Large-scale PV occupies just 0.13% of all agricultural land in Italy

A new report from Italian energy agency GSE shows that the 16.61 GW of ground-mounted PV plants in Italy only cover a small portion of the country’s agricultural space. In some regions, the percentage is even close to zero.

Image: Alohamalakhov, Pixabay

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From pv magazine Italy

Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE), the Italian energy agency, has released statistics on the percentage of agricultural land covered by ground-mounted PV systems in each region in its latest report on the country's installed PV capacity. The report shows that the 16.61 GW of ground-mounted PV plants deployed in Italy cover only 0.13% of the nation's agricultural surface.

Friuli Venezia Giulia, Piedmont, Veneto, and Sardinia have experienced significant increases in the percentage of usable agricultural land occupied by solar panels. Notably, Friuli Venezia Giulia increased from 0.10% to 0.13%, Piedmont from 0.12% to 0.13%, Veneto from 0.09% to 0.10%, and Sardinia from 0.05% to 0.06%. Across regions, photovoltaic systems occupy less than 0.35% of agricultural land, with Apulia (0.34%), Lazio (0.23%), Marche (0.21%), and Abruzzo (0.17%) leading, while Trentino-Alto Adige (0.00%), Valle d'Aosta (0.00%), and Liguria (0.01%) have the lowest percentages.

Most regions have panels in a range between 0.1% and 0.2% of the usable agricultural area. They include Abruzzo (0.17%), Friuli Venezia Giulia (0.13%), Emilia Romagna (0.13% ), Piedmont (0.13%), Sicily (0.12%), Basilicata (0.12%), Molise (0.11%), Umbria (0.11%), Veneto (0.10%). The national average is 0.13%. Lombardy (0.05%) and Campania (0.07%) are behind.

The GSE told pv magazine Italia how it evaluates and estimates the occupied surfaces.

“Gross surface area means the surface area occupied by the panels includes the relevant physical areas that cannot be used for other purposes except that of operating the plant,” said a GSE spokesperson.

The definition and estimate of the Used Agricultural Area comes from The Italian National Institute of Statistics.

“It complies with what was published on their institutional website in the latest agricultural census of the year 2021,” the spokesperson said.

The definition is contained in the census glossary.

“Used Agricultural Surface (UAA) is a surface used for agricultural purposes by the company which includes arable land, woody agricultural crops, permanent meadows and pastures and family vegetable gardens, regardless of ownership of the lands,” said the document. “It includes both outdoor and protected surfaces.”

 

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