Italy adds 234 MW of new PV capacity in H1 2017

In the first half of 2017, Italy has installed 233.6 MW of new PV systems, according to provisional numbers released by the Italian renewable energy association Anie Rinnovabili, which relies on data provided by the country’s grid operator Terna.

This is up 16% from 201 MW in the first half of 2016, and up considerably from only 134 MW in the first six months of 2015.

In June, approximately 29.7 MW of new PV systems were connected to the grid in Italy, down significantly from 95.2 MW in May. This decrease, however, is not representative of the current market trend, as in May around 63 MW of large-scale PV plants were completed. It was the first time in several years that large-scale solar facilities had been brought online to such an extent in the country, after the Italian government closed the fifth and final incentive program, Conto Energia, for solar energy in the summer of 2013.

May’s result still gives the category for PV plants over 1 MW the largest share in this year’s ranking with around 65.3 MW of newly installed power, followed by PV systems ranging in size from 20 kW to 100 kW (30.4 MW), PV systems with a capacity between 4.5 kW and 6 kW (30.4 MW), solar installations with a power of 10 kW to 20 KW (25.2 MW) and solar power generators with a capacity between 200 kW and 500 kW (22.4 MW).

The region with the largest share so far this year is Lazio, where the above-mentioned large-scale PV plants are located, with 75.2 MW, followed by Lombardia (26.9 MW), Veneto (25.0 MW) and Emilia Romagna (19.5 MW).

According to the latest official statistic released by the energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), Italy had approximately 19.28 GW of installed PV capacity at the end of 2016. This means that the country should have reached approximately 19.5 GW of installed solar capacity at the end of July.