A new dawn over Puglia

On a warm May morning in southern Italy, Zelestra's first solar plant in Italy was officially opened - and with it, a new chapter began.

There are days that feel inspiring. Days when everything you've worked for quietly snaps into place, and the horizon suddenly looks a lot wider. For Zelestra, 7 May 2026 was one of those days.

In Ginosa, a sun-drenched municipality in the heart of Puglia, Zelestra officially inaugurated its first fully operational solar plant in Italy. It was a morning of relationship-building, shared pride, and a palpable sense of something beginning. Mayor Vito Parisi stood alongside institutional representatives, community groups, and, fittingly, a group of local students who'd come to see the future up close.

The Ginosa plant is a 6.5 MWdc agrivoltaic installation: a working farm and a working clean energy plant, sharing the same land in harmony. It will generate 11.7 GWh of clean energy every year — enough to power around 4,000 Italian households — while preventing nearly 3,700 tonnes of CO₂ from entering the atmosphere annually. And it's just the start.

Where panels meet pasture

What makes Ginosa special is how it was conceived from the outset as a place where agriculture and energy blossom side by side. The solar panels are raised more than 2 metres off the ground to guarantee agricultural productivity with around 75% of the land continuing to yield crops, managed by independent local farmers with ongoing agronomic oversight.

The result is a model of genuine coexistence: active farmland, new income streams for local operators, and clean energy generation — all from the same plot of earth, with no net loss of agricultural land.

The Agri-PV design keeps panels elevated above ground level, preserving the agricultural use of the land below.

Environmental stewardship was built into every stage of the project. The site perimeter is shielded by 10-metre tree strips, wildlife-friendly fencing keeps local fauna safe, and a comprehensive Environmental Monitoring Plan — covering soil, water, air, noise, and biodiversity — ran before, during, and after construction. The plant operates in full compliance with MASE National Guidelines.

Construction was carried out by Altenia (Terna Energy Solutions Group) as EPC contractor and created approximately 50 local jobs during the build phase — a meaningful contribution to the Ginosa community that extends well beyond the clean energy it now generates.

Anchored by a decade-long commitment

Underpinning Ginosa is a 10-year power purchase agreement with BKW — a partnership that speaks to the long view both companies share. The agreement doesn't stop at Ginosa: it also covers the Bellomo agrivoltaic project in Modica, Sicily, a 9.5 MWdc plant that signals the breadth of Zelestra's Italian ambitions.

Puglia is a strategic market for Zelestra, and Ginosa is the first expression of a pipeline that now extends to more than 1.4 GW of solar and battery storage projects across Italy. What was inaugurated today is a proof of concept as much as a power plant — a working demonstration that the company's model of integrating clean energy production with active agriculture is ready to scale.

Teaching the next generation to lead the energy transition

Alongside the plant inauguration, Zelestra launched something quietly remarkable: the first Italian instalment of the Zelestra Energy Academy, held at the Ginosa Municipal Library.

The programme brings local students face-to-face with the ideas, technologies, and real-world skills that will define the energy landscape of their lifetimes. It's education in the most tangible sense — not abstract theory but learning that happens in the shadow of working solar panels, in a community that has just chosen to play an active role in the transition.

The Academy is part of Zelestra's broader FutureS initiative, reflecting a commitment to leaving every community it works in genuinely stronger: not just in energy terms, but in knowledge, opportunity, and long-term resilience.

“This plant represents a story of courage and momentum: it concretely demonstrates what can be done beyond agriculture, without replacing it. We thank Zelestra for believing in our territory and in our young people. It is a starting point, and we hope that it will pave the way for other companies that want to invest here. Our administration is ready to welcome innovation and technology, to grow together with businesses.”

Domenico Gigante, Deputy Mayor of Ginosa

“What we are inaugurating today in Ginosa perfectly embodies the principles that the District promotes: sustainability, growth and creation of value for people and the territory. The integration between green energy and agriculture is not a compromise, it is a priority, and this plant is a virtuous example of this. Puglia is already the first region in Italy in the production of renewable energy: we produce 14% of the national green energy, compared to a consumption of 7%. This structural advantage, together with agriculture and tourism, is a central asset for our sustainable development.”

Giuseppe Bratta, President of the Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Production District

First of many in Italy

Ginosa opens the door to a pipeline of extraordinary scale. With more than 1.4 GW of solar and battery storage projects across Italy, and a global footprint backed by EQT's investment platform, Zelestra's ambitions in the Italian market are as bright as a Pugliese summer.