The small yet mighty wine-growing region of Valpolicella east of Lake Garda in the province of Verona is renowned for its light wines as well as for its deep red and heavy Amarone Cesari, one of Italy’s finest wines. Cantina Gerardo Cesari in Fumane is one of this region’s local vineyards. Founded in 1936, the company has been pressing wines from the Valpolicella region since 1948. The vineyard’s consistent success led to the addition of a new winery in Fumane which was opened in early 2021. This is where the berry drying process, which takes between 4 to 5 months, takes place along with the pressing, fermentation and initial refining of the wines.

The aim was for the new wine cellar to blend into a landscape shaped by vineyards, olive groves, pine forests and orchards. As the Cantina Cesari is committed to the principles of sustainability and maintaining tradition, from the outset the plans initiated in 2017 envisaged the installation of a photovoltaic system to produce solar power on the green flat roof of the new build. The client commissioned the experienced installation firm Andrea Impianti based in the province of Verona with planning and realising the PV system. Company owner Andrea Tezza planned the solar plant while taking into consideration various factors such as the location, wind exposure and frequency of critical weather phenomena such as hail in order to ensure the facility’s ongoing performance capacity while keeping maintenance costs reasonable for the operator. The specialist company opted for the Solar-Wind II system from fischer’s Solar-Fix range to install the PV system. In addition to the fixing solution’s technical qualities, the technical advice and on-site support by Vittorio Roby at fischer Italia’s Sales Engineering department was a decisive factor. 

The specific fixing solution requirements proved to be highly challenging during the Cantina Cesari project and included fastenings without drilling, as little visibility as possible and low structural loads on the roof of the building. “In light of these challenges, the fischer Solar-Wind II aluminium fixing system was used with a 10° inclination, enabling installation on flat roofs while utilising the effects of the air flow”, explains fischer expert Vittorio Roby. “With this construction method, the wind blows over the facility and thereby increases the hold on the substrate even in strong winds”. The weight required for ballasting is relatively lightweight and includes stone panels, for instance. “This lowers the risk of accidental damage to the roofing paper while each module series isn’t grounded individually, instead, entire subsystems are grounded before the string cables are installed suspended beneath the photovoltaic modules”, Roby says. The Solar-Wind II system is an intelligent flat roof installation system optimised for maximum weight reduction with ballasting. It consists of a few aluminium brackets and channels along with the corresponding stainless-steel screws and accessories. Its quick installation merely requires aligning the first row and using just a few weights on the roof, making it ideal for delicate roof coverings with limited load capacity. 

“The project was executed in two steps”, Andrea Tezza reports. “To start with, we set up a 50-kWp system before installing a second system of the same size in 2020, so that we now have a total capacity of 100 kWp. Overall, we installed 346 solar collectors with a total surface of 650 square metres”. With energy production of around 110-megawatt hours per year, the expert estimates net energy cost savings of around 20,000 euro. “The constant search for innovative solutions and materials led us to fischer”, Tezza remarks. “Thanks to the support with technology and planning we were able to optimise time, costs and simple installation, achieving an excellent result”. 

The fischer Italia subsidiary has been highly successful in the market with the Solar-Fix range. The subsidiary has attained a special position thanks to its expertise in the field of solar installations. “Within our Group of Companies, fischer Italia is the competence centre for developing the fastening range for photovoltaics and solar thermal installations”, says Riccardo Frizzarin, Product Manager for the Solar-Fix range. “The growing emphasis on renewable and clean energy has led to our Solar-Fix range increasing to more than 150 items covering all applications from small, private solar roofs to large commercial facilities”, Frizzarin emphasises. A high degree of innovation and high-quality materials such as specialist aluminium alloy and stainless steel ensure that the highest level of mechanical strength is achieved with optimised weight. Frizzarin points out that the Solar-Fix components bear the TÜV quality certificate thanks to the strictly controlled production processes, the use of high-quality raw materials and strict inspections of the final product. 
In light of rising energy prices and sustainable management requirements, the owners of Cantina Cesari are pleased with the high performance of the PV system on the roof of the new winery. The ecologically produced solar power supplies the sophisticated facility that regulates humidity and ventilation, ensuring the valuable grapes are always stored and processed correctly.