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Italy Exceeds 27 GW Cumulative Solar PV Capacity

Italy’s H1/2023 Solar Installations Grew By Over 100% Thanks To Large Scale Applications

Anu Bhambhani
  • Italia Solare says Italy installed 2.32 GW new solar PV capacity in H1/2023 
  • It includes 1.31 GW in Q2/2023; large- scale installations grew in C&I and utility-scale segments  
  • Residential solar installations were seen to decline sequentially as a result of the Superbonus scheme 

Italy's total installed solar PV capacity at the end of June 2023 grew to 27.37 GW with the addition of 2.32 GW deployed in H1/2023 that reflects a growth of 129% YoY, says local solar energy association Italia Solare.

This makes Q2/2023 the 2nd consecutive quarter for the country to have installed over 1 GW capacity with 1.31 GW. In Q1/2023, the country added 1.058 GW PV, now adjusted to 1.012 GW (see Italy Exceeds 26 GW Solar Capacity).

Referring to the official data from Terna's Gaudi, the association attributes growth in the reporting quarter to the connections of 20 kW to 1 MW systems by commercial and industrial (C&I) segment, and over 1 MW of projects by the utility scale segment. Sequentially, these 2 categories grew by 49% and 89%, respectively.

A major boost came from projects over 10 MW installed capacity coming online after getting stuck since July 2022. The list includes 2×10 MW and a 36 MW solar project.

Even though the residential segment, using systems with less than 20 kW capacity, accounted for 47% of the total power connected in H1 this year, it registered a decline, dropping from 569 MW in Q1 to 528 MW in Q2. It blames the government putting the brakes on incentives under the Superbonus scheme for the drop.

Italia Solare believes this decline in residential installations is being offset by the C&I segment as the latter wants to cushion itself from volatile electricity prices.

"It means that companies have understood that securing the price of energy is essential and protects them from any risk of soaring prices that could endanger the company's profitability," stated the association. "The increase in installations beyond one MW is also absolutely positive and this bodes well for the second half of the year, despite the fact that we are operating in a context that still sees the targets for new photovoltaic power to be installed annually."

Of the cumulative installed PV capacity, the Lombardy region leads with 3.58 GW (including 429 MW in H1/2023), followed by Puglia with 3.18 GW and Veneto with 2.83 GW.