RWE has commissioned its first commercial scale agrivoltiac (agri-PV) plants in Italy.
The Morcone and Acquafredda advanced agri-PV projects, with capacities of 9.8 MWac and 9.3 MWac respectively, are located in the province of Benevento in the Campania region. A total of around 32 500 solar modules have been installed at the two sites. Together, the two projects will be able to supply green electricity to around 13 000 Italian households.
At Morcone and Acquafredda, RWE has installed elevated tracker systems: the solar modules are elevated on 3-m-high tracker structures with a moveable axis. This increases the energy yield of the photovoltaic (PV) systems while optimising land use and providing a larger agricultural area compared with conventional PV systems. Crops grown beneath the panels may potentially increase their yield thanks to the reduction of incident radiation during the summer season, which can otherwise cause thermal stress and increase water consumption. In addition, the panels can help protect crops against hail, frost, and heavy rain. Local farmers are responsible for the agricultural aspects – such as selecting, planting, and harvesting the crops – in consultation with the landowners. The new agri-PV plants are intended for growing traditional crops like alfalfa, oats, broad beans, rosemary, and chamomile, as well as other medicinal herbs.
Sopna Sury, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, commented: “Sunny Italy and agri-PV are a perfect match. Advanced agri-PV enables us to use scarce land resources responsibly and efficiently by generating two different yields from the same land – agriculture and renewable energy. I am thrilled that our world-first agri-PV projects on a commercial scale are up and running, supplying 13 000 Italian homes. We are now looking forward to installing a further 50 000 solar modules, which will supply electricity to an additional 20 000 homes – while sheep graze below.”
RWE has launched a three-year monitoring programme in collaboration with the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II (UNINA). The UNINA research team will assess the environmental and agronomic impact of the Morcone and Acquafredda agri-PV projects on soil, crops, and ecosystem services. Pre and post-installation monitoring activities will include: agrometeorological measurements; soil health attributes related to chemical and biological fertility, including enzymatic activities, microbial diversity and mesofauna; crop ecophysiological status and yield; and pollinator communities and spontaneous vegetation. This initiative forms part of RWE’s commitment to achieve a net positive impact on biodiversity by 2030.
RWE has started building a total of 50 000 solar modules and 38.2 MWac of additional agri-PV capacity. These are Acquafredda 2 (11.7 MWac) in Campania, Cave (9 MWac) in Calabria, and Enna (9.5 MWac) and Carcitella (8 MWac) in Sicily. Commissioning is scheduled for 2026. Together, the four projects will be able to supply more than 20 000 Italian households. In addition to the cultivated crops, sheep are planned to graze below the panels.
RWE is a key player in the Italian renewables market. The company takes an integrated project approach that incorporates the development, construction, and operation as well as the marketing of wind farms and solar plants. With its existing 17 onshore wind farms and the new solar panels, RWE operates a total capacity of 608 MW in Italy – enough to supply more than 500 000 Italian households with green electricity. In addition to its agri-PV plants, RWE is constructing two new onshore wind farms totalling 92 MW.
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