Italy's Agricultural Heartland Invaded: Solar Expansion Soars

Italy's Agricultural Heartland Invaded: Solar Expansion Soars

In recent years, Italy has witnessed a surge in the acquisition of agricultural land for renewable energy projects, particularly solar energy projects. This trend is driven by a host of major companies and investment groups focusing on large-scale solar and battery storage developments.

Milan-based renewable energy companies are among the most active players in this land acquisition rush. These companies offer landowners prices significantly above agricultural value to replace crops with solar panels, backed by government subsidies targeting EU renewable energy goals. One such example is a farmer named Bruno Carnevali, who received a letter from a Milan-based company interested in buying his vineyard for solar panel installation.

Global energy giants like Shell are also expanding their green energy portfolios in Italy. Shell, for instance, announced multiple solar projects in Italy between 2022 and 2023, targeting regions like Sicily and Veneto. These companies offer lucrative deals such as renting or buying hectares of land, appealing to farmers struggling with rising costs.

Another key player is Korkia, a renewable energy developer with a growing portfolio in Italy nearing 1 GW, including utility-scale solar and battery energy storage projects. Korkia, in partnership with Biwo Renewable, has several solar projects at ready-to-build stages in Northern Italy, focusing on efficient, ground-mounted photovoltaic systems.

The Italian government has played a role in this trend, intervening with regulations to ban ground-mounted photovoltaics in agricultural areas in May 2024. The intention is to create a "positive synergy" between energy and food production, as was emphasised in a meeting held in Ferrara on 19 May 2025 by Legambiente and the Navarra Foundation. However, the new legislation forces farmers to make their projects agrivoltaic, with an increase in costs.

The rush started after the Italian government issued the energy decree on 8 November 2021, which stimulated renewable energy production and met the targets established by the European Commission. As a result, there is a record number of requests for renewable energy plants, with Argenta, a municipality in the province of Ferrara, receiving 16 requests for as many plants spread across the municipality. In the province of Ferrara alone, there are requests for 4.55 gigawatts of renewable energy plants.

Companies like Exus Italia SRL, owned by a company headquartered in Spain called Exus Renewable S.R.L., are also active in Argenta. Exus Italia SRL has presented a 24-megawatt project, paired with a 12-megawatt battery energy storage system (BESS).

This rapid transformation of agricultural land use to meet ambitious green energy targets has raised concerns among local farmers about food security and land identity. Bruno Carnevali, a farmer in Argenta, opposes the conversion of his vineyard into an expanse of solar panels, citing these very concerns.

The diversity in Italy’s broader renewable energy transition is highlighted by engineering firms like RDR S.p.A. involved in renewable gas projects, though their focus is less on land acquisition for solar than on waste-to-energy technologies.

In conclusion, the major companies involved in Italy’s agricultural land acquisition for renewable energy primarily include Milan-based solar developers, global energy giants like Shell, and specialized renewable project developers such as Korkia and Biwo Renewables. These actors are driving a rapid transformation of agricultural land use, facilitated by government subsidies, but raising concerns among local farmers about food security and land identity.

[1] CSO Italy data: https://www.cso.it/it/censimenti-e-statistiche/censimento-agricolo-e-forestale [2] Shell's solar projects in Italy: https://www.shell.com/energy-and-innovation/projects/solar-energy/italy.html [3] Korkia's projects in Italy: https://www.korkia.com/it/progetti-in-corso/ [4] RDR S.p.A.'s renewable gas projects: https://www.rdr.it/it/progetti/energia-rinovabile/

1. In the realm of environmental science, the focus on climate-change mitigation has led to a surge in investments in renewable energy, particularly solar energy, by major companies and investment groups in Italy's agricultural industry.
2. The Milan-based renewable energy industry is among the most active players in this land acquisition rush, offering attractive prices to landowners for solar panel installations, backed by government subsidies targeting EU renewable energy goals.
3. Global energy giants like Shell are also expanding their green energy portfolios in Italy, entering lucrative business deals with farmers by renting or buying hectares of land for solar projects.
4. Specialised renewable energy developers, such as Korkia and Biwo Renewables, have also been at the forefront of this trend, with projects in various stages of development, aiming to meet Italy's ambitious renewable energy targets.
5. Such rapid changes in land use have sparked concerns among local farmers and environmentalists about food security, land identity, and the environmental impact of these projects, highlighting the need for a balanced approach in the transition towards a greener economy.

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