Italian winemaker Svolta Srl has deployed an agrivoltaic facility at its winery in Apulia, Italy. The PV vary permits the cultivation of vines that may not usually survive at this latitude.
From pv journal Italy
Wine producer Svolta Srl has put in an agrivoltaic facility on the Vigna Agrivoltaica di Comunità winery in Laterza, within the Italian province of Taranto, within the sunny southern area of Apulia.
The 970 kW, south-oriented system options 7,770 panels of assorted output capacities – 135 W, 125 W, and 100 W. The know-how is an unspecified double junction skinny movie, for essentially the most half. The modules are deployed at an angle of inclination of 28 levels.
The construction is made from parts for viticulture in strengthened concrete that takes inspiration from the everyday winery construction of the pergola. The firm produces two vines – the native Primitivo providing and Goldtraminer, which is a typical tree of the Dolomites in northern Italy and is mostly not suitable with the latitudes of this area.
The firm says the agrivoltaic system has delayed the harvest in comparison with different farms within the space. Technical research have proven that it reduces publicity to excessive climate, cuts environmental impression, lowers water consumption by as much as 20%, and will increase soil yield by 20% to 60%.
Emilio Roggero from the Italian Sustainable Agrivoltaic Association (AIAS) added that the system helped the winemaker to reverse the development the place the warmer summer time moved the harvest from early October to late September.
“The system determines a postponed harvest, reduces water stress and protects the grapes from different meteorological extremes,” he mentioned. pv journal Italy. “We have a few years of measuring the discount of water stress in grape vegetation underneath agrivoltaic shading carried out by Professor Maurizio Boselli on the University of Verona ranging from 2009-13 analysis in Valpolicella. Even in essentially the most vital moments at midday, the leaves of the vegetation underneath the panels are in regular circumstances though the skin of the panels in full solar is underneath extreme water stress.
Giuseppe Ferrara and Prof. Andrea Mazzeo from the University of Bari confirmed these findings with further measurements. Roggero mentioned that in 2022, the harvest came about in early October, however in 2024, they harvested grapes three to 4 weeks later than in neighboring areas, for a similar grape selection. .
The agrivoltaic construction protects the vegetation from extreme warmth, radiation, and wind, lowering the wind pace by half in comparison with open fields. Plants underneath the panels present higher plant development than in full solar.
Roggero mentioned that the Primitivo grapes underneath the panels obtain degree of sugar and keep acidity, in contrast to the sun-exposed grapes, which have excessive sugar and low acidity with excessive of pH.
“The partial shading slows down the event of the sugar content material and this yr the worth we wished of 21 levels was reached within the final days of August whereas the grapes throughout the entire day on the similar time had been at 25 levels, extra greater than our objective,” he defined. “We noticed a discount of about 10% in sugar content material and a rise in acidity of about 25% in grapes underneath agrivoltaic shading. The exams of various acidities had been began on the University of Bari and the information had been processed.
Grapes with content material of sugar and acidity allow the manufacturing of top quality wines with out the necessity for corrective oenological interventions, preserving the authenticity of the wine.
“Agrivoltaic pink wines are distinguished by their lightness and class and white wines by the freshness offered by one of the best acidity. In the approaching years, we will additionally suggest glowing wines that there’s a traditional technique for which agrivoltaic white grapes are significantly appropriate,” says Roggero. “For these traits, improved by a refined oenological protocol, agrivoltaic wines are proposed as high-quality wines and for cultivation strategies with very excessive persistence, distinctive and someway unique. Therefore the worth of agrivoltaic wine is about in several wine outlets on par with one of the best merchandise within the sector.
The Goldtraminer vine is attribute of the Trentino area and the Verona space in northern Italy.
“This yr we obtained a brand new Traminer in processing with the precise steadiness between the content material of sugar and alcohol – 14% vol and acidity pH 3.45. The experiment gave optimistic stunning outcomes,” mentioned Roggero. “The similar Primitivo di Gioia del Colle grown in agrivoltaics exhibits class and degree of acidity harking back to good pink wines from the north.”
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