In 2010, the Coppo and Garrione families decided to diversify the rice business by investing in renewable energy and plan the construction of a dual-axis tracking photovoltaic system of about 95 kWp and a 1 MW biogas system.
The company had therefore modified the production setting by joining the production of rice, addressed to the market, with the production of Silomais, needed to sustaining the biogas plant on a daily basis.
Our first step towards Renewable energie
We have taken up the challenge risen in 2010 of producing clean electricity with no polluting emissions, saving fossil fuels and avoiding noise pollution.
By August 2010, a photovoltaic system of 95.872 kWp power was built on a 8000 square meters farmyard, permanently unsuitable for agricultural use within the Petiva estate located in the town of San Germano Vercellese.
The system is able to produce about 160,000 kWh per year without polluting emissions into the atmosphere and with any kind of fossil fuels implied.
In order to maximize the production of electricity per kWp installed, the solar tracking technology was chosen on the use of a system that, instant by instant, positions the photovoltaic modules in the direction of greater brightness. In this way, by appropriately arranging the solar trackers, the production increases up to 40% compared to ground fixed systems.
The technology used for the realization of this installment is simple and widely tested: it consists essentially of 16 solar trackers installed on the ground.
On each tracker there are 28 photovoltaic 214 Wp modules in monocrystalline-amorphous silicon that produce direct current; the direct current of the modules is sent to 8 inverters distributed inside the photovoltaic field that convert the direct current into alternating current at a voltage of 400 V that is directly fed into the National Transmission Grid by means of an existing BT electric substation.
The courage to cultivate energy in the heart of rice growing areas.
1 MW biogas system with wholly vegetable supply coming mainly from our farm located at the Petiva estate in San Germano Vercellese.
Produce electric energy through anaerobic digestion of mulch mainly from self made origin in cogeneration, transforming the digestate into a pelletisable soil improver perfect for our own land cultivated with rice.
By August 2011 a cogeneration implantation powered by biogas has been built, coming from anaerobic digestion of mainly company plant production, suitable for feeding the digester. The produced biogas is used to produce electricity, which is fed into the national public network for an annual flow of about 8,742 MWh.
The final waste material is treated in a dryer, with the use of remaining heat, and subsequently transformed into granulate to use as a soil improver.
The implantation was built using innovative technologies for the production of biogas, for its treatment and for the production of electrical and thermic energy.
These technologies are the result of research and development in the agricultural sector and are subject to constant improvement and evolution, permitting to optimize the recovery of material and energy from the organic fraction of biomass, derivate from agricultural production.
The construction and use of a biogas system contributes significantly to increase the production of ‘clean’ energy from renewable sources. As a result, the production of fossil fuel energy is reduced, which is characterized by a high emission of greenhouse gases.
Italiano