Enea, in collaboration with Enel Green Power, has built Italy's first algovoltaic plant, capable of combining electricity from photovoltaics with the production of microalgae for food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical use. The algovoltaic plant, which has just been completed at the Enea Research Center in Portici (Naples), makes it possible to cultivate microalgae with a high commercial value - from 100 to 600 euros/kg for pharmaceutical or cosmetic use - thanks to a fully automated cultivation system integrated with the photovoltaic plant. "The advantages of the approach taken are many," Enea explains. "First of all, algae make it possible to harness energy from the sun better than traditional crops because they have higher photosynthetic efficiency; moreover, they have high environmental value as they consume carbon dioxide by transforming it into biomass through photosynthesis and releasing pure oxygen into the atmosphere. Last but not least, there are practical aspects, such as the fact that the developed technological solution also lends itself well to 'retrofit' operations of existing photovoltaic systems".
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