Italy

Tuscia, in the Lazio region, is the focus of plans for several big solar parks including a 150 MW project approved by the regional government, two schemes exceeding 100 MW and six more projects ranging in size from 17 to 70 MW. Some 700 MW of solar is under development in the municipalities of Montalto di Castro and Tuscania alone.

A budget of €60 million has been allocated for this year, in 2020 and 2021 it will rise to €70 million. Applications for the incentives can be submitted from today.

The Rome-based power and water utility said it plans to build new projects and acquire existing facilities in the secondary market. The move is part of the company’s €4 billion investment plan for the 2019-22 period.

The Italian energy company has started construction of a 10 MW solar plant at its Bhit gas field in Pakistan and a 5 MW facility at the ADAM oil concession in Tunisia. It has also begun work on a 30 MW solar plant at its industrial site in Sassari, Italy.

The Danish developer has bought the right to build a 123 MW plant in Troia, in the southern Italian region of Apulia. The project was initiated in 2011 and is the largest Italian PV project to have secured all necessary approvals. European Energy plans to start construction this year.

The Italian PV market grew 7% last year with new capacity additions of 437 MW. Of that figure, only about 47 MW was for installations larger than 1 MW – a clear sign rooftop PV is still driving demand.

A few weeks after launching the sale of its “Solstrale” modules in Germany, the Swedish furniture giant also began offering online its PV panels and systems throughout Italy.

The acquisition of an 85 MW, three-project solar portfolio by the Tages Helios fund illustrates the confidence investors have in Italian renewables, and fund managers are optimistic about the sector as they bid to expand into wind power as well as PV.

The 2018 figures for the Guarantee of Origin (GO) certificate market show a marked growth in clean energy demand in Europe. Demand surpassed 500 TWh, while GO prices reached record levels. Solar GO, however, saw a slight fall.

Wood Mackenzie’s number-crunchers are the latest analysts queueing up to predict a bumper year ahead for PV, with falling prices, rising efficiency rates and booming markets outside China all on the cards. And it could be a make-or-break year for mega-projects, says Wood Mac.