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Edison Next and Wienerberger Italia have announced the installation of a ground-mounted photovoltaic system with a capacity of roughly 3 MW at their Valenza plant in Piedmont, where they manufacture sophisticated terracotta roofing. The plant has been built on a former clay quarry next to the facility, now returned to the local area in a new form: from an extraction site to a source of clean energy. The plant was established following the signing of a 20-year on-site Power Purchase Agreement (PPA) and is located on the site of a former quarry adjacent to the plant, which was originally used to extract clay for the production of terracotta roof tiles. For many years, this area produced raw materials for industry, and now that mining activity has halted, it is once again playing an important role in a different way. Wienerberger has decided to redevelop the area, focusing on the production of renewable energy, grassland regrowth, and the reintroduction of indigenous flora and fauna: a dual process of environmental and energy regeneration that gives the former quarry a new identity. The system, consisting of 4,632 photovoltaic modules with a power output of 630 Wp each, covers approximately 3.6 hectares, equivalent to about 5 soccer fields. It can generate over 4.5 GWh of renewable energy annually, covering nearly 40% of the Valenza plant's total electricity needs. This solution, when integrated with the on-site PPA model, reduces and stabilizes energy costs while increasing the site's proportion of renewable energy and reducing its environmental effect.
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