Image Recognition
Fluvius, the energy network manager for electricity and gas in all of Flanders, has discovered 5,300 illegal solar power installations, simply by examining aerial photographs. While websites like Google Street View allow us to wander the highways and byways of Belgium from our desks, solar installations, especially clandestine ones, are not usually front and centre. In that way, Fluvius was able to uncover 5,300 illegal installations in Flanders alone. Since 2015, owners of domestic solar installations no longer have a right to green energy certificates, a form of incentive that can be sold to energy providers for a rebate on the costs of installing solar panels. However, the owners of large installations still receive the certificates, for an amount that depends on the date of the installation.