RWE Breaks Ground on First Commercial-Scale Agri-PV Projects in Italy

RWE has begun construction on its first commercial-scale Agri-PV plants, located in the Benevento province of Campania, Italy. The two projects, Morcone (9.8 MWac) and Acquafredda (9.3 MWac), will feature a total of over 32,500 solar modules. Together, they are expected to provide green electricity to more than 13,000 Italian households, with commissioning slated for the end of the year. Both projects secured success in the recent Italian Recovery and Resilience Plan auction.

The Agri-PV systems will use elevated tracker structures, where solar panels are mounted on three-meter-high movable axis trackers, boosting energy yield. Crops will be cultivated beneath the panels, integrating energy production with agriculture to optimize land use and increase agricultural output. The panels also provide protection against adverse weather conditions like hail, frost, drought, and heavy rain. RWE will monitor the performance of the Agri-PV systems, along with meteorological and agricultural yield data, to further enhance the technology.

Katja Wünschel, CEO RWE Renewables Europe & Australia: “The start of construction marks the realisation of our world-first Agri-PV projects on a commercial scale, with more to come. Sunny Italy is also a perfect market for this technology. Advanced Agri-PV helps us to use the scarce resource of land responsibly and efficiently, generating two different yields – agriculture and renewable energy – from the same land. Win-win at its best.”