(Finance) – Il 2024 has proven to be a year of challenges for the photovoltaic sector in Italy. Despite the promises of a green and sustainable future and the commitments to decarbonisation that Italy has signed before Europe and the UN, recent regulatory resolutions have created an environment of uncertainty and obstacles for the development of photovoltaics.
The positive direction that seemed to have been undertaken with the approval of the Case Green Decree, which however without the provision of economic incentives risks putting millions of families in difficulty, was immediately called into question by new regulations that ended up undermining the path of the Italian transition. This is what emerges in the note sent.
To begin with, i DL Agriculture and Suitable Areas have created a climate of uncertainty for all the actors involved, from farmers, to entrepreneurs, to Italian and foreign investors. These decrees, created with the aim of protecting the environment and the territory, do not take into account the specificity of the rural areas they would like to protect, and have ended up limiting the possibility of installing solar panels in many areas that would not receive any type of damage. . An example? The many uncultivated areas present in Italy, which for many farmers represented a source of supplementary income compared to the installation of solar panels on the ground, they can no longer be used for this purpose. The result is enormous economic damage for farmers and a disincentive to investors active in renewables, who have always been interested in the Southern regions by virtue of the favorable conditions they offer for photovoltaics. Thus, the Agriculture Decree risks burning around 60 billion euros of investments made by companies and investorswho had believed in a sector that had now stabilized and which had rules that had almost stopped since 2016.
Then, last month’s credit spreader. It is no coincidence that it was one of the most discussed measures of the year. The economic damage of a retroactive rule affects not only entrepreneurs and private individuals who had trusted government maneuvers and today find themselves paying the price of rash decisions on their finances; I am measures that discredit the credibility of the State in the eyes of Italian and international entrepreneurs and which discourage investments in Italy. Why move capital to a country whose lack of regulatory stability threatens not only possible returns, but capital itself? These conflicting regulations and billions of investments gone up in smoke they represent a brake on a sector that should be at the center of our country’s energy transition. Photovoltaics is a key to an effective and sustainable energy transition, but to achieve this goal a clear and favorable regulatory framework is needed.
According to data from GSE and ANIE Renewables – we read again in the note – the Italian photovoltaic sector has seen a significant growth in 2023. As of 30 September 2023, approximately 1.5 million plants were in operation in Italy, for a total power of approximately 28.6 GW. In 2023, renewable sources totaling 3,122 MW were installed, of which 2,804 MW were photovoltaic. These are numbers that demonstrate the enormous potential of photovoltaics in Italy. However, recent regulations are putting this progress at risk.
Like SENEC Italia, a leading company in the production of storage systems for photovoltaic systems, our estimates are positive as we hope to install 100,000 complete systems by the end of 2025, including those already currently installed. This is an ambitious but realistic estimate, which could be significantly higher if there was support and support from the institutions.
Regulatory stability cannot and should not be underestimated. In Germany, for example, the regulations are stable and this has favored the development of the photovoltaic sector, despite the fact that its territory does not enjoy the same solar exposure that we have.
Italy is already behind the 2030 targets and in order for us to think about reaching them it is essential that institutions recognize the importance of photovoltaics and work to create a environment that favors, rather than hinders, its development. Only in this way can we hope to achieve the sustainability objectives we have set for ourselves and guarantee a safe and clean energy future for our country.
(Photo: stockwerkfotodesign | 123RF)