Solar and wind outstrip gas in Europe. In Italy the potential of geothermal energy and biomethane – Corriere.it

Wind and solar generated a fifth (22%) of EU electricity in 2022, surpassing gas (20%) for the first time, the European Electricity Review recently reported with data from the energy think tank Ember. In Italy, the government wants to push and the control room convened by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni on February 6 with the CEOs of Enel, Eni, Snam and Terna on the funds of the Pnrr goes in this direction. This year, most likely by the summer , the Pniec is expected to be updated by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security. Based on data processed by EY for the Courier, in 2022 projects for offshore wind farms were presented to Mase for a total production of 19 GW, 25 GW if 2021 is also considered, to be developed along the Adriatic, mainly in central and southern Italy. For solar, 41 GW more than in 2021 was produced, totaling about 209 GW.

Again on the basis of EY’s analysis, for the development of wind and photovoltaic power we need to speed up authorizations also by identifying ex ante areas where it is possible (with a streamlined procedure) to install production parks as areas not of artistic or naturalistic interest . But not only. Another stumbling block is the dependence on foreign countries for solar panels and storage systems as well as fundamental components, such as semiconductors (such as microchips) and storage tools (for example, lithium batteries). On this front, last January 13, excellent news arrived from Sweden where the largest deposit of “rare earths” in Europe was discovered, made up of chemical elements and raw materials essential for the production of semiconductors and batteries. Today, China covers 91% of the world’s supply of “rare earths”.

While it is still necessary to make use of non-EU commercial partners for solar, Italy has other sustainable energy sources that could represent “fertile ground” for attracting investments. With geothermal energy, of which Italy was a pioneer in the world, 6,000 GWh are produced per year, which satisfies 2% of national needs and represents 5% of green production. However, upgrades require a high fixed investment with high costs, especially for territorial exploration, which are almost always paid by the investor due to the lack of an adequate incentive framework. As part of the Pnrr, on 17 January the government, with Mase, approved the rules to encourage the production of biomethane. More than 1.7 billion euros are available, with which a stimulus to the production of 2 billion cubic meters of biomethane per year by 2024 is expected, approximately ten times the current production.

«Now more than ever – comments Paola Testa, EY Europe West Energy & Resources Consulting Leader – it is essential to define a clear direction in which to invest in Europe to achieve the challenging goal of net zero by 2050. Energy independence, rising energy costs or even climate change are issues that are assuming an increasingly central role within the EU and require concrete responses accompanied by urgent actions to be implemented. To face these challenges it is essential to design a European roadmap made up of actions and solutions that can accelerate the energy transition not only in the short-medium term (to meet urgent needs) but also in the long term. Europe has outlined the main key elements, however it has left room for decision-making to the individual member countries. As we have examined in our analysis, Italy has significant opportunities in which to invest in order to mitigate the effects of the crisis and to achieve a new paradigm of energy production and consumption: increase investments in renewable energy sources, aim for an energy mix to the renewal of existing infrastructures and new technologies, to support the development of energy communities and to facilitate a regulatory framework that can keep pace with the present and the future”.