During 2021 there was an increase in installed power compared to 2020 relating to photovoltaic systems. In particular, it went from 686 MW to 937 MW in 2021. Solar thus reaches a cumulative total power of over 22,000 MW with a number of plants just over one million. More than half of the installed power is produced by solar systems with power between 20 and 1000 KW.
The most virtuous regions in reference to installed power are Puglia, Lombardy and Emilia Romagna. While, regarding the largest number of connected solar systems, Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia Romagna are the best examples.
In 2021 there was also a strong increase in the installations of photovoltaic systems with storage systems, reaching over 35,000 systems. We have gone from an overall storage capacity of 111 MWh in 2020 to 431 MWh in 2021. Lombardy followed by Veneto and Emilia Romagna were the Regions that registered the greatest connected capacity of storage systems.
The result seems promising, but for both solar and storage systems we are lagging behind the development forecasts in line with the Integrated National Energy And Climate Plan (PNIEC in Italian) objectives: 30% share of renewable energies on final energy consumption by 2030.
If Italy continued to install plants at the current rate, the gap between the current installed power and the PNIEC objectives would become very significant and would translate into a potential gap of 23 GW for the photovoltaic sector and 2.3 GW for the wind sector by 2030.
This gap will be even more wider in case of future revisions of the plan in the face of renewed European ambitions in terms of RES (Renewable Energy Sources).
From a regulatory point of view, however, progress is being made towards simplifying the authorization procedures and expanding the possibilities for installing solar systems, by defining the suitable and unsuitable areas on time.
The so-called “decreto Energia” (Energy Decree) was recently published in the Gazetta which, in favor of solar, establishes:
- The regulation of the development of solar plants in the agricultural industry, with the possibility of accessing state incentives for systems installed in agricultural areas and agrovoltaic systems, even if they occupy a maximum of 10% of the farm’s surface;
- simplification in solar systems permit granintg for the installation on roofs which are now considered ordinary maintenance;
- the simplification solar system permit grating in suitable areas by reducing by one third the waiting time;
- a contribution, in the form of a tax credit up to 145 million euros, for energy efficiency in the southern regions for each of the years 2022 and 2023.