The priorities to promote the diffusion of photovoltaics in Italy according to Italia Solare

The race continues renewable in Italy. In June, the installed capacity from wind and photovoltaics in the Peninsula it reached 39.5 GW: thus in the first half of the year, considering all renewable sources, the increase achieved was almost 2.5 GW, 120% more than in the same period of the previous year. The data collected by Triadthe company that manages the national electricity grid, which also shows an increase in monthly installations of new renewable capacity: they have increased fivefold in the last 18 months, going from 110 MW per month in January 2022 to 500 MW in June 2023.

To facilitate the process decarbonization, a greater commitment is needed in the dissemination and development of clean energy sources. The proposed update of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan, sent by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security to the EU, reaffirms the country’s willingness to increase the share of renewables in gross final energy consumption, which should reach 40% by 2030, then rising to 65% for electricity consumption only. Objectives that could be even more ambitious according to research centers and environmental organizations: in particular, the think tank Ecco had underlined in a note that “the 65% increase in renewables in the electricity system is still far from values ​​adequate to the commitments made by Italy, which according to our calculations should reach 76%”.

One of the engines that helps accelerate this energy transition is photovoltaics. According to the association Solar Italyyou have to invest in network and storage infrastructureoperate a simplification of authorization proceduresstrengthen the sector supply chains and also activate training programs for photovoltaic technicians to meet companies’ requests for specialized workers. The Italian association dedicated to photovoltaics – with 1,177 members representing 16,600 employees and 26 billion in turnover (year 2022) – had met the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security in recent days Gilberto Pichetto Fratinalso presenting the priorities for the development of photovoltaics in Italy: ten points to work on to allow the country to achieve its targets for reducing climate-changing emissions.

Among the priorities indicated by the association, the need for a rapid conclusion of the process of identifying suitable areas to guarantee an orderly diffusion of photovoltaics and support the efficient development of storage systems and grid infrastructures, also with the approval by the Regions of the respective suitable areas in line with the established objectives. In addition, Italia Solare reported two problems: on the one hand, i connection times too long; on the other, the virtual saturation of networksdue to the fact that the demand for connection to the photovoltaic and wind power grid is 4 times the new renewable power to be achieved by 2030. “For this – he explained Rocco Viscontini, reconfirmed president of Italia Solare after the meeting of 12 July – we asked the minister to urge Arera to adopt connection rules dedicated to photovoltaics, aimed precisely at reducing times, considering that around 99.5% of the new connections made each year concern photovoltaic systems, especially small ones. Furthermore, in our opinion it is necessary to supervise the behavior of network operators and give priority to connection to plants located in suitable areas, self-consumption plants and in free building”.

Among the other priorities mentioned, the need to support measures for network and storage infrastructures, and also of aid to particular categories of users and to some significant applications (such as photovoltaic shelters) to face the investment cost. In particular, the association requires the enhancement of tax deductions for plants up to 20 kW serving family users, bringing it from 50 to 65% for plants equipped with storage systems, to be spread over five or ten years at the choice of the taxpayer, and to extend this option also to non-domestic users. During the meeting with the minister, Viscontini then called for the rapid issuing of the ministerial decree Fer3 of incentives for small and large plants, and the publication of the cer decree and simple GSE application rules. Also essential is the simplification of authorization proceduresenvironmental and landscape, with the definition of an organic and homogeneous framework.

Finally, the association reiterated the need for strengthen the photovoltaic obligation on new buildings or buildings undergoing significant renovation, evaluating the possibility of gradually introducing an obligation, even with incentives, to install photovoltaics on the roofs of the existing building, or to make the same roofs available to third parties. It is also important to encourage the development of national production chains of the components of the photovoltaic systems, e invest in training given that many companies have difficulty finding specialized personnel: hence the need to activate training programs for photovoltaic technicians.

The new board of directors of Italia Solare

On 13 July the new board of directors of the association was elected, made up of 29 directors, representing all the market sectors in which the members find themselves operating. Furthermore, Paolo Rocco Viscontini, one of the founders of Italia Solare in 2015, was reconfirmed as president.

As stated in a press release, the new group will be in office for the next three years, committed to promoting greater diffusion of photovoltaics in Italy. The other 28 members of the board are: Emilio Sani (Sazalex), Stefano Cavriani (Ego Energy), Rolando Roberto (ENERWORKS EUROPE), Maria Sabella (Relight Energy Services), Andrea Brumgnach (Ceress), Claudio Conti (MC Energy), Laura Onnis (ELGEA/Autostrade per l’Italia), Andrea Zanotti (Zanotti Energy Group), Claudia Vannoni (K2), Emiliano Pizzini (Mega TIS), Fulvio Ferrari (Higeco More), Marco Balzano (Studio Tecnico Ing. Balzano), Mauro Moroni, Valerio Natalizia (SMA Italy), Andrea Parrini (PM Service), Annarita Mitola (BFP Service), Giovanna Licata (Helexia Energy Services), Francesco Pezone (Pmlaw), Andrea Rovera (Wattkraft), Illuminato Bonsignore (3eee), Tiziano Mariani (MoMa Studio Tributario), Andrea Voigt (Aream), Gianluca Proietti (Huawei), Daniel to Carriera (ERP Italia), Alberto Cuter (Jinko Solar), Diego Arbizzoni (Open), Edouard Dupuy (Smart Energies).