Falck Renewables has signed a corporate power purchase agreement for output from a 41MW solar project under development in Apulia in Italy.
Falck Renewables’ subsidiary Falck Renewables Sviluppo signed the PPA with chemicals producer Solvay.
The 10-year contract will cover around 70% of the power produced by the solar plant and represents an amount equal to the electricity needs of four of Solvay’s plants in Italy: Bollate, Ospiate, Livorno and Rosignano – Unita produttiva Perossidati.
The 41.1MW project, in the province of Foggia, is expected to generate roughly 70 gigawatt-hours of electricity a year once operational.
The project, which also includes a 10MW/20 megawatt-hour storage system, is designed to allow the on-site integration of renewable electricity and agricultural production.
The design is based on alternating rows of solar panels with rows of olive trees, including the Fs-17 species, which is resistant to Xylella bacteria.
The plan foresees that the management of the olive grove will be entrusted to local specialised operators, organised as a social enterprise, who will benefit from the agricultural activity, allowing the creation of local jobs and economic growth in Apulia.
“Falck Renewables’ project is among the most innovative in the field of renewable energy production.
“This is a perfect fit with how we aim to optimise the use of resources.
“Energy is a fundamental component in all our industrial activities and we are proud that most of our Italian plants will soon be powered by solar energy.
“Becoming part of the local area is one of our main priorities wherever we operate so the integration of an olive grove into the new plant in Apulia is an extra bonus,” said Marco Colatarci, country manager for Solvay in Italy.