Today, there is a lot of talk about sustainability, especially in the face of the climate crisis and rising bills. If you own a home or business, you have to deal with increasingly high running costs, and it is clear that alternative solutions are needed to produce energy in a sustainable and low-cost way.

Many people have already installed photovoltaic panels in their homes or businesses. Do they pay off? Do they save money? These are the most common questions that we will try to answer.

Advantages of photovoltaic panels: sustainability and savings

Anyone wishing to install a photovoltaic system is primarily concerned with two questions: how much does the installation cost? How much can you save with solar panels?

Today we are in a time of economic and geopolitical difficulties, which has caused solar panel prices to rise again. The lack of raw materials and high customs clearance fees are the main causes of this price increase. However, as already mentioned and as we shall see, this is a long-term investment.

The cost of installing photovoltaic panels depends on the system’s power, the size and the price of the connection to the energy retailer. Let us imagine that a buyer wants to install a photovoltaic system on his 100-square-metre house. In this case, a solar panel array of up to 50 kW would be sufficient, which today costs up to EUR 3,000. Add to this the connection costs to the energy retailer, which can be around 100 euros.

However, let us not forget that the Italian state has provided important incentives for installing photovoltaic systems in recent years. These include the 110% Super Bonus with which it is possible to recover 110% of the value of the installation expenditure, the 50% Renovation Bonus for a maximum of €96,000, and reduced VAT at 4% for new houses and 10% for existing ones.

installing photovoltaic panels: do you really save money?

Although for some families, this expense may seem rather high, the savings that result from the use of photovoltaic panels are considerable:

• if homeowners directly consume the energy produced with photovoltaic panels, then they become more independent from their electricity supplier. In this way, the cost of the bill is lowered, to the point where, in some cases, only the fixed costs are paid;
• households can benefit from a positive balance by selling the energy they do not consume;
• if you have a storage system alongside traditional photovoltaics, the amount of money saved is really high.

Savings also depend greatly on the size of the panels, the storage system, their quality and the cost of connection to the electricity supplier. This is why it is always a good idea to rely on specialised and experienced technicians who know how to find the right solution for any customer.

With quality solar panels, a good storage system and virtuous consumption habits, a private individual can save up to EUR 700 per year on his electricity bill, and a company up to EUR 5000.

Renting land for photovoltaics

Another advantage that photovoltaic panels can bring is that of being able to earn money by renting land on which to install a sustainable energy collection system. In this way, not only do you participate in the decarbonisation of the energy sector, but you can also make a profit.

Our company, which specialises in installing photovoltaic panels and renting land for renewable energy installations, highlighted the advantages of leasing a piece of agricultural land for solar energy harvesting.

If a person owns disused farmland that is suitable for building, i.e. has permits, he can rent it out to companies specialising in solar energy harvesting. To start earning money through this method, one must first understand whether the land meets all the requirements to be able to put solar panels on it. For a plot of land to be considered suitable, it must be flat or hilly, facing south, and there must be no natural, landscape or other constraints on the land (this can be deduced by applying to the municipality to obtain the Certificate of Urban Designation).

The last step before building the photovoltaic system on agricultural land is the design of the system and the application for the Integrated Text of Active Connections, an authorisation granting the connection to the grid. After this step, the Declaration of Start of Activity can be submitted to the municipality and work can begin.

Viridis Energia deals precisely with tailor-made consulting services for the customer and the entire bureaucratic process for realising the photovoltaic system on agricultural land, including inspections.

How much do you get from renting land for photovoltaics?

Installing photovoltaic panels on agricultural land can earn between EUR 3,500 and EUR 6,000 per hectare. However, there are variables depending on soil conditions and proximity to an electricity grid.

Conclusions

In this article, we discovered that a photovoltaic system not only saves money on energy bills and reduces the carbonisation of the energy sector, but also allows you to earn income through the sale of electricity. This can be done either by renting out your farmland to an experienced company in the sector, or by installing photovoltaic panels on your home and selling the unused energy back to electricity and gas utilities.

Although the installation costs of these systems may therefore be high, the return on investment is considerable, and, moreover, cleaner energy can be produced to cope with the climate crisis.