Italian photovoltaic energy specialist Enerray has finished installing a 2,968 polycrystalline panel system for Eni New Energy, who will use the 1,438MWh of annual power to keep its data center online.

Oil and gas giant Eni group launched the Enerray subsidiary to develop its renewable energy production capacity. Thanks to the solar plant, it hopes to decrease the Eni Green Data Center’s carbon footprint by up to 800 tons of CO2 annually. 

All for Eni 

Enerray's solar plant, built alongside Eni's Green Data Center
Enerray’s solar plant, built alongside Eni’s Green Data Center – Enerray

Earlier this year, Eni launched the world’s most powerful industrial supercomputer on the data center site, the HP4, which has a computational peak performance of 18.6 petaflops.

The cluster is built with HPE hardware and will be used for geophysical imaging, oil systems and reservoir modeling, as well as the generation of predictive and cognitive algorithms for its business operations. 

Enerray’s parent company, SECI Energia, otherwise known as the Maccaferri Industrial Group, is a family-owned multinational civil engineering company specialized in the design, construction and operation of renewable energy power plant. 

The photovoltaic park, located in the outskirts of Ferrea Erbognone, near the Eni oil refinery in Sannazzaro de’ Burgondi and adjacent to the company’s data center, will generate up to 964 kWp, with a manufacturing capacity of up to 1.438 MWh/year. The solar array system was built to purpose and all of the energy it produces will serve the data center.

Seci Energia CEO Michele Scandellari stated that with the project Enerray had successfully ensured “a contribution of high electrical production despite the limited space offered by the land” using a mono-axial tracker – which allows the photovoltaic panels to reposition themselves following the sun – meaning it was possible to assemble the panels in vertical pairs and fit them onto on a small property.

Scandellari called this “the confirmation that in Italy there is still space to run important projects for the construction of new photovoltaic plants for the businesses that want to invest in innovation, energetic saving and protecting the environment.”