abstract: A hot topic in the field of neutrino physics is the deficit of the observed number of reactor antineutrinos with respect to the expected number at short distances from the reactor (<1km). A possible explanation for this deficit is the existence of a sterile neutrino that oscillates to the standard model neutrinos at a short distance. To investigate this hypothesis, precise measurements are needed at distances of only a few meters. The SoLid experiment aims to measure the antineutrino flux at distances between 5 and 12 meters from the BR2 reactor core at SCK-CEN. A novel detector technology is exploited to be able to measure the antineutrino interactions with a high precision. I will elaborate on the experimental challenges of the experiment, the detection principle, the different phases of the construction and the current status.