agrivoltaics

PV Tech spoke with Alejandra Pérez-Plá, regional manager – Mediterranean at financial advisory firm Global Capital Finance about challenges related to land acquisition for utility-scale solar PV projects in Southern Europe, how to manage these issues and grid modernisation.

The Pope has ordered that a solar PV project be built in the Vatican City, with a capacity sufficient to power all of the mini-state’s electricity needs.

Lodestone Energy has announced a partnership with the Haldon Station farm to build a 220MW agriPV project on New Zealand’s South Island.

French independent power producer (IPP) Neoen has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with SNCF Energie for a 139MW solar PV plant in central France.

Solar equipment provider Mondragon Assembly has secured a contract with Greek PV module manufacturer Brite Solar for the development of a 150MW semi-transparent agrivoltaics module line in Greece.

Earlier this month the agriculture minister, Francesco Lollobrigida, announced a plan to "put an end to the wild installation of ground-mounted photovoltaics" on land classified as agricultural land.

BayWa r.e. has commissioned its first agriPV project in Spain, and has signed a power purchase agreement (PPA) with the Velux Group.

Solar trade body SolarPower Europe has launched a digital map to showcase agrivoltaics projects in 10 countries in Europe.

The Italian government has banned solar PV installations on agricultural land in a move that the nation’s solar trade association said would cost Italy €60 billion (US$64.5 billion).

Enerside Energy has sold a project combining agrivoltaics (agriPV) and a battery energy storage system (BESS) in Italy to Chint Solar.