Photovoltaics, Fantoni builds largest industrial plant in Italy
With 27,614 panels on 130,000 square metres of the plant's roof, it will be able to produce 13.37 GWh of energy per year. In operation by the end of the year
3' min read
3' min read
The steel and ceramics industries, of course, the chemical and paper industries. But among the most energy-intensive production sectors - and therefore affected by high gas and electricity costs - there is also the panel industry, which has long denounced the risk of losing competitiveness to foreign producers.
In order to reduce - albeit in a small way - its energy consumption and costs, the Fantoni group in Osoppo (Udine), which specialises in the production of panels, office furniture, partition walls and equipped furniture, has for some time been making a series of investments aimed at improving the efficiency and energy independence of its production plants. The latest in order of time is the new photovoltaic plant realised in partnership with Nyox, whose construction work started a few days ago.
Dimensions equal to 18 football pitches
.With 27,614 panels installed on 130,000 square metres of the plant's roof, once fully operational it will be the largest photovoltaic plant on an industrial structure in Italy and among the largest in Europe, with a surface area equal to that of 18 football pitches. It will be able to produce 13.37 GWh of energy per year, enough for the consumption of 4,900 families, avoiding the emission of 4 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, a benefit equal to the CO2 absorption of 130 thousand trees.
Commitment to sustainability
."This intervention, which required an investment of about 14 million euro, is first of all part of our group's commitment to reduce the environmental impact of our industrial activities, and which does not only concern energy, but also water saving, the use of materials, and the quality and efficiency of our production processes," explains president Paolo Fantoni. "In addition to energy supply, we have also invested in the production cycle: already today, 100% of our chipboard panels and 50% of our Mdf are produced with recycled wood.
There is also an interest in the reduction of energy costs, which is now a priority for the panel industry: 'With these constant investments, we also aim to emancipate ourselves from the significant and often speculative energy market fluctuations we have witnessed in recent years,' Fantoni adds.
