Enel Green Power’s Malvezzi Solar Park, the first photovoltaic power plant developed with the active involvement of the local community, is now operational.
The site in Poggio Renatico, Ferrara, Italy, was achieved thanks to the online crowdfunding initiative “Scelta Rinnovabile” (Renewable Choice) promoted by Enel.
The opening ceremony of the plant, which will support the country’s energy transition with a capacity of around 17MW, was attended by President of the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government Stefano Bonaccini, director of Italy at Enel Nicola Lanzetta, and mayor of Poggio Renatico Daniele Garuti.
The solar farm was built on approximately 22 hectares and consists of more than 30,000 modules. It will produce approximately 25GWh each year, taking 11,000 tones of CO2 out of the atmosphere.
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 program has attracted massive support, with large numbers of Poggio Renatico residents taking part in online fundraising. Those who participated were initially asked to choose how much they wanted to invest and benefited from a rate of return on financing plus repayment of invested capital. The fundraising campaign to build the site was later extended to all Italian citizens, resulting in the target being met in 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.
“We, the Emilia-Romagna Regional Government, are working on this, and today’s initiative shows that productive cooperation 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.”
Nicola Lanzetta added: “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.
“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 challenged us to address our energy needs,” said Mayor Garuti. “We realized that we needed to focus on producing energy from renewable sources without further hesitation, and we were pleased to support Enel Green Power’s photovoltaic 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.”