The park, designed by Ren It and created in partnership with solar investor Sistema Solare, spans two communities in Italy, Aveani and Savini. Together they comprise the largest concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) power plant in the country.
Construction of the sites started in late June 2012.
"Sistema Solare is currently progressing in the realization of CPV projects in Italy with a short-term target of another 10 MW, and together with the developer Ren It we are building a pipeline of approximately 100 MW in the Middle East and Latin American regions," said Francesco Marini, Chairman of Sistema Solare.
The SolFocus CPV technology deployed at the site, which was recently on display at Intersolar North America, utilizes a system of patented reflective optics to concentrate sunlight 650 times onto small, highly efficient solar cells.
The high-efficiency (30 percent efficient at converting sunlight to electricity) SolFocus SF-1100S systems feature dual-axis tracking for consistent energy delivery throughout the day, resulting in optimized kilowatt hour production.
It also offers environmental benefits including no water usage for energy production, a small land footprint with dual use potential, and no permanent shadowing or wildlife corridor disruption.
"We looked at a number of CPV providers and felt that the SolFocus approach was the best fit for both the needs of these projects and the local environment," said Lorenzo Verlicchi, Managing Director of Sistema Solare. The projects were executed under the 4th Conto Energia.
"Our partners Sistema Solare, Ren It and Delta have proven to be pioneers in deploying CPV in the country and we look forward to working with them on future projects as well," said Mark Crowley, CEO of California-based SolFocus.
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