Brief
In Racconigi, an Italian town with less than 10,000 inhabitants, one of the latest solar district heating projects of the country can be found. The town’s district heating network, operated by ENGIE Italia, in its efforts to reduce gas consumption successfully integrated a solar thermal plant into its heating system, providing clean energy to over 120 users including private households and public buildings such as schools, libraries, municipal buildings and sports centres.
Technology
The Racconigi solar thermal plant consists of 525 high-efficiency solar thermal panels provided by TVP Solar, delivering 900 MWh of renewable energy 75°C all year round – even during cold winter temperatures and on days with little sunlight. In summer, the solar thermal energy produced by the plant covers the entire heat need of the district heating network. By reducing gas consumption and cutting 250 tonnes of CO2 emissions annually, Racconigi is leading the way in decarbonising urban heating systems.
With a total collector area of 1,029 m², efficiently utilizing less than 2,000 m² of space, the Racconigi solar thermal plant stands as an example of district heating decarbonisation with a small footprint. This sets a new benchmark for sustainable district heating in Italy, where land availability is a key challenge for solar deployments.
Financial Structure
This project was financed through a CAPEX investment by Engie and received support from the Italian subsidy scheme Conto termico with a grant corresponding to about 45% of the CAPEX paid over 5 years.