Energy

Some figures in Italy

Italy is the country of sunshine, not only in its popular songs and in the image of Italy that all the tourists have, but also from the point of view of energy. In Italy, mean annual radiation ranges from 3.6 kW per m2 in the Po river plain, to  4.7 kW in Central and Southern Italy, and  to 5.4 kW in Sicily: as a consequence  some regions have a very high production potential, even though the entire national territory actually has very favourable conditions for the installation of solar energy production plants. Italy is one of the leading countries for the production of solar energy, and it is in the vanguard also in the sector of research and technological innovation. 2007 was the year of the solar energy boom in Italy and solar energy growth has continued in the following years. In fact, in 2010 there was an increase of 203% of installed capacity compared to 2009. According to the Italian Electricity Service Company (Gestore dei Servizi Elettrici - GSE), there are 155,977 power plants connected to the electricity network in Italy  (+119% compared to 2009) with  an installed power of  3,470 MW. In 2010 Lombardy was the leading region for installed photovoltaic power plants with 23,274 solar plants, followed by the Veneto region with 20,336 power plants and the Emilia Romagna region with 14,486 power plants, while the region with the most installed power is Puglia (683 MW), followed by Lombardy (372 MW) and Emilia Romagna (364 MW). The provinces with the greatest amount of power installed are Ravenna, Cuneo and Bolzano in the North of Italy, while Lecce, and Brindisi in the South, Viterbo and Rome in the Centre. In 2010, electricity generation by PV plants in Italy reached 1,905 GWh, up by 182% from 2009. The region with the highest generation in 2010 was Puglia with 412 GWh (22% of the national total), followed at distance by Lombardia with 190 GWh (10% of the total). Emilia Romagna and Lazio produced 153 GWh and 152 GWh, respectively, each with an 8% share of the national value.
(Source: Impianti a fonti rinnovabili - Rapporto statistico 2010, GSE 2011)