Solar energy developer Cero Generation is combining power generation with agriculture in a new 70-megawatt solar project in Italy, the company announced on Tuesday.
The company completed project financing for its solar plant, which will be among the first large-scale plants in the country to use the land for both solar power generation and agriculture simultaneously.
Construction on the project, designed to maximize performance and efficiency, is planned to start this month with commercial operations expected in early 2023.
Once fully operational, it will generate enough renewable electricity to power the equivalent of over 47,000 homes and avoid around 40,000 tonnes of carbon emissions per year.
As an agrivoltaic plant, 65% of the 135 hectares that the plant sits on will also be used for crops.
'This dual use of arable land is an increasingly important approach for the deployment of utility-scale solar projects that are integral to achieving a net-zero future,' Cero Generation said.
By Zeynep Beyza Kilic
Anadolu Agency
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