The globally active solar mounting manufacturer Schletter Group is continuing its growth trajectory in the Italian market. Near the northern Italian city of Udine, Schletter, in collaboration with EPC contractor EnValue Solar, has installed a ground-mounted photovoltaic plant with a total capacity of 96 MWp. Project development and supervision were carried out by MSE Solar. The project is among the largest ground-mounted PV installations in the region.

“Italy has been an important and growing market for us for many years – with high technical and regulatory requirements,” says Fabian Madl, Key Account Manager at Schletter Group. “Projects of this scale require robust structural design, certified material quality and reliable supply chains. This is precisely where we were able to contribute our strengths.” The solar park is located just a few kilometres from Udine. Approximately 156,700 solar modules were installed across a site covering around 75 hectares. The Schletter ground-mounted system “FS Duo” was deployed – a two-post steel structure designed for large, multi-row module configurations. Three modules were mounted vertically above one another in each instance. This design enables efficient land use while ensuring high structural stability and short installation times. In addition, driven foundations made of hot-dip galvanised steel and specialised Z-purlins provide a high degree of durability and stability.

Structural integrity and stability were of particular importance for this project. Approval by an independent structural engineer was required, partly due to seismic loads, as parts of northern Italy are classified as earthquake-prone areas. Accordingly, the structural design was based on higher safety factors than those typically applied to other PV projects in Italy, resulting in increased requirements in terms of construction, material quality and structural verification.“ From the planning stage onwards, it was clear that we would need to work with significantly increased safety margins,” Madl emphasises. “We therefore aligned the structural design with regional specifications at an early stage and closely coordinated the verification process with the independent structural engineer, the authorities and EnValue Solar.” Schletter Group has been working successfully with the German EPC contractor EnValue Solar for several years.

The company intends to continue its growth in the Italian market. In addition to traditional ground-mounted projects, Schletter’s agri-PV solutions are playing an increasingly important role, Madl adds: “Italy is currently experiencing very dynamic development in the agri-PV segment. We offer a broad product portfolio for this market and maintain close dialogue with project developers and investors.” Schletter’s range includes both fixed, elevated systems and single-axis tracker systems with ground clearances exceeding 2.1 metres.