Solar Greenhouses

What it is about


Solar greenhouses are structures used for agricultural production or to floriculture in which the panels used for producing electricity from solar radiation are integrated into the structural elements of the building, such as roofs and walls.
It is an agriculture model born in the Netherlands which begins to appear also in Italy.
The solar greenhouses can be mono-, bi- or multi-layered. They can offer a total or "checkerboard" coverage. They can also be realized with traditional photovoltaic panels or “semitransparent" ones, which allow sunlight to filter through them and reach the ground.

Benefits


A photovoltaic greenhouse implies some interesting possibilities, for example:

  • using the energy produced directly inside the greenhouse for the activities of air conditioning, control, irrigation which crops require;
  • bringing the surplus electricity produced out to the distribution network;
  • installing large systems without subtracting agricultural land;
  • accessing special tariffs;
  • enjoying tax breaks, because greenhouses are stackable as agricultural buildings, therefore they are exempt from municipal taxation.

Close to us


At Cassina de’ Pecchi, in the outskirts of Milan, at only 15 kilometers from the Cathedral, Cascina Pirola s.r.l. grows, through cutting-edge technology and environmentally friendly, strawberries and berries in an area of 50.000mq half of which consists of heated solar greenhouses.
Not only do photovoltaic panels cover the energy needs of the company, allowing savings in emissions of carbon dioxide every year, but provide power to more than 4,000 people. And that's not all: the cultivation is carried out in "soilless" trays placed at 1.50m above the ground in order to have maximum product hygiene, to reduce the spread of diseases to plants, to minimise the use of treatments, to easily harvest the product.
This is why they were awarded “Oscar Green Lombardy” in 2013 and 2014.

Photogallery