Italy

The first production of CCE oil is obtained from the fruits of olive trees of the esteemed Canino variety, which grow on our property in the municipality of Canino (in the Santa Lucia locality, in the province of Viterbo), where we are building a photovoltaic plant. The plant has a planned capacity of 14 MW and will supply energy to 7,583 households.

The project for the Santa Lucia solar park has been connected from the beginning with an agronomic plan for the preservation of the olive trees on which the panels are installed. To enable the coexistence of photovoltaics and agricultural production, the olive trees were moved to an area suitable for their growth and provided with an irrigation system.

The olive trees in our Santa Lucia project belong to the Monocultivar Canino, a variety typical of the Tuscia area (the northwestern part of Latium), which is of special value for this area. It is an ancient variety that was already cultivated by the Etruscans, very resistant and able to adapt to soils and conditions that are unfavorable for other varieties. The oil obtained from this variety has an intense green color with light shades and a moderately spicy taste with a bitter note.

In the last months of 2024, we harvested the fruits of the Santa Lucia trees, from which we obtained our first production of organic extra virgin olive oil. The first harvest of our olive trees took place within an oil campaign that was heavily affected nationwide by climate change. Given the increasing difficulties faced by farmers, the integration of agriculture and photovoltaics in AgriPV solutions adapted to the needs of farmers is becoming increasingly important: AgriPV offers numerous solutions to respond to the impacts of climate change, ensure dual land use, and promote the areas and their communities.

CCE Italy has presented its approach in the field of Agro-Photovoltaics here: Agriphotovoltaics: benefits, challenges, and opportunities, CCE Italy's vision