Cero Generation has begun operations at a 70MW agrivoltaic solar farm in Italy.
The Pontinia facility, located in the province of Latina in the Lazio region, is among the first large-scale agrivoltaic plants in the country.
The project is backed by two 10-year virtual power purchase agreements (PPA) with global brewing company Heineken and global health technology company Philips.
The virtual PPAs mean Heineken and Philips are paying for the clean energy generated by Pontinia, at 64GWh/y and 16GWh/y respectively, which will be physically delivered to the Italian grid, while the companies benefit from the Guarantees of Origin.
As an agrivoltaic plant, approximately 65% of the 135 hectares that Pontinia sits on will also be used for agricultural crops.
Cero is collaborating with a social farm, Fattoria Solidale del Circeo, to carry out the farming activities for the project.
The social farm provides work placements for vulnerable or socially excluded people, teaching them to cultivate crops across the site using biodynamic and fuel-efficient methods, and supporting participants’ reintegration into the community.
With an innovative financing approach, Pontinia is at the forefront of the shift to subsidy-free solar PV projects in the country.
Cero’s 25GW portfolio across 370 utility-scale projects is one of the largest in Europe, it said.
Cero Generation chief executive Marta Martinez Queimadelos said: “We’re delighted to see our Pontinia project enter operation and start to produce cleaner, cheaper, and more secure energy for the Province of Latina in the Lazio region.
“The virtual PPAs with Heineken and Philips and the project’s clever integration with agricultural crops embodies the scale of innovation needed to combat the climate crisis.”