Interview: Larry Moffett, European Climate Pact Ambassador for Belgium

1. Tell us about your educational and professional background that led you to become the European Climate Pact Ambassador for Belgium

I became interested in solar energy when I was in high school in the late 70s. I chose to study mechanical engineering with a specialization in energy, with the intent after graduation to work in the field of solar energy in the United States. Unfortunately, after Ronald Reagan became president in the 80s, public and private investment in solar energy dried up, and I had to follow a different career path.

Decades later, in 2018, I was invited by a friend to join the grassroots citizen movement he had co-founded, called Rise for Climate. Since then, I have been an active member of this movement, which focuses on European climate policy. I also joined a Brussels energy cooperative installing rooftop solar panels and sharing the electricity they produce with members of the cooperative. That volunteer work is what led me to apply to become a European Climate Pact ambassador, which I became two years ago.   

2. Tell us about the goals and vision of The European Climate Pact

The European Climate Pact seeks to encourage bottom-up engagement by citizens and by civil society organizations in the European Green Deal. It encourages collaboration and climate solutions at the local and national levels.

Its goals are to raise awareness about climate change; to support people and organizations in taking concrete climate actions in their communities; to build partnerships and networks that connect citizens, businesses, and authorities; and to share knowledge and best practices across Europe.

3. How do you encourage solar energy adoption in Belgium by involving citizens in the green transition?

One promising way to encourage solar energy adoption is through energy communities and third-party investment. Brupower, the energy cooperative I have joined, is one of many in Belgium and across Europe, but the first in Brussels. We encourage solar energy adoption by inviting citizens to become members of Brupower and by actively prospecting for suitable rooftops to install our panels.

4. The European Climate Pact and the broader EU renewable energy framework do not set specific, legally binding solar energy quotas for individual member states. Instead, Belgium has defined its own national targets as part of its National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP), which contributes to the overall EU-wide goals. Tell us about these targets and how you are helping to meet them.

Belgium is unique among EU member states because of its federal structure. Its NECP is a compilation of the separate energy and climate plans of the federal government and of the three Belgian regions: Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. Each one has had to set its own emissions reduction target in order for Belgium to achieve its overall target of -47 percent by 2030, set by the EU.

Brupower is helping to achieve the Brussels target, which matches the Belgian target of -47 percent. Although Rise for Climate focuses mainly on European policy, we are members of the Belgian Climate Coalition, which targets Belgian policies. Compared to other member states, Belgium has a low percentage of its energy supply from solar, so one of our demands is for Belgium to stop subsidizing fossil fuels and to invest more in renewable energy. 

5. Belgium's solar energy adoption rate is strong, with solar accounting for 11.9% of the country's electricity mix in 2024. The government aims to significantly increase this, targeting a 25% share by 2025 and 40% by 2030. Tell us about the energy cooperative you volunteer for that installs solar panels and shares the electricity within local energy communities.

Belgium's solar energy adoption rate has been strong over the past year, but its percentage of electricity from solar energy remains low compared to its neighbors, Germany and the Netherlands. I don't believe the 25% target this year is for solar alone; it may be for all renewable energy.

Brupower installs and maintains solar panels on rooftops entirely at our expense, and we supply the electricity to the occupants of the buildings at a fixed, below-market rate. The electricity we produce that the occupants don't consume can be delivered to members of our cooperative located elsewhere in Brussels, instead of being injected into the electric grid. That is how we establish local energy communities. 

When the return on investment allows it, we install solar panels that are assembled in Belgium, which cost significantly more than those imported from China.  

6. At COP30's Blue Zone, a fire broke out on November 20, 2025, at the African Pavilion, where CHN negotiator Darius Ankamah was at work. Tell us about your experience.

I was sitting on a bench close to the Italy pavilion when I suddenly saw people running in my direction and past me. At first, I thought they wanted to observe a protest action or see a celebrity, but then I saw the flames erupting from one of the pavilions about 200 meters away, and burning through the tent above it. A few firemen arrived with handheld fire extinguishers, which seemed quite insufficient to extinguish the blaze. I was afraid the fire might spread quickly, but fortunately, the tent material did not appear to be flammable; it just melted above the fire from the heat.

Soon, security personnel directed everyone to leave the area, and eventually to evacuate the entire blue zone. I am extremely thankful that no one was seriously hurt, but disappointed that all scheduled events had to be canceled, including the press conference I was due to host for the COP30 Bike Ride.  

7.  How can people reach you and get involved?

By email larrymoffett@gmail.com
By visiting the websites www.riseforclimatebelgium.eu and www.brupower.be