An Italian winery installed photovoltaic solar panels on its vineyards and found that they improve wine quality

Photovoltaic solar panels on vineyards are revolutionizing wine production, improving quality and protecting the environment!

Agrivoltaics was already establishing itself as a great promise for both agriculture and the renewable energy sector. What was not yet known is that this technology could also bring benefits to wine production.
The Svolta winery, located in the Puglia region of Italy, discovered that integrating agrivoltaic energy systems in vineyards not only helps mitigate the effects of climate change, but also delays the ripening of grapes, resulting in a significant improvement in wine quality.

In addition, the technology has made it possible to grow grape varieties not typical of the region, while providing economic and environmental advantages, such as water savings and the generation of solar energy on the same land where the vines are grown.

An impressive agrivoltaic energy installation

The project is called Vigna Agrivoltaica di Comunità and features 7,770 double-jointed thin-film solar energy panels. Together they add up to a power output of 970 kW.
The solar energy panels are oriented to the south at an angle of 28 degrees. They rest on a concrete structure inspired by the pergola typical of Italian vineyards. The vine grows underneath, protected from wind and heat waves.
The secret is in the shadows. The shadow cast by the solar panels delayed Svolta’s harvest by three to four weeks compared to the surrounding vineyards, for both white and red grapes.
This year, Vigna Agrivoltaica di Comunità harvested at the end of August, while in other areas it did so weeks earlier.

How does this affect the quality of the wine?
Less sun exposure slows down the accumulation of sugars in the grapes, which improves the balance between alcohol content and acidity during fermentation. According to Svolta, this allows high-quality wines to be produced without the need for corrective interventions.
The agrivoltaic energy system improved the water stress of the plants, protected the grapes from weather excesses and halved wind speed, compared to open fields. The winery carried out technical studies that show a reduction in water consumption for irrigation of up to 20% and an increase in land yield of between 20% and 60%.
New grape varieties under study

Svolta has grown more than 30 grape varieties, mainly indigenous to Puglia, in the hope of discovering new surprises next year. The winery plans to produce sparkling wines from white grapes, for which it believes the agrivoltaic energy system will be especially beneficial.