CASE STUDY
Badia Polesine: 25 MWp on an Industrial Site
GDS Sole Italie's first plant in Italy
A 25 MWp utility-scale solar park built on an industrially designated area in the Province of Rovigo — the largest in the Veneto region at the time of commissioning (February 2023).
The context
The Badia Polesine solar park is located in the Province of Rovigo, on an industrially designated area already classified as suitable for ground-mounted photovoltaics under Decree-Law 17/2022. The area had not found any other productive use: the plant transformed it into a 25 MWp utility-scale power station, capable of producing renewable energy for an entire territory, with no consumption of agricultural land. A project that enhances existing industrial areas and makes a concrete contribution to the energy transition.
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The development
Timeline
The permitting process was completed in just seven months, while construction was finished in eight months. From the launch of development to commissioning, the solar park was completed in just over two years — a particularly competitive timeframe for a utility-scale plant of this size.
This project is one of the concrete examples of GDS Sole Italie's ability to develop, permit and build utility-scale photovoltaic plants within competitive timelines.
This project is one of the concrete examples of GDS Sole Italie's ability to develop, permit and build utility-scale photovoltaic plants within competitive timelines.
- Development launch
- Submission of Autorizzazione Unica
- AU obtained
- FER 1 auction participation and ranking
- Construction start
- Commissioning
Technology and grid connection
The plant was built with fixed structures and monofacial 560 Wp modules — a reliable and efficient solution, optimised for the plant's location in northern Italy, where the production advantage of solar tracking systems is lower than in the south.
Despite a context of significant electricity grid saturation, the project obtained a medium-voltage connection solution (STMG, Soluzione Tecnica Minima Generale) for the plant's full capacity, ensuring the complete valorisation of the plant's energy output within E-Distribuzione's distribution network.
Badia Polesine is also one of the first plants in the Veneto region equipped with a Central Plant Controller (CCI), the advanced system that enables:
- real-time plant monitoring
- continuous data transmission to the grid operator (E-Distribuzione)
- regulation of power fed into the grid
The adoption of the CCI, at a still pioneering stage for this type of technology, was successfully implemented thanks to close collaboration between GDS Sole Italie and the grid operator, confirming GDS Sole Italie's ability to manage complex and innovative projects.
Hydraulic management and site resilience
Located in a territory historically exposed to heavy rainfall and flood events, the Badia Polesine solar park was designed with particular attention to hydraulic site management. To ensure hydraulic invariance and proper stormwater management, the project included:
- preservation of existing channels
- construction of an underground drainage network with coconut fibre drains and concrete pipes
- creation of a dedicated retention basin for water conveyance
Integrated solutions that contribute to the plant's full compatibility with the local context.
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Project stakeholders
GDS Sole Italie, through the special purpose vehicle GDR Solare S.r.l., holds direct control of the entire process, from development to operational management of the plant. For development and construction activities, GDS Sole Italie collaborated with Italian partner Permatech/ESPE, drawing on local technical expertise and solid knowledge of the territory.
Governance, ownership and strategic decisions for the project remain entirely with GDS Sole Italie, confirming the company's ability to lead and manage complex utility-scale photovoltaic projects.
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Environmental impact on the territory
The energy produced annually by the plant is capable of covering the consumption of approximately 13,900 Italian households, avoiding the emission of 11,500 tonnes of CO₂ every year.
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Equivalent Italian households served
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Avoided emissions
The project was authorised through a regional Autorizzazione Unica, in compliance with specific environmental and landscape requirements for the protection of the territory. Territorial compensation measures were also provided in favour of the Municipality of Badia Polesine, and local companies were involved in the construction phase — some of which subsequently became recurring partners of GDS Sole Italie on further projects, helping to strengthen ties with the local productive fabric.
Plant figures
- Area
- Installed capacity
- Annual production
- Commissioning
- Land type
- Modules
- Structure
- Equivalent households served
- CO₂ avoided / year
* Equivalent households calculated on the average consumption of the standard household as defined by ARERA (2,700 kWh/year, contracted capacity 3 kW), the standard reference value for the Italian market.
** CO₂ avoided calculated by applying the Italian electricity grid emission factor published by ISPRA for 2022 (307 gCO₂/kWh), in force at the time of plant commissioning. The figure quantifies the emissions that would have been generated by the national electricity mix to produce the same quantity of energy.