Agrivoltaics and the food processing industry: a possible synergy between factory and field
Apulia’s food canning industry faces a critical challenge every year: the plant’s energy demand peaks (tomato campaigns, fruit and vegetable processing) coincide with the months of highest solar irradiation and the greatest heat stress on crops.
For processing companies that own agricultural land adjacent to the plant, the solution is no longer choosing between “producing food” or “producing energy”. Thanks to advanced agrivoltaics for the food industry, it is possible to do both, creating an integrated system that reduces industrial energy costs and improves agricultural yields.
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Beyond the rooftop: agrivoltaic systems for food processing plants
In many cases, warehouse rooftops do not provide enough surface area to meet the energy-intensive needs of freezing tunnels, concentrators, and sterilization lines. This is a typical scenario for Apulian canning companies, where summer consumption peaks dramatically.
Installing an agrivoltaic system on agricultural land near the plant helps overcome this physical constraint, delivering two immediate competitive advantages:
- Direct self-consumption (SEU): the energy produced is fed directly into the production cycle through a private connection, eliminating transport costs and grid charges precisely during peak hours.
- Protection for intensive crops: elevated or tracking modules create dynamic shading that reduces evapotranspiration. This is crucial for agrivoltaics in Apulia’s tomato sector or for vineyards, where protecting plants during heatwaves can mean saving the harvest.
Certified sustainability for large-scale retail
This is not only about cost savings. Large-scale retail (GDO) is increasingly requiring stricter ESG standards. A product processed using “zero-mile” renewable energy and grown with improved water efficiency can achieve premium positioning in international markets.
Southenergy supports agri-food supply chain companies throughout the entire process: from assessing agronomic compatibility (to ensure agricultural machinery access) to managing applications for PNRR agrivoltaic incentives, ensuring that the project does not compromise the primary farming activity.
Growing energy without stopping farming
Do you have land adjacent to your plant? Turn it into a strategic asset to reduce energy costs.
FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
Modern systems integrate perfectly with processing tomatoes, open-field vegetables, vineyards and young olive groves. Controlled partial shading reduces plant water stress during summer heatwaves, often improving the quality of the final product.
No. If the system meets the requirements of “advanced agrivoltaics” (elevated modules, agronomic monitoring), the land retains its agricultural designation. There is no land consumption, but rather a dual enhancement of the same surface area.
Yes, provided the project ensures the continuity of agricultural and pastoral activities. Recent regulations confirm that innovative agrivoltaics does not result in the loss of CAP payments, as long as electricity production does not interfere with agricultural output.
Yes. If the land is adjacent to or near the facility, an SEU (Efficient User System) can be implemented. This is often the most economically advantageous scenario for the food processing industry, as self-consumed energy is not subject to the variable components of the electricity bill.
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