€2.35b! Italy s Agricultural Rooftop PV Tender Concludes

PVTIME – Italy’s Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) has announced the results of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forestry (MASAF)-led agricultural rooftop PV tender. A total of 22,942 projects were selected, with a combined installed capacity of 1.72GW, and the dedicated special fund of €2.35 billion has now been fully allocated.

The tender focuses on the construction of rooftop PV systems for agricultural enterprises nationwide, while 2013 other projects, with a total installed capacity of 170.5MW, failed to secure support. This agricultural rooftop PV programme is clearly distinct from Italy’s existing agrivoltaic projects. The former uses a traditional rooftop installation model, enabling renewable energy production without affecting farmland use, and supporting sustainable agricultural development and normal crop cultivation or livestock breeding. The latter integrates PV systems with agricultural production on the same plot, achieving dual land use.

Prior to this tender, Italy’s agrivoltaic projects had already achieved initial breakthroughs. In December 2024, a round of agrivoltaic tenders was completed, resulting in the approval of an installed capacity of 1.5GW. This attracted 643 bids totalling 1.7GW, highlighting significant market interest. The winning projects are mainly concentrated in the southern Italian regions with abundant sunlight, such as Lazio and Emilia-Romagna, which aligns with the area’s natural advantage.

The advancement of this agricultural rooftop PV programme is highly consistent with Italy’s and the European Union’s clean energy development goals. According to Italy’s National Energy and Climate Plan, the country aims to increase the share of renewable energy in final energy consumption to 30% by 2030, with renewable energy generation accounting for almost 55% of the power sector. These projects will help farms to reduce their operational costs, improve their energy self-sufficiency, expand the distributed PV industry, and bring extensive benefits to rural communities.

The market response indicates that the full allocation of the special fund reflects strong demand for PV incentive policies, confirming the potential contribution of the agricultural sector to Italy’s renewable energy growth. Italy is now exploring the potential of solar energy by promoting agrivoltaics and agricultural rooftop PV in parallel, thereby positioning the agricultural sector as a core pillar of the clean energy transition.

Industry experts note that large-scale enterprise participation, a considerable increase in installed capacity, and the full disbursement of special funds demonstrate robust development momentum in Italy’s renewable energy sector. Successive implementation of winning projects will lay the foundation for long-term energy sustainability and provide a practical model for the integrated development of agriculture and clean energy.