The Ministry of Environment and Energy Security (MASE) will relaunch the agrivoltaic energy support program on April 1st within the framework of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), noting that the financial capacity for investment in the technology has not been exhausted.
The measure seeks to accelerate the achievement of the goal of installing 1.04 GW using this technology by 2026.
The reopening of application procedures will include both incentives in the form of capital contributions and 20-year contracts for difference for renewable energy production plants with agronomic integration.
Results of the first auction and agrivoltaic context The Agrivoltaic Call for Proposals was open from June 4th, 2024, to September 2nd of the same year.According to the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), 540 applications were eligible for a total of 1.5 GW.
The new design aims to exhaust the remaining financial capacity of the 325 million issued by the Ministerial Decree of December 22, 2023, which made 1.1 billion available.
The call will be open for 60 days, starting April 1, and the GSE will enable a digital platform for submitting applications.
The auction conditions will be the same as the previous auction.
Owners in a "useful position" in the November 2024 auction will not be able to submit a new application for the same projects.
Agrivoltaic technology is considered strategic for Italy, as it allows agricultural land to be used without compromising its productivity, facilitating the integration of solar generation with crops or pastures.
However, sector specialists point out that current financial models often fail to capture the complexity of the technology, as they apply conventional photovoltaic metrics that overlook agronomic value.
To fully realize its potential, new economic indicators are needed that reflect the dual benefits of agrivoltaics, along with a more holistic approach to assessing profitability.
Francesco Marghella, senior energy analyst and partner at Althesys Strategic Consultants, explains that currently, "auctions under the 'Transitional RES X' (2025) and 'RES X' (from 2026) schemes do not separate agrivoltaics from traditional photovoltaics, which could hamper their initial deployment.