From Qatar to Belgium, Convention Centers and Solar a Worldwide Trend

The addition of solar to convention centers – from Belgium to Qatar to the Twin Cities – is a burgeoning business.

The Flanders Expo in Ghent, Belgium, just received a 1.87 megawatt solar installation, according to a press release.

The solar array should generate about 1.5 million kilowatt hours of electricity a year.

In Qatar, the National Convention Center will generate about 12.5 percent of its own electricity needs from solar, reports Ecofriend.

The system will have 3,600 square meters of solar panels. The building, expected to be completed in 2011, is aiming for LEED Gold certification.

After failed previous attempts, a solar panel system at the Minneapolis convention center finally gained approval from the city council in late January, reports MPRNews.

The center should get about 5 percent of its power from the 600-kilowatt rooftop solar array, which will have about 2,600 panels.

In 2008, the Atlantic City Convention Center began planning the installation of 13,321 solar panels on 290,000 square feet, or about two-third of its rooftop.