UK-headquartered Cero Generation has begun operating a 70MW agrivoltaics in Italy.
The Pontinia project has ten-year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with brewing company Heineken and health technology company Philips. About 65% of the 135 hectares of land in Latina province, in the central Italy region of Lazio that the project sits on, will be used for agricultural crops.
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Currently, Cero Generation’s portfolio consists of 370 utility-scale projects with a combined capacity of 25GW worldwide. The company meanwhile claimed its subsidy-free Pontinia project is one of the first large-scale agrivoltaics project to go online in Italy.
“We’re delighted to see the Pontinia project enter operation. The virtual PPAs with Heineken and Philips and the project’s integration with agricultural crops embody the scale of innovation needed to combat the climate crisis,” said Marta Martinez Queimadelos, CEO of Cero Generation.
Last week, the European Commission approved a €1.7 billion (US$1.8 billion) scheme to support the deployment of 1.04GW of agrivoltaics projects in Italy. The majority (€1.1 billion) of the available funds will be delivered through investment grants covering up to 40% of the eligible investment costs. The remaining €560 million will be paid through incentive tariffs during the operational phase of the projects for a 20-year period.
Meanwhile, Cero Generation purchased Univergy Solar’s 50% stake in Nara Solar, taking full ownership of the Spanish solar developer in July. Cero and Univergy launched Nara Solar as a joint venture in 2019, with each company owning 50%. Nara Solar initially developed a portfolio of solar projects with a combined capacity of 700MW owned by Univergy, and the company now owns 2GW of solar projects under construction and in development across Spain, France and the Netherlands.