The construction of one of Italy’s largest agro-photovoltaic plants, located in Loreo, in the province of Rovigo, in the heart of the Po Delta is being supported by a large fleet of Bobcat machines. The firm said equipment including skid-steer loaders, telehandlers and mini-excavators are onsite.
According to a statement, the development of the plant combines technological innovation and renewable energy production, while preserving the area’s agricultural industry. It covers approximately 65ha and houses over 73,684 latest-generation bifacial photovoltaic modules. The technology is said to maximise energy production by capturing both direct and reflected solar radiation from the ground, thus increasing overall efficiency. The plant’s total power output will be approximately 42MWp, with a storage system, for an estimated annual production of 63GWh – enough energy to power thousands of homes and numerous local businesses.
The project is said to represent an innovative agrivoltaic system model, integrating renewable energy production with the maintenance of agricultural activity. The photovoltaic panels are mounted on structures raised approximately two metres above the ground, allowing the passage of agricultural vehicles and the cultivation of the land below.
To tackle the complex operational phases of the construction site, a dozen Bobcat machines were chosen, including compact track loaders (T76, T86, T300), telehandlers (TL30.70 and TL43.80HF), mini-excavators (E55, E60), and the L85 articulated wheel loader, for their reliability, power and ability to operate on delicate and unstable terrain, typical of clay-loam areas, the firm said.
Several companies are involved in the plant’s construction including Oresi Italia, which specialises in the installation, maintenance and repair of electrical systems and civil engineering works. The company is part of the Oresi Energy SRL group, based in Romania, which has been active in the development, construction and management of photovoltaic, wind and micro-hydroelectric plants in Europe since 2009.
Vasile Bogdan Roba, Oresi Italia Manager, explains: “For this type of intensive work, we needed powerful, agile and efficient equipment. We were happy to hear from the companies we work with about choosing Bobcat. The solutions proposed by local Bobcat dealer DMO, represented by Maurizio Mantovani, were absolutely up to the task. The equipment has been operating non-stop for over a year, in all types of weather conditions. We’re just coming off a rainy winter that forced the equipment to work even more intensively. Now, some of the equipment is almost unrecognisable due to the amount of mud covering it, but it performs as well as it did on day one. Their power is at its peak, and thanks to this, the work is proceeding at a rapid pace: truly impressive reliability.”
The construction site involved numerous operational phases, all supported by Bobcat machines. The first phase involved the excavation of the ducts for the low-voltage cables, performed by Bobcat E60 mini-excavators. With the ground cleared and the excavations completed, one of the most intensive phases of the construction site then took place: material handling. Bobcat T76 and T86 compact track loaders, equipped with forks, were used daily to load, unload, and transport the supplies needed to build the system, and distribute the materials to various assembly teams.
Once the entire supporting structure of the solar panel was assembled on the ground, the lifting process took place using the Bobcat TL30.70 telehandler. In addition to this function, the TL30.70 was also used to distribute pallets containing photovoltaic panels near the pre-installed structures, ready for installation.
