Green energy and a new urban forest: the Hera Group’s Energy Park arrives in Bologna

The Hera Group is building its first Energy Park in Bologna that combines and puts into practice energy sustainability, decarbonisation, innovation, environmental redevelopment and biodiversity protection. This initiative involves the creation of an advanced agrivoltaic field with photovoltaic panels above ground level, to allow traditional agricultural activity, powered by the clean energy coming from the sun, and an urban forest having green areas with facilities usable by citizens and areas dedicated to animal and plant biodiversity. The Energy Park, a strategic project for Bologna, will be located in the northern area of the city, in the Navile district. The project will be realized by 2026 and represents a fundamental step in the Bologna Climate Mission, the path towards climate neutrality that the Municipality of Bologna is committed to achieving by 2030, which the Hera Group immediately joined. The Energy Park will indeed lead to an annual savings in terms of carbon dioxide coming to roughly 6,000 tonnes: a concrete step taken by the Hera Group towards decarbonisation.

The project's vital statistics

The Energy Park will cover a total area of about 50 hectares. On roughly twenty hectares of
municipal property, the urban forest will be developed; on the remaining thirty hectares the agrivoltaic field will be built.

The advanced agrivoltaic plant combines solar energy production with agriculture and consists of raised photovoltaic panels, installed high enough off the ground so as not to interfere with agricultural activities. In the end, therefore, the same surface area is used twice. The current use of this rural location will be maintained thanks to the use of agrivoltaic technology, which makes it possible to produce clean energy while continuing to use the land for agricultural purposes. The support structures for the photovoltaic panels are positioned at a height from the ground that allows agricultural vehicles to pass underneath, thus minimising land occupation. Energy efficiency is guaranteed by innovative technology, since energy production is maximised by the photovoltaic panels' ability to follow the sun, automatically orienting themselves towards it. The new plant will have a total capacity coming to around 14 MW and is expected to produce more than 20 GWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of almost 8,000 households, with annual carbon dioxide savings amounting to roughly 6,000 tonnes.

The park that will be open to residents is the other inspiration behind the Energy Park, and is a unique opportunity for the urban redevelopment of the surrounding area, which contains sports centres and residences. This infrastructure will indeed increase the space available for the enjoyment of natural areas or those having naturalistic potential, integrating areas dedicated to plant and animal biodiversity with areas of organised parkland, with bicycle and pedestrian paths open to all.

The Energy Park project, for which the Hera Group has obtained a patent, will be the first green infrastructure that combines renewable energy production, soil conservation, the protection of animal and plant species and spaces usable by people. It will also give citizens the chance to participate in the construction of photovoltaic plants by investing in them and receiving in return a discount on their bills equal to the energy produced.

The authorisation process for the project is already underway. Construction of the Energy Park is scheduled to begin in 2025, and within 2026 the park will be open and the agrivoltaic plant will be operational.

The Hera Group for the energy transition, alongside the communities served

The Energy Park is a concrete and innovative example of synergy between renewable energy production, sustainability, agriculture and biodiversity protection, moving towards the decarbonisation of cities. It offers a solution that is fully consistent with the strategy outlined in the Hera Group's 2027 Business Plan, which as regards the photovoltaic power generation sets the goal of installing about 300 MW over the time covered by the plan. This goal will be achieved preferably through solutions that do not involve further land consumption, such as agrivoltaic plants and a number of projects being implemented on landfills or plants in the Group's water cycle, as well as installations at customers' premises, including Renewable Energy Communities.