Forwind energyIn 2023 and on average for the period 2019-2022, the authorization process lasts more than three and a half years, exactly 43 months. However, Only 8% projects received authorization, while more than 90% are still waiting for a definitive answer. in the matter of solarThe time for so-called “permission” is faster but still longer, increasing from an average of 17 months between 2019 and 2022 to 22 months in 2023. Withdrawal rate at 16%,
This lengthening of time is, at least in part, due to the increase in projects being evaluated: 65 GW for solar energy and 36 GW for wind, Data processed by the REgions2030 observatory (a project by Elemance and public affairs consultants) for Corriere, sheds light on a situation well known to professionals. Tommaso Barbetti, founding partner of Elemans, explains that the growth of installations slowed after 2013, first due to the end of the energy bill, which provided generous incentives, and later due to a stalemate in permits due to renewed interest from operators. After achieving the competitiveness of renewable energy, investment planning has resumed.
Despite ongoing ecological change, overcoming current obstacles is essential if we are to achieve the targets set for 2030. Otherwise, we risk compromising our commitment to a sustainable transition.
Italy behind on renewable targets: speed needed
Currently, the level of coverage of gross final consumption of renewable energy is below national targets, indicating a significant discrepancy. In the power sector, The share coming from green sources in 2021 is 36%, lower than the budgeted figure of 37.5%, The percentage in the thermal sector is 19.7%, below the target of 22.1%, while that in transport is 8.2% compared to the target of 9.9%.
According to the document “Renewable sources” of the Research Service of the Chamber of Deputies of August 2023, the new objectives are set at 55% for electricity, 33.9% for thermal and 22% for transport. Proposed update of National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan (Pniec)Presented in Brussels by the Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security, it underlines the need for greater adoption of clean sources such as sun and wind, which are already available and competitive today.
According to Pniec, by 2030, photovoltaics (currently 28.1 Gw installed) and wind power (12.3 Gw) They will have to increase power by 55 GW and 16.3 GW respectively, This means there is a need to add about 8 GW of solar power and 2.3 GW of wind power every year. The Chamber document underlines the urgent need for acceleration to achieve the ambitious targets set.
Two ways to accelerate the development of renewable energy
There are mainly two ways to overcome barriers to the renewable energy sector: simplification of the authorization process and the identification of so-called “appropriate areas” in regions. Agostino Rey Rebaudengo, president of Electricita Futura, says that, although the authority bureaucracy has been partially simplified, the real problem lies in the fact that the regions continue to reject the authorities, thereby thwarting the government’s simplification efforts. Let’s go.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that many simplification interventions, although laudable in intention, delivered across different regulations, have contributed to creating a complex picture, This often has the opposite effect to that desired, in cases where it is not clear which procedure to follow. Therefore, there is an urgent need to restructure the provisions and create a clear framework to allow different types of systems. Regulatory clarity and simplification is essential to ensure an effective transition towards a sustainable future in the renewable energy sector.
Appropriate Area Decree: Long and Very Strict Limits
The decision came after a long wait of the industry in the sectorsuitable area” by MASS in collaboration with the Ministries of Agriculture and Culture. The document establishes criteria for defining a region as suitable and sets out minimum, intermediate and final objectives that each region and autonomous province must achieve. There sicilyOne of the most efficient sectors in granting or denying authorization, leads the list with a target of installing 10.3 GW, followed by Lombardy with 8.6 GW and Puglia with 7.2 GW, and so on.
The first draft of the decree was evaluated at the state-territory conference, but Several unions in the sector immediately raised major doubts and proposed some “desperately needed” changes., According to forecasts, it will be approved in early 2024, followed by a period of 180 days during which the regions will have to identify suitable areas. Executive application is expected by the end of 2024.
However, despite the process apparently underway, the text of the decree does not reassure operators in the sector. Criticisms focus on the limitations of appropriate areas, which are considered excessive by professionals.
Decree and the risk of blocking the development of renewable energies in Italy
King Rebaudengo says that, in the absence of corrective measures, The current order will hinder the development of renewable energy and industrial supply chains in Italy, The blockage would also result in an estimated €320 billion of investment being held back, making it impossible to reach national decarbonization targets.
Paradoxically, The main problem of the decree is in “common areas” or areas that are neither suitable nor unsuitable, According to Barbetti, the decree establishes dimensional criteria for these areas, stating that to build a standard photovoltaic system it would be necessary to have a land size at least ten times larger than the size occupied by the system. Unless the construction of advanced agrivoltaic systems is envisaged, maintaining these criteria will make it impossible to build solar systems outside suitable areas, as this would require the purchase or rental of vast surfaces. A dilemma that raises important concerns for the future of renewable energy in Italy.
Southern governors are slowing down photovoltaic development
President of the Sicilian Region, Renato SchifaniLeader of one of the best regional bodies in terms of time and authorization for solar plants, inaugurated “No Front” in southern Italy. in spring, Threatens to stop development of photovoltaics, saying that the sector does not bring jobs to the area or generate income. Giovanni Galgano explains that, currently, compensation goes only to the municipalities (up to 3% of the annual turnover of the host plant), and according to the current rules, the regions receive nothing.
In question time in the Chamber on 11 October, Minister Gilberto Pichetto Frattin announced: “We are working on a rule that will allow the regions to adopt measures to meet the targets set for 2030 through resources to be distributed among them. guarantees incentives to respect decarbonization” According to Ray Rebaudengo, the crisis in the Middle East, coupled with the energy emergency caused by the war in Ukraine, highlights Real effort towards energy independence is needed to make Italy secure,