With agrivoltaics: an income of 2,000 euros a month and no utility bills
The EnerCia Foundation has been established to support agricultural businesses in investing in energy production whilst safeguarding agricultural production
Key points
With an investment of 120,000 euros, it will be possible to meet the farm’s energy needs, as well as generate a potential additional income estimated at over 2,000 euros per month. What is more, as this opportunity relates to agriculture, it offers the further significant benefit of combining agricultural and energy production, thereby avoiding any overlap or, indeed, one activity being detrimental to the other.
The EnerCia initiative by Cia Agricoltori italiani
These are the objectives of the EnerCia Foundation, the new national renewable energy community that was presented to the Chamber of Deputies by Cia Agricoltori Italiani. This initiative aims to support farms through the energy transition by simplifying access to the benefits of CERs (renewable energy communities) and avoiding competition between food and non-food sectors – a situation which, in the past, has led to the proliferation of solar power installations in Italia at the expense of agricultural production.
Supporting businesses in their transition to renewable energy communities
However, the Cia project is broader in scope and, under the slogan ‘Renewable is Agriculture’, it aims to support businesses in sustainable entrepreneurial initiatives that combine the benefits of agrivoltaics with those of renewable energy communities, thereby also involving local areas and the social fabric, whilst guiding businesses through a process fraught with bureaucratic, administrative and operational hurdles.
A source of additional income with no costs
The example, presented as part of the Cia project, shows that a 183 kWp agrivoltaic system can provide farmers with an additional source of income, on top of the benefits associated with self-consumption, which are estimated to be worth around 6,000 euros a year.
Fini (CIA): food and energy are not in competition
“This is a concrete step,” commented Cristiano Fini, president of Cia Agricoltori italiani, “towards promoting innovative models for the production and sharing of renewable energy in the agricultural and rural sectors. A system of integrated tools, services and expertise, working to improve productivity and protect the soil, because food and energy are not in competition with one another, but part of a shared challenge that brings value not only to small and medium-sized enterprises, but also to the overall governance of local areas.”
