The experimentation of an innovative technology that combines the production of electricity from photovoltaics with the culture of microalgae signed Enel Green Power and ENEA. The study is part of the development of innovative solutions for the optimization of land use linked to large-scale photovoltaic plants, with different solutions for sharing spaces between energy generation and agricultural activities.
At ENEA research center in Portici, a pilot plant will be built for the study and demonstration of the integrability of the two solar and microalgae technologies and, at the same time, a scalability analysis will be carried out for applications on a large photovoltaic plant. Experimentation involves the cultivation of microalgae with a high commercial value (between 100 and 200 euros per kilogram) with a cultivation system completely integrated with the photovoltaic system.
The advantages will be innumerable: first of all the production of electricity from renewable sources and valuable substances for food and supplements, but also a substantial reduction of CO emissions2 which are absorbed and transformed into biomass, obviously to be added to those already avoided for the production of electricity from photovoltaics.
“The collaboration with ENEA – he commented Nicholas Rossi, Innovation Manager of Enel Green Power – is part of a broader plan to demonstrate innovative solutions for the integration of agricultural and livestock production activities with our photovoltaic plants that we are carrying out together with various research and agricultural partners to promote more efficient use of soil and identify opportunities to create shared value with the territories and communities that host our plants. The results of these experimental activities offer us the opportunity to identify effective interventions that meet local needs in synergy with the aim of producing energy without emissions and at low cost. This is the key to making renewable generation even more sustainable in the long term”.
Ezio Terzini, director of the ENEA Photovoltaic and Smart Device division at the Energy Technologies and Renewable Sources department, underlined that “This agreement opens up a new synergy for the shared use of the land, defined as 'algovoltaic', one of the opportunities for agrivoltaic , a sector in which we are investing many resources to implement the guidelines also contained in the PNRR. The theme is part of the path towards the national decarbonisation objectives of the PNIEC, with a sustainable approach, focused on the use of photovoltaics, the enhancement of crops and the landscape and social acceptability. Furthermore, the agreement strengthens the multi-year collaboration with Enel Green Power on the side of photovoltaic technologies, with a collaborative model that ENEA replicates with many industrial partners".
