Renewable energy in Italy: what kinds are out there, how much is produced, and how widespread is it

When it comes to renewable energy, Italy has always been at the cutting edge in Europe and the world. The alternatives to fossil fuels, in fact, represent an important share of the country’s energy production, with a percentage that is increasing constantly year after year. Water, the sun, the wind, and heat from the earth represent the main energy sources in question. Alongside these strategic resources, although to a much lesser degree, are other sources such as wave and tidal power, in addition to various biofuels. What are Italy’s renewables and where are they produced? Italy’s generation of green energy varies substantially based mainly on the characteristics of each area and the distribution of particular renewable resources. Hydroelectric power is dominant where the terrain has steep inclines, such as the Alps and, to a lesser extent, along the spine of the Apennines. Photovoltaic is more common in the south, thanks to the area’s latitude and greater quantities of sun exposure. Wind energy is harnessed above all on the large islands of Sicily and Sardinia, as well as in the southern part of the Apennines in Puglia, Campania, and Basilicata. Finally, the region of Tuscany is the center of excellence for geothermal energy, both for historical reasons and also due to its specific geological features. Every region in Italy is involved in achieving the goals established in the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (NECP) for 2030. There has been impressive growth for all renewables in recent years, in terms of distribution and penetration across Italy. In 2010, only 356 Italian municipalities were home to electric or heating plants powered by renewables. Today, 100% of Italy’s municipalities have at least one renewable plant, with the total of municipalities numbering more than 7,900 in June 2020. According to Legambiente’s report “Comunità rinnovabili” (Renewable Communities), there are 7,776 municipalities that have at least one photovoltaic plant installed, 7,223 with a solar heating plant, 3,616 with bioenergy systems, 1,489 that take advantage of hydroelectric power (thanks to large structures or mini-plants), 1,049 with wind turbines, and 594 that also harness geothermal energy. And there are already more than 3,000 municipalities in which their renewable production exceeds their own household electricity needs, and 41 that can also satisfy their heating requirements. Hydroelectric has been leading the way since the last century At the beginning of the twentieth century, hydroelectric power was the leading player (not to mention the only relevant component) in the Italian landscape of renewables. Until the years immediately after World War I, in fact, it was responsible for the lion’s share of Italian non-fossil fuel energy production, with negligible contributions from other sources. The installed capacity for these technologies did not show significant variations during the twenty-first century. Innovation was mainly focused on improving the plants’ efficiency, on ensuring a satisfactory yield also with varying scales of operation, and on micro-hydro power (in which large plants were flanked by hydraulic wheels and small-scale cochlear tunnels). By converting the potential gravitational energy of water into electricity, hydroelectric represents a huge renewable resource: it can ensure precious services to the grid and the safe management of the electricity system. From a technical perspective, innovation is focusing on managing water and energy flows based on needs. For example, when demand is low (like at night), surplus energy can be used to pump the water back up again, thereby making it available to produce energy when required. Wind power production can potentially double within a decade Wind power in Italy is experiencing progressive growth in absolute terms. Despite developing at a slightly slower pace than other European countries and the continental average, we already have more than 5,000 plants spread across the country. So far, the majority of cases involve sites with wind turbines with a unitary capacity of between 20 and 200 kW. In the future, we could see the installation of turbines that are more technologically advanced, with greater unitary capacity and production, and optimized space and land use of the selected site. Forecasts predict that the total energy obtainable from Italian wind power could double within a decade compared to the current 20 terawatt-hours a year, with an increase in maximum deliverable power of 11 to 19 gigawatts. It is estimated that, at global level, the capacity to harness the power of the wind will increase 15-fold between now and 2040; this will enable wind power to become on average the worldwide number one renewable source available to humanity. Geothermal, Italy’s record The world’s first ever geothermal power plant was built in Larderello in the province of Pisa. Ever since the first technical experiments at the beginning of the 1900s, Italy has stood out globally for its capacity for innovation in exploiting geological energy sources. At that time the idea was to use the steam emitted from below the ground as an alternative to coal-powered steam engines. Today, more than a century later, there are thirty or so geothermal plants in Tuscany alone. The technology has evolved to exploit fluids extracted directly from underground and the yield has increased to reach notable levels: geothermal plants can produce up to four times the energy they require to function. Even though geothermal cannot compete in percentage terms with other renewables (also due to its lesser presence across the country), Italy is still leading the world in this type of production. Some technological innovations have made its potential even more promising. First of all, the toxic or greenhouse gases that can be released from underground are contained nowadays so as to avoid their emission into the atmosphere. Furthermore, it is also possible to create an inverse geothermal (also known as low-enthalpy geothermal) system: the excess heat from the summer is effectively stored underground and then recovered during the colder months so it can be transformed into electricity. Photovoltaic, an impressive growth Around one-twelfth of the total energy produced in Italy, renewable and not, derives from photovoltaic plants. This impressive growth has taken place over just a few years due to the drop in the levelized cost of energy (LCOE), which fell by more than 80% over the last decade. There are different ways to exploit the sun’s rays these days. In addition to conventional photovoltaic panels, solar heating systems that exploit solar radiation to heat water or other fluids are also widespread. Moreover, solar is also the most commonly used energy for powering individual devices or machines. From means of transport powered by photovoltaic panels, to satellites and space vehicles, as well as everyday objects or buildings constructed in remote areas that are not connected to the grid: its uses are becoming increasingly numerous and beneficial. Italian production from renewables, in numbers Of the over 320 terawatt-hours of Italy’s annual electric energy needs, nowadays more than a third is produced from renewable sources. ENEA’s latest report on energy efficiency mentions in particular 110 terawatt-hours, which are equivalent to around ten million tons of oil equivalent (toe). If we also factor into the energy calculations the non-electrical component, then the green share makes up 19% of the total. At the beginning of this century, hydroelectric power held the absolute record for green energy, making up four-fifths of this category. The energy produced thanks to the movement of water remained constant as the years went by, while the share from other clean sources increased. According to the most recent scenarios, hydroelectric makes up 42% of the total, with all renewables having experienced substantial growth. Photovoltaic is currently in second place, with a share equal to 20%, due especially to its huge acceleration between 2011 and 2013. But solar could potentially be overtaken soon by wind power, which at the moment contributes 16% but is showing a more solid upward trend. Bioenergy is somewhere in-between with 17%, while geothermal currently contributes 5%. When it comes to heating, the world of Italian renewables accounts for another ten million tons of oil equivalent. In this sector renewables contribute 19.2% of the total: the largest share is represented by bioenergy (64%), and another quarter produced by heat pumps. Solar heating and geothermal, the other two green sources used for generating heat, represent very small percentages, with solar producing slightly more than geothermal. These percentages place Italy at the cutting edge within the European context as Europe’s third producer of green energy, generating more than 10% of the continent’s renewable energy. Observations and prospects The renewables landscape is more open than ever, and for this reason work is progressing on many fronts. One aspect, which has always been part of the history of energy production, is improving the efficiency of the plants thanks to new technologies and solutions: photovoltaic panels, for instance, started at 7% with its amorphous silicon solutions and has now reached new laboratory records of almost 50%. Meanwhile, work is also taking place on solutions that are equally efficient but less expensive and on finding ways to position the panels where they can harness even more energy, like in orbit. A second trend is the one combining renewable sources, or cogeneration. One simple example is photovoltaic, used both for generating electricity and heating. Another possibility is the so-called solar towers: in this case, a structure is used both to collect the sun’s rays and to produce further electricity with turbines powered by the movement of hot air rising. There is also talk of high-altitude wind power, or mini or micro wind power with domestic plants for distributed generation. Many projects aim to harness the energy from ocean currents, waves, tides, and salinity levels, as well as ocean thermal energy conversion, which uses the difference in temperature between the surface and deep water to generate energy. And while some of these options are still at an experimental stage, the decarbonization that Italy is facing will require us to take full advantage of all of the possibilities that nature offers us.

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Renewable energy in Italy: what kinds are out there, how much is produced, and how widespread is it

Renewable energy in Italy: what kinds are out there, how much is produced, and how widespread is it