Enel starts work on 170-MW agrivoltaic plant in Italy

Enel Green Power has started construction of what will be Italy’s largest agrivoltaic power plant, the green unit of Italian utility group Enel SpA (BIT:ENEL) said on Thursday.

The solar array, located in Tarquinia, in the province of Viterbo, central Italy, will have a capacity of around 170 MW.

Employing bifacial photovoltaic (PV) modules installed on trackers, the project will be capable of producing around 280 GWh per year. Up to 330 people will be employed during the 13-month construction period.

Enel Green Power will build the solar farm in an area owned by an unnamed local company, which will work with the green power producer to integre agricultural activities at the site. Fodder and borage will be grown between the rows of panels and in the buffer zones under power lines. There will be also olive trees planted around the facility.

“The solar plant we are building in Tarquinia shows that an increase in the use of renewable energy can be harmoniously combined with agricultural activities,” said Enel Green Power chief executive Salvatore Bernabei.

Enel Green Power has a total capacity of over 59 GW globally, spread across hydropower, wind, solar and geothermal technologies, as well as energy storage facilities.

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