2023, the drive toward renewables

Here is an overview of the many construction sites that we will be opening in Italy this year. This is also thanks to the acceleration of permitting processes. There are 26 projects in all, including solar parks, storage systems and wind farms.

2023 promises to be a year of major growth for renewables in Italy. This is thanks to the improved prospects for the acceleration of authorization procedures. These are indispensable for building the plants that are required in order to reach the renewable power demand set out in RePowerEu by 2030, and reduce both energy prices and Europe’s dependency on fossil fuels. 

Photovoltaic and agrivoltaic systems

In the first six months of this year, we will open construction sites for renewable energy facilities for a total capacity of over 330 MW, mostly photovoltaic. Specifically, in the first quarter construction sites will open for solar facilities for a total 206 MW in Campania, in Emilia-Romagna and in Lazio. In the second quarter construction sites will open for about 125 MW for two solar plants in Lazio, and a wind farm in Sicily.

The novelties include: two agrivoltaic systems that will enable the coexistence on the same land of energy production from renewable sources (thanks to solar panels) and agricultural activities, with mutual benefits, and the sustainable use of all of the area’s resources. In actual fact, the proven benefits include higher crop yields, lower consumption of water for irrigation (thanks to the partial shading provided by the solar modules), and extra income for farmers which they can reinvest in their businesses, thereby increasing their competitiveness. 

The benefits of this approach also include the preservation of ecosystems. This is evident in the projects we have launched for the protection of pollinating insects, particularly bees.

Accelerating on batteries

A rapid acceleration in the construction of storage systems is foreseen in the first half of the year (the so-called BESS, Battery Energy Storage Systems): these are essential for supporting the energy transition. In this case the total planned capacity will be over 1,500 MW, on 19 sites in the Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardy, Piedmont, Sardinia, Tuscany, Umbria and Veneto regions. 

As we can see, this is a large coordinated economic and engineering effort for perceivably accelerating the decarbonization and energy transition process in Italy. It’s another decisive step toward the country’s security and energy independence.