Thanks to CO-CLEAN Project, the Municipality of Racale will have the opportunity to upgrade the photovoltaic systems of the public swimming pool of the city.

Specifically, the pilot action of the Municipality of Racale consists in the equipment of the public swimming pool with 148 photovoltaic modules installed on the roof of the structure and connected to the public grid, which will have a total power of approximately 20 kW and an annual energy production of 25,000 kWh (equivalent to 1,260.84 kWh / kW). This will allow the structure to exploit renewable resources for the self-production of electricity that will be used to cover its own electrical consumption. Specifically, the project foresees the installation of a PV system with photovoltaic sheath, which guarantees a series of advantages and in particular:

• It does not modify the waterproofing of the structure because no holes are made, and no ballast is placed on the pool cover;  
• It produces electricity even in diffused light conditions (early morning, sunset, slightly cloudy days);
• It is walkable in case of maintenance;
• The system has no glass and ensures a totally anti-glare behaviour of the module;
• The Tefzel coating allows a general cleaning of the photovoltaic module with a simple flow of water;
• It is suitable for areas with landscape constraints as it is totally integrated into the roof like a normal waterproof sheath.

Furthermore, the pilot action also provides for the installation of an electrical storage system capable of storing the surplus production of electricity produced by the photovoltaic system that, otherwise, would be lost. This energy storage system will guarantee continuity of power supply for several hours, during the evening hours or on cloudy days, when solar radiation is scarce or absent, using the traditional electricity grid only as an emergency reserve.

In short, the designed system aims to exploit all the energy produced by the PV system, making the building autonomous and more efficient. Moreover, it involves the integration of software that allows both the monitoring of the yield of the system and the management of the electricity required by the swimming pool in a smart way.

The Municipality of Racale is partner of CO-CLEAN Project, whose overall objective is increasing energy efficiency and the use of renewable energies in the programme area through the implementation of innovative and consolidated actions, training and awareness-raising activities for citizens and stakeholders. In this sense, all the pilot actions of the project are inspired by the principles of energy democracy, consistent with EU DIRECTIVE 2018/2001 and aim at creating an energy community composed by active energy citizens or “prosumers” and SMEs. The other partners of the project are the Municipality of Brindisi, the Consortium for the Industrial Development of the Biferno Valley, the Municipality of Vlora and the Municipality of Berane.