Thanks to its hybrid renewable energy source (FER) plants (photovoltaic and hydroelectric) and the total capacity of 3.5 megawatts they can generate, CER Imotorre is able to meet the energy needs of the entire population of Torre Boldone. We are therefore talking not about a single apartment block, but about a community of around 8,500 residents: the reduction in greenhouse gas emissions towards the ambitious goals set by the need for an energy transition will be considerable.
What is a CER?
A renewable energy community (CER) is an association of citizens, businesses, SMEs and public bodies whose main aim is to provide community-level environmental, economic or social benefits to its members or to the local areas in which it operates.
A private citizen can be a simple member-consumer or, if they own a renewable-source plant, a producer-consumer (prosumer).
Within a CER, the members (producers and consumers) sign an agreement for the “virtual” sharing of electricity (there is no need to be connected by a cable), which rewards the local self-consumption of the renewable energy produced.
The benefits. As one might expect, the more energy is self-consumed among the members of the CER, the greater the benefits for the members themselves.
Virtual self-consumption within the CER is rewarded with a state incentive of about 12 cents/kWh: this means a substantial saving on annual energy spending for the producer and consumer members of the CER.
An agricultural CER to protect biodiversity
The ‘Imotorre’ CER was promoted by the Municipality of Torre Boldone, thanks to its participation in the regional call for the creation of a public-private energy community in the area. The project was shared from the outset with the owner of the plant, the company ‘Imotorre’, which leases the agricultural land owned by the company ‘Ghibi srl’.
CER Imotorre, in fact, will have an eminently agricultural character. Contributing to the conscious use of land is one of the community’s stated aims. The first actions announced by those in charge will be the placing of a colony of bees, with about 40 hives, along the photovoltaic rows and the planting of about a thousand shrubs along the perimeter of the photovoltaic park – in addition to new plantings between one row and the next.
Social and educational initiatives
The community also intends to launch a number of significant social and educational activities: in schools, for example, to raise awareness of environmental issues, the conscious consumption of resources and the use of clean energy sources. A cycle path and other works of public utility, as well as measures to strengthen the ecological permeability of the area, are also planned.
Taking part in the CER
To begin the process of joining the CER, private citizens can go to the website www.cerimotorre.it and register their interest in taking part. They will need to fill in a form and have their electricity bill to hand, in order to find the POD number and the name on the contract, as well as their bank details so that they can receive periodic bank transfers from the CER.
