ITALIA SOLARE has launched the Agrivoltaics Observatory, a new initiative designed to build a national database of agrivoltaic projects in Italy and provide long-term monitoring of their agricultural, energy, technical and economic performance.

The initiative, promoted by the Association's Agrivoltaics and Territory Working Group and coordinated by Rolando Roberto and Marco Balzano, has been developed with the support of Professor Stefano Amaducci of the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore and member of ITALIA SOLARE's Scientific and Technical Committee. It aims to address the sector's need for objective data, shared operational experience and long-term monitoring as agrivoltaic deployment accelerates across the country.

"The Observatory – which the association has been working on for some time – was created with the aim of collecting, organising and enhancing the experience of agrivoltaic plants developed by our members, building a national database based on real projects and continuously updated. The information collected will make it possible to monitor the agricultural, energy, technical and economic performance of the plants over time, contributing to shared knowledge and supporting the development of the sector," said Rolando Roberto.

The database will include information on project location, technical specifications, crop types, agricultural and electricity production, water consumption, operational aspects, investment and operating costs, as well as challenges encountered during permitting, construction and operation. The data will be updated every six or 12 months to provide an evolving picture of Italy's agrivoltaics sector.

According to ITALIA SOLARE, the observatory will also help identify best design and operational practices by analysing the impact of different system configurations on agricultural productivity, farm management, CAPEX and OPEX, and integration with local communities.

"With the exponential increase in agrivoltaic projects in Italy, having access to real-world data is now a priority to support the management of existing plants and improve the design of future ones. The first monitored projects will provide guidance for the entire sector. For this reason, I was pleased to contribute to the Observatory by integrating both our university's research activities and the technological tools and monitoring platform developed through the TSPIN spin-off," said Stefano Amaducci.

Marco Balzano added: "To maximise the value of the Observatory, we have adopted an inclusive approach by involving all ITALIA SOLARE members. In this way, it will become not only an important data collection hub, but also a place for regular discussion on the practical experiences that different operators are bringing to the field."

The initiative also includes the development of a dedicated digital platform, a network of demonstration projects and technical site visits to promote knowledge sharing among companies, the agricultural sector, public institutions and local communities.

The observatory will rely on voluntary contributions from ITALIA SOLARE members developing or operating agrivoltaic projects and is intended to become a permanent monitoring tool supporting the sector's development through technical, scientific and operational evidence.