Sun, Water, Power

Opening the electricity bill and saying “we should really put solar panels on the roof” is easy. Actually deciding, usually, isn’t. You get three quotes that say different things, you’re stuck choosing between a heat pump and a boiler, between solar thermal and an electric tank, between batteries and no batteries. And meanwhile the bill keeps coming.

Our workshop on renewable energy in Umbria starts from here. It isn’t a green sermon: at Preggio we had to solve concrete problems for a working farm that runs twelve months a year, from lighting to heating to charging the cars. We’ll walk you through the systems with the real numbers and the design choices behind each one — working from the assumption that fossil energy will only keep getting more expensive, and that you might as well work out where to start.

With Bruno, between inverters and storage tanks

The workshop is led by Bruno. Not an engineer, not a technician: a tech enthusiast who, over the years, has worked through every aspect of these systems by experimenting on them in person, directly on the farm at Preggio. No slides, no lecture: we walk around the systems, see what does what, get into the detail where it matters and skip past where it doesn’t.

The workshop is held in Italian or English (Bruno is fluent in English) and in a small group: maximum 4 people. It’s a choice, not a limitation: with four people there’s room for the questions that actually matter, tailored to your own house.

What we’ll see, in order

Two hours on foot, system by system. No slides: everything we discuss, you see on the spot.

• Domestic photovoltaic. The “small” system, the one that powers the house and the electric car charging. Sizing, choices, batteries yes or no.
• Medium-voltage photovoltaic — 180 kW. The big farm system, with its own substation and two inverters. Why medium voltage, what changes, and when consumption scales up enough to justify the step.
• Rainwater for the kitchen garden and grounds. Where we collect it, how we feed it to the drip irrigation, and how we top up from the well when rainfall isn’t enough.
• Drinking water from the spring. Source capture, three storage tanks, distribution to the house and the guest rooms.
• Solar thermal for hot water. 16 m² of panels on the roof, 300 litres of storage. What it covers in summer, and where it stops being enough.
• Air-to-water heat pump. Heating and hot water in winter. What it really means in the coldest months, and what it actually costs.
• 80 kW wood-fired boiler — the serious backup. When it kicks in, why it’s sized the way it is, and why a backup isn’t optional.
• Buried LPG tank. The last layer of energy security. What it powers, why we keep it, and when it might no longer be needed.

At the end we also talk about what we deliberately decided not to do, and why.

What you’ll take home

Nothing tangible. You’ll know which questions to ask your electrician, your plumber, your solar installer. You’ll know where the spend is justified and where it isn’t. You’ll know how to tell a serious quote from one written off the cuff. When the moment comes to decide what to do at home, you’ll arrive better informed than three of your neighbours put together.

Practical details

• Duration: two hours, time to be agreed at booking (morning or afternoon).
• Cost: € 30 per person.
• Group size: maximum 4 participants.
• Age: the workshop is intended for adults. We welcome guests aged 14 and over.
• When: any day the agriturismo is open, on booking made at least the day before. Open to overnight guests and to outside visitors alike.
• What to wear: comfortable shoes. We walk around the working farm, between outdoor installations.