I love these experiemts. In Bavaria, one of the hop farmers is trying a similar approach in large scale. Smaller tests have shown a similar outcome like in Italy, with the hop beeing protected from excess sunlight as well as hail and other weather.

Their biggest issue currently seems to be the grid. It is (still) not designed for decentral usage and while the smaller test areas didn't have any problems, it seems like they will run into problems during peak production. But that is "just" an infrastructure problem that could be solved.

I really like this dual use of land, with one complementing the other, because, as highlighted in the article, it gives farmers an additional income stream and enables them to run otherwise costly experiments with different crop. Love it.