RWE Commissions First Commercial-Scale Agri-PV Plants in Italy with 19.1 MW Capacity

RWE has commissioned its first commercial-scale agrivoltaic (Agri-PV) projects in Italy, adding a combined capacity of 19.1 MWac through the Morcone (9.8 MWac) and Acquafredda (9.3 MWac) plants in the Benevento province of the Campania region.

The two facilities feature approximately 32,500 solar modules and are expected to generate enough renewable electricity to power around 13,000 Italian households annually.

The projects use advanced Agri-PV technology with three-metre-high elevated tracker systems, allowing solar modules to follow the sun while preserving agricultural activities beneath the panels. The elevated design increases energy generation, optimises land use, and enables farmers to continue cultivating crops under the installations.

According to RWE, crops grown beneath the solar panels can benefit from reduced heat stress during the summer months, lower water requirements, and improved protection against adverse weather conditions such as hail, frost, and heavy rainfall. Local farmers will manage agricultural operations, including crop selection, planting, and harvesting, in coordination with landowners. The sites will cultivate traditional crops including alfalfa, oats, broad beans, rosemary, chamomile, and other medicinal herbs.

Sopna Sury, CEO of RWE Renewables Europe & Australia, said, “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.”

To evaluate the environmental and agricultural performance of the projects, 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 programme will assess soil quality, crop productivity, ecosystem services, pollinator populations, spontaneous vegetation, and biodiversity before and after installation. The initiative supports RWE’s commitment to achieving a net positive biodiversity impact by 2030.

The company is also expanding its Agri-PV portfolio in Italy with an additional 38.2 MWac currently under construction across four projects: Acquafredda 2 (11.7 MWac) in Campania, Cave (9 MWac) in Calabria, Enna (9.5 MWac) and Carcitella (8 MWac) in Sicily. These projects will incorporate around 50,000 additional solar modules and are scheduled for commissioning in 2026. Once operational, they are expected to provide renewable electricity to more than 20,000 Italian households, with sheep grazing planned beneath the solar installations alongside agricultural cultivation.

RWE currently operates 17 onshore wind farms and its newly commissioned solar facilities in Italy, bringing its total installed renewable energy capacity in the country to 608 MW, sufficient to supply more than 500,000 Italian households with green electricity. In addition, the company is constructing two new onshore wind farms with a combined capacity of 92 MW.