Enel, Comal plan 1GW solar tracker factory in Italy

Engineering company Comal will set up a solar tracker manufacturing facility in Montalto di Castro, in the province of Viterbo, central Italy.

Called Tracker Sun Hunter factory, the new factory will be located in an area of over 30,000 square meters inside the Montalto di Castro power plant owned by Italian power utility Enel, which is no longer used for energy generation.

“The aim is to produce wholly Italian trackers to support a photovoltaic energy production of up to 1 GW per year, thus contributing to the growth of a national renewable energy supply chain and bringing back to Italy the production of devices that until now were imported,” Enel said in a statement released.

The energy company said the demolition of decommissioned oil-fired units at the plant is underway and that a 10MW solar park should also be deployed at the facility.

“The agreement with Comal and the new development of the Montalto di Castro site, offer a concrete demonstration of the positive effects of the energy transition for businesses, for the regions and for the country,” said Luca Solfaroli Camillocci, Head of Enel Green Power and Thermal Generation Italy.

Enel is currently producing heterojunction solar panels at its module factory in Catania, southern Italy. It recently announced a plan to expand its capacity to 3 GW and to open another panel facility in the United States.