Agriturismo Cà de Alemanni in Cremona in Lombardy in Italy is not only committed to sustainable agriculture and soft tourism, but has also decided to contribute to the implementation of the UN’s global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). For this purpose, the operators had a photovoltaic system with Panasonic HIT modules with an output of 110 kilowatts installed last year. The system contributes to three SDGs in particular: SDG 7 "Affordable and clean energy", SDG 12 "Produce and consume sustainably" and SDG 13 "Implement climate protection worldwide".
The Cà de Alemanni farm embarked on the path towards organic farming in 1999. In addition to producing organic food, the farm meets the criteria of Italian agritourism farms that offer environmentally friendly holidays. In 2020, Cà de Alemanni added climate-friendly energy production. Panasonic partner Eco Casa installed 330 high-performance HIT modules with a total output of 110.5 kilowatts on a south-facing shed roof. The farm uses solar power for the fans, the cooling cells and the milking system. With an annual consumption of 259,000 kilowatt hours of electricity, the annual electricity costs will be halved. Over a period of 25 years, the PV system will save 2,057 tonnes of CO2 emissions.
Sustainable agriculture and energy cost savings through photovoltaics
"The installation of the photovoltaic system is a milestone in our sustainability journey, and the halving of electricity costs is a very important component for our balance," says Beatrice Santini, associate of the Cà de Alemanni farm. Fabrizio Limani, Senior Manager of Panasonic's Solar Division, comments: "The installation at Cà de Alemanni is very important for us as it is in line with our company mission: to improve people's lives through our technical solutions."
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The HIT 330 solar modules that were installed have an output of 330 watts and an efficiency of 19.7 percent. Thanks to the enhanced frame design they have a guaranteed load-bearing capacity of 5400 Pascal, which can withstand large amounts of snow or strong winds. All HIT modules are equipped with a water drainage system at the corners of the frame to prevent deposits and improve self-cleaning.
What are the Sustainable Development Goals?
The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of the 2030 Agenda were adopted by the global community in 2015. The goal is to enable a decent life worldwide and to preserve the natural foundations of life in the long term. Governments worldwide and civil society, the private sector, and scientists are called upon to align their actions with the economic, ecological, and social guidelines. (mfo)
