Italy drives 2.2 GW of renewable energy projects under environmental processing, with agrovoltaics and wind power leading the way

Italy is experiencing a significant advance in its renewable generation capacity, with 2.2 GW of projects undergoing environmental assessment in October 2024, coming from 31 initiatives.

The main technologies driving this growth are agrovoltaics and wind power, with notable companies driving initiatives across Italy. However, some promoters are also focusing on photovoltaic, offshore wind, and storage projects.

Agrovoltaics has solidified its position as the leading technology, with 17 projects under processing, three of which incorporate storage.

Among the notable projects are a 121.6 MW Solar Energy SEI installation for the community of San Martino in Pensilis, the “Làgani” park by GO-SOLE S.R.L., with a capacity of 70.37 MW, “Meilogu” of 78.5 MW promoted by SKI 28, and Farina, by PERIDOT SOLAR ORANGE S.R.L., of 60.89 MW.

The country is moving towards a diversified energy matrix, with some promoters pushing hybrid technologies, such as agrovoltaic projects with storage by AVIKA RENEWABLES S.r.l., SKI 28, and ALBARUM S.R.L. of 52 MW, 60.2 MW, and 78.5 MW, respectively.

These projects not only harness solar energy but also contribute to agricultural sustainability by integrating crop systems under the photovoltaic panels.

The wind sector is advancing with eight projects, including BARPIE by ENEF S.r.L., with 144 MW, and the Comune di Serracapriola (FG) park, which will reach 100.8 MW under the direction of Green Energy 8 S.r.l.

Repsol and Agriplus are also in the mix, with wind farms of 99 MW and 84.7 MW, respectively, in the environmental processing phase.

Meanwhile, Regolo Rinnovabili is betting on offshore wind power with the Mazara del Vallo 1 offshore park, with a capacity of 504 MW. This project represents the largest capacity development in the sector in the past month.

Although with fewer projects, photovoltaic technology remains a strategic option. The DONNA CARLOTTA initiative by WEB PV APRICENA SRL, with 83.1 MW, is one of the largest projects in its category and is part of the effort to diversify renewable energy generation sources.

Projects with connection requests

It is worth noting that Italy’s National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (PNIEC) aims to achieve an installed capacity of 131 GW from renewable energy sources (RES) by 2030, with expectations of 80 GW from solar photovoltaics, 28 GW from wind power, 19 GW from hydropower, 3 GW from bioenergy, and 1 GW from geothermal sources.

Thus, the sector is advancing towards the installation of new projects. However, according to the Terna Econnextion map, the transmission network operator, there are over 6,000 connection requests for renewable energy plants (RES) amounting to 343.9 GW of capacity.

Of the total, 3,857 requests for 151.8 GW correspond to solar photovoltaics, while 108.6 GW are for wind power and 84.12 GW for offshore wind power.

List of projects under environmental processing submitted in October: