Installation of a photovoltaic plant on the roof of the migrant reception centre in the small town of Carfizzi in Calabria, Italy has enabled the centre to provide more services to migrants, while cutting energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions.
- 04 October 2019
This project shows that even the smallest municipalities with limited administrative capability are able to access EU funds when they have an initiative which aims to reduce public cost, improve social impact and stimulate the local economy.
The aim of this EU-funded project was to install a photovoltaic plant on the roof of Carfizzi’s migrant reception centre, to reduce energy use, change behaviour and attitudes among the local population, and cut public expenditure on running the services provided. The plant uses solar panels to convert energy from the sun to electricity for the reception centre. The six-month-long project was a success. The new photovoltaic installation is able to produce up to 39 000 kilowatts of electrical energy annually.
The solar plant has enabled the reception centre to continue providing the hospitality and services its guests require, at lower public cost and environmental impact. In fact, the plant is expected to achieve as much as 20 % savings each year on the energy used by the centre.
Solar spill-over
The initiative involved three small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) from the energy sector, including six employees, working for 19 days in total. The construction of the plant boosted demand for work from the energy SMEs involved, generating indirect job creation. Furthermore, the successful project prompted the municipality to make use of financing instruments for other sustainability projects, relating to social housing, heritage and hospitality.
The project raised public awareness of the importance of energy efficiency and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
Small town, big impact
The town of Carfizzi, in Calabria, is home to fewer than 700 inhabitants. The migrant reception centre was previously used as a youth hostel. The local municipality played an important part in the initiative, answering the public call for tenders via the e-procurement platform of the Public Administration Electronic Market.
It set an example to smaller municipalities in how to make use of EU structural funds to improve quality of life and service delivery in towns and villages.
Total investment and EU funding
Total investment for the project “Photovoltaic plant serving the Reception Centre for migrants of Carfizzi (Crotone)” is EUR 121 000, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 90 750 through the “Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency” Operational Programme for the 2007-2013 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Energy efficiency and optimisation of the energy system”.