The graph below shows how total annual installed capacity has changed over the past decade, with 2023 marking the second year in a row that Italy installed more than 1GW of new solar capacity .
Italy’s solar power sector is also famous for its reliance on distributed generation, with half of the installed capacity in 2023 being in the commercial and industrial sector (C&I), 28% in the residential sector and 22% in the utility-scale sector. Ta. This differs from other European markets, with SolarPower Europe predicting that in 2023 utility-scale projects will lead the deployment of generation capacity in Europe, accounting for 34% of total operating capacity, with C&I Solar accounting for 33%. I expect it to be occupied. This compares to his 2020, when C&I accounted for his 40% of total solar capacity in Europe.
Italy’s solar power sector is also unusually dependent on the residential sector, with Italia Solare reporting that 43% of the electricity capacity added in 2023 was in the residential sector. Paolo Viscontini, president of Solare Italia, said much of the increase was due to the government’s super bonus scheme, which gives citizens a 110% discount on energy-efficient home improvements such as installing solar panels. It is said that the system allows them to receive tax deductions. PV Tech Premium In other words, the cost of the facility was “effectively paid for by the state.”
Although the system will be less influential in the future, there remains significant interest in the distributed generation sector, as the tax credit has fallen to 70% this year for the majority of citizens. The average monthly capacity of C&I installations in 2022 was 56 MW, rising to 120 MW in the first half of 2023 and again to 180 MW in the second half of 2023, according to a report by Solare Italia.
The new additions bring the installed capacity of Italy’s solar power sector to 30.28GW, more than a third of the 80GW capacity targeted in the latest National Energy and Climate Change Plan (NECP) submitted to the EU last year. Become. This significantly exceeds the 52 GW of capacity targeted in the 2019 NECP and is her second largest among EU member states after Germany, as shown in the graph above.
The increased appetite for new solar projects in Italy, both through government policy and supportive financial incentives for the housing sector, has also made the sector more resilient than expected, with Viscutontini He suggested that the industry has been able to weather external markets. fluctuations in electricity prices, etc.
“The rise in energy prices has had a significant impact on the connection of industrial solar power systems, with an average interval of six to nine months,” Viscontini said. He explained that although connection times have slowed due to the fluctuations, his enthusiasm for the project has not slowed down.
“but, [this] This trend did not stop even when energy prices began to fall again. This is because businesses are well aware of the benefits of solar power, which can secure energy prices for at least 20 years and protect businesses from negative impacts. There is no risk of further price increases. ”