Canavese Renewable Energy Community
In Canavese a new Renewable Energy Community (CER) has been established, an independent legal entity bringing together citizens, businesses, local authorities, small and medium-sized enterprises and farms with the aim of producing, consuming and sharing clean energy locally. Coldiretti Torino joined the initiative, making its participation conditional on the inclusion in the internal regulations of a specific clause: the rejection of so-called "ground-mounted photovoltaic parks", installations held responsible for consuming agricultural land and displacing farmers [1][2].
Zero land-consumption regulations
Among the goals included in the CER's regulations, also shared with local administrations, is the aim of avoiding any form of agricultural land consumption. The text favours the construction of new renewable energy production plants on already urbanised, sealed, degraded or compromised surfaces, such as disused industrial, craft or commercial areas, building roofs and parking lots, ruling out the use of productive farmland [1].
The role of farms
The president of Coldiretti Torino, Bruno Mecca Cici, stressed that the new energy community aims to enhance the contribution of Canavese farms, many of which already produce electricity from renewable sources through biogas plants that recover gases generated by the fermentation of livestock waste, as well as photovoltaic panels installed on the roofs of barns, homes and production facilities. The stated goal is to bring these productions together into a system to foster the area's energy self-sufficiency [1][2].
Countering land speculation
The creation of the CER is also presented as a response to a phenomenon reported in recent years in Canavese municipalities, whereby real estate brokers and investment funds purchase agricultural land to build ground-mounted photovoltaic parks. According to Coldiretti Torino, the energy community aims to reconcile renewable energy production with the protection of farmland, giving agriculture, rather than speculation, a central role in the area's energy contribution [1][2]. As an independent legal entity, the CER will network small producers, including farms, families, businesses, small and medium-sized enterprises and local authorities, sharing locally produced energy [2].
Related articles: Canavese, Coldiretti Torino
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Sources
- Obiettivo News — 5 October 2026
- CronacaQui Torino — 5 October 2026