Demonstration site #3Region-Italy

Context:

The biomethanation process typically requires a significant amount of energy, which is often derived from fossil fuels. To promote innovative technologies based on renewable energy and move away from the conventional pathway of biomethane production from fossil fuels, it is essential to explore the compatibility of this process with agrivoltaic systems. This demonstration will delve into the trade-offs associated with using agricultural land for energy production, such as the choice between powering “mobility” with electricity or biomethane, and the competing priorities of food/feed production in the broader energy and agricultural dilemma.

What solutions will be developed?

The Italian demonstration site focuses on three studies that aimed at promoting the widespread implementation of sustainable agricultural systems that integrate renewable energy and food production. Through three demonstrators, two scenarios will be investigated: i) how to produce the electricity necessary for biomethane production and ii) how to extend agrivoltaics to a medium/large scale (>20 ha) to expand the renewable energy potential at farm level agricultural and feed electricity into the grid.

What are the objectives and targets?

The targeted developments of the project consist in the promotion of energy-independent cropping systems. In particular, UCSC and REM will demonstrate the best combination of crops with overhead agrivoltaics and the compatibility of hybridization with biomethane production will be studied together with CIB, towards the creation of an efficient off-grid biomethane plant. Strategies will be developed to achieve a 100% replacement of current fossil energy use on farms. Furthermore, the partners aim for the BiogasDoneRight® method further developed in this project to be adopted by more than 400 farmers by the end of the project.