The sustainability project, which aims to engage Cagliari and its hinterland in a Sardinian energy challenge, begins in two major commercial centers in Sestu. The management body of the Sardinian Agri-food Market—Coagri Sardegna soc. coop—and La Corte del Sole decided to join forces about a year ago because sharing electricity is both cost-effective and beneficial for the region.
The project was born from a far-sighted vision started in 2019 with the plan for a small CER to be created with only market companies, to which, in 2024, the entrepreneur Antonio Sardu , president of the CER and founder of the La Corte del Sole shopping centre, gave great impetus to expand the project.
“We asked ourselves how to react to the rising energy costs and we decided to transform a crisis into a great opportunity for the area,” explains Sardu.
"The CER "Via del Sole" will take its first steps by the end of 2025 with the first photovoltaic system under construction on the market roof," explains Giorgio Licheri, Director of the Sardinia Agri-food Market and member of the CER Board of Directors. "Without taking land away from fields and agriculture, we can contribute, including through electricity produced from renewable sources, to the development of businesses and the local area.
The president of Coagri Sardegna Vincenzo Pisano - a historic wholesaler - adds: "this project is a concrete example of how by marching together in the same direction you win, and the greater the number of participants, the greater the benefits for everyone" .
The two shopping centers house a total of 250 businesses, including 170 retail stores, seven restaurants, two bars, and 71 wholesale and agricultural businesses in the agri-food market.
The goal? To unite businesses, commercial spaces, and agri-food companies in an energy community capable of producing and sharing energy from renewable sources, reducing costs and promoting sustainability.
