Enel Green Power inaugurates photovoltaic plant in Italy

The opening ceremony of the new plant, which will support the country’s energy transition with a capacity of approximately 17 MW, was attended by Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government, Nicola Lanzetta, Director of Italy at Enel Group, and Daniele Garuti, Mayor of Poggio Renatico.

The solar farm was built on a plot of land of approximately 22 ha. and consists of more than 30 000 modules. It will produce approximately 25 GWh/y, making it possible to avoid the annual emissions of 11 000 t of CO₂ into the atmosphere and the consumption of 5.4 million m³ of gas, replacing it with locally produced renewable energy. The system is made up of four contiguous sections and features bifacial modules that absorb energy from both sides of the solar panel, which are mounted on solar trackers that follow the movement of the sun, thereby optimising energy production.

Launched in October 2021 and aimed at getting local communities involved in developing green energy in the areas where new renewable energy plants are being built, the Scelta Rinnovabile programme has attracted massive support, with a large number of residents of Poggio Renatico taking part in the online fundraising campaign. Those who participated were initially asked to freely choose how much they wanted to invest, according to their preferences, and benefitted from a rate of return on financing plus repayment of invested capital. The fundraising campaign to build the PV power plant in this municipality in the Emilia-Romagna region was later extended to all citizens across the country and ended successfully as the target was met within just a few hours.

“If it is true that renewable energy will be of key importance for our communities in the near future, then we must start investing heavily now,” said Stefano Bonaccini, President of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government. “We, the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government, are working on this, and today’s initiative shows that productive co-operation between the public and private sectors can be achieved in this field as well. In this case, the added value is the active involvement of the inhabitants of Poggio Renatico, which makes this project all the more valuable and important.”

“The increasing use of renewables is a strategic lever for Italy’s independence and energy security, in addition to benefitting the environment and the local areas,” commented Nicola Lanzetta, Director of Italy at Enel Group. “We have a tangible example of this here in Poggio Renatico, through the Scelta Rinnovabile initiative, citizens had the opportunity to actively contribute to the construction of the new plant and to play a part in the energy transition.”

“The ongoing crisis has challenges us to address our energy needs,” added Mayor, Dainele Garuti. “We realised that we needed to focus on producing energy from renewable sources without further hesitation, and we were pleased to support Enel Green Power’s PV park project, which will enhance an area that had already been allocated to production activities. The Scelta Responsabile initiative was very well received and highly appreciated by our community, in addition to showing that locals are proud to be part of this project that combines energy needs and environmental protection.”

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