Italy raised 32,500 solar panels on ten-foot stilts, then filled the ground underneath with oats, broad beans, rosemary, chamomile and other medicinal plants in a rare experiment to see how much electricity and food the same patch of sun-soaked land can produce at once

Italy is maximizing its land use by deploying advanced solar systems above sun-drenched agricultural sites.

The goal is to accelerate its transition to renewable energy sources without compromising fertile farmland.

While local communities benefit from clean electricity, rural economies can continue operations.

Investment in Italy’s solar portfolio is growing, and RWE’s first commercial agrivoltaic projects are set to accelerate this growth.

Two dual-use farms are now being monitored to determine the long-term effects of combining the two sectors.

Will the results prove that Italy can overcome its land scarcity challenges?

How the future of Italian agriculture is under pressure

For many nations worldwide, farming has a longstanding significance within their cultures, economies, and identities.

Italy is among those with an agricultural history dating back thousands of years.

The region’s grain, olives, and wine production can be traced back to the Roman Era.

By the late Middle Ages, advanced irrigation and land reclamation led to agricultural surpluses.

Mulberry trees, field crops, and grapevines were combined on the same tracts of land for centuries.

In the modern age, polyculture declined, as northern regions began to focus on dairy and grains.

Meanwhile, southern regions started specializing in durum wheat, wine, olives, and citrus.

Italy now ranks among the European Union’s top farming producers and processors.

Agriculture is a primary economic driver for the nation, as high-value exports generate substantial revenue.

However, strict European climate regulations are pressuring Italy to boost renewable energy capacity, threatening its agricultural sector.

Caught between a rock and a hard place

Beyond the EU’s climate regulations, Italy also has its own National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC).

Together, they mandate massive green capacity expansion and major greenhouse gas emission reductions by 2030.

Large-scale solar power generation plays a fundamental role in meeting these targets, requiring tens of gigawatts of new capacity.

But supporting this rapid transition has created a direct conflict with Italian agriculture.

The nation is densely populated, and flat, sun-drenched land for solar growth is limited.

Prime sunny regions are often tied up in fertile farmland.

This means utility-scale solar projects threaten to displace a culturally significant practice.

It has sparked fierce competition over rural land use, triggering immense local opposition.

However, innovators are actively proving that nations no longer have to choose between the two sectors.

RWE aims to bridge the gap between Italian clean energy demand and agricultural preservation.

Two advanced solar-agricultural farms are being monitored to show how dual-use sites will work.

Elevating solar infrastructure above farming fields

Investment in Italy’s solar portfolio is growing, and RWE’s first commercial agrivoltaic projects are set to accelerate this growth.

These projects are located in the Campania region’s Benevento province.

The plants are the 9.8 MWac Morcone and 9.3 MWac Acquafredda, respectively.

The Energy Institute has been tracking these projects’ development.

RWE has partnered with the Department of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Naples Federico II. Together, they will track the plants in a three-year monitoring program.

Ten-foot-tall tracker structures with movable axes were deployed.

Traditional farming can continue underneath, while the solar panels move with the sun to boost power generation.

Integrating and protecting agriculture

Traditional species are cultivated, including broad beans, alfalfa, oats, and medicinal herbs like chamomile and rosemary.

The shade from panels benefits crops during hot summer months. Ambient temperatures decrease, thermal stress is mitigated, and water evaporation is reduced.

Vulnerable plants are protected from hail, frost, and heavy rain.

Initial findings have been positive, but ongoing research will be needed to confirm long-term success.

Soil health, crop yields, pollinator communities, microbial diversity, and agrometeorological data will be tracked continuously.

This way, RWE can prove that agri-photovoltaic projects offer a net-positive environmental impact.

The company is already developing additional agrivoltaic projects.

Sicily will host the latest one, where solar power is combined with sheep grazing.