from the electricity bill. As a result, the electricity bill will decrease for all Flemish families, and we are making the system fairer,” Depraetere added.

The reduction is also seen as an attempt to curb the frequency of negative hours, by incentivising solar park owners to implement battery storage or halt production during peak hours. 

The measure forms part of a broader shift in energy tax across Flanders. Analysis published by Depraetere’s social democratic party Vooruit says the minister’s cabinet is working toward saving the average Flemish household around €80 a year on energy bills from 2028, increasing to nearly €150 a year if the household has installed a heat pump.

Flanders is Belgium’s largest solar market. According to analysis from the International Energy Agency Photovoltaic Power Systems Programme (IEA-PVPS), the region installed an estimated 800 MW of solar last year, taking cumulative capacity past 7 GW.

In early 2025, Flanders registered its one millionth solar panel installation.