Renantis launches crowdfunding campaign for Terzo d'Aquileia agrivoltaic project

PRESS RELEASE

Renantis launches crowdfunding campaign for Terzo d’Aquileia agrivoltaic project

• Participants can expect around a 6.5 percent annual return on their investment

• The project will contribute to climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, soil protection from the effects of erosion and the creation of habitats for wildlife and bees

Milan, 22 February 2023 – Renantis announces the launch of a lending crowdfunding campaign to support the construction of the 32.6 MW Terzo d’Aquileia agrivoltaic plant in the Italian region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

The campaign, aimed at financing part of the agrivoltaic plant, envisages annual returns of 6.5% for the inhabitants of the municipalities of Terzo di Aquileia and Cervignano del Friuli, who wish to join.

Renantis brings its sustainable approach to Friuli Venezia Giulia, by sharing the value generated by the plant to promote widespread, compatible, and agriculture-related sustainability, in synergy with local communities.

The plant will combine the production of clean energy with beekeeping, The plant will combine the production of clean energy with agriculture activity, including the planting of a variety of native crops under the solar panels, the installation of beehives and a polyphytic meadow, composed of multiple species of grasses. The cultivation will contribute to climate change mitigation, biodiversity protection, soil protection from the effects of erosion and the creation of habitats for wildlife and bees.

The plant will also include advanced technology agricultural tools to make beekeeping activities more efficient and sustainable.

“This is an opportunity for the whole area,” explains Marco Felettig, a local beekeeper entrusted with the agricultural activities on the site. “With the installation of beehives supervised by qualified personnel, these lands will be true ecological haven set in a man-made and cultivated area. The tree and herbaceous species will enrich the biodiversity recorded in recent years in agricultural areas, act as shelter and provide food for pollinating insects, which will find protected areas essential for their survival and will also positively affect the surrounding land.”

The 60-day lending crowdfunding campaign aims to share value, offering a tangible benefit for local communities and the wider region.

The inhabitants of Terzo di Aquileia and Cervignano del Friuli, who will join the campaign, will receive a gross annual return of 6.5 per cent; for the inhabitants of the Friuli Venezia Giulia region, the value set is 5.5 per cent. At a later stage, the financing opportunity will also be open to Renantis’ Italian employees, key figures in the Group’s green vocation.

The lending crowdfunding campaign will be developed through a remunerated loan, guaranteed by Renantis and not directly linked to the actual production of the plant. Through the Ener2Crowd platform it will be possible for individuals to participate in the project with investment of between 200 and 10,000 euro. Receiving annual interest on the loan made for 36 months, participants have the possibility of early exit and full recovery of the capital paid in, at the end of the period.

“For over fifteen years, our Group has been successfully conducting initiatives to share the value created by our renewable plants,” comments Giangiacomo Altobelli, Renantis’ community manager in Italy. “In 2021 we launched our first lending crowdfunding campaign in Sicily, in the province of Ragusa, with a high level of participation from the local community. This new initiative in Friuli Venezia Giulia is further evidence of our sustainable commitment, which is based on caring, both for the region and for the people who live around our facilities.”

Lending crowdfunding is just one of the many initiatives implemented by Renantis to support the communities in which it operates. Another key focus in this region is to provide employment and local supply chain opportunities for the Terzo di Aquileia site and throughout the construction and operation of the new plant. Renantis will hold a Contractors’ Open Day in April to present the project and the opportunities the plant will generate in the area.

As part of its commitment to education, Renantis has sponsored the most recent edition of the University of Udine’s Scuola di rinnovabili (School of Renewable Energy), offering scholarships for enrolled students who live in regions where Renantis projects are in development, construction or operational.

Construction work will begin on the Terzo di Aquileia project in July 2023 over a 52-hectare site. Forty five of those hectares will be dedicated to the production of renewable energy combined with agricultural activity. Once in operation, the agrivoltaic project will produce around 50 GWh of energy, equal to the annual needs of more than 16,500 households.

***

Renantis exists to build a better future for all by powering people’s everyday lives with care. It develops, designs, constructs and operates onshore wind farms, solar PV as well as storage plants and floating offshore wind farms globally. 

Headquartered in Italy, Renantis has delivered renewable energy since 2002. The company’s plants span the United Kingdom, Italy, United States, Spain, France, Norway and Sweden, with a total capacity of 1,420 MW in operation. 

As responsible pioneers in the renewable energy sector, Renantis has a strong track record of providing specialised services and expertise at all stages of the value chain. From production to consumption, they provide technical advisory, asset management and energy management services to clients and these activities span 40 countries. 

Contacts

Jo Clarkson – Head of Media Relations – Tel. +44 7514 734 135  
Elena Roda – Media Relations – Tel. +39 02 2433 2297