FollowAn interactive online atlas created by Italy’s Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) reports that the nation has reached almost 7.80 GW of solar photovoltaic (PV) plants.
The region of Puglia in Southern Italy has reached the greatest reported installed capacity, at 1.29 GW. The majority of capacity comes from plants larger than 50 kW, which total 6.22 GW of capacity across the nation.
FIT technicality responsible for boom in 1H 2011?
Differing accounts of how much PV had been installed and commissioned in Italy in 2010 led to great confusion in the global PV industry in the beginning of 2011.
The GSE reported in January 2011 that cumulative applications for PV plants had reached 7 GW by the end of 2010. In February 2011 the agency confirmed that 2.90 GW of PV had been connected to the power grid by the end of 2010.
Due to a caveat in Italy’s feed-in tariff (FIT), some PV plants begun in 2010 and connected to the grid by June 2011 qualify for more lucrative 2010 feed-in tariff rates.
This technicality may account for much of the new PV capacity added in the first six months of 2011.
PV could generate 3% of Italian electricity in 2011
Energy policy expert Paul Gipe of Wind-Works estimates that currently installed PV may generate as much as 10 TWh in 2011 and make up 3% of Italian electricity consumption.
Italy now has the second-highest installed PV capacity of any nation on earth, following Germany’s 17 GW. The nation also has the third-highest installed PV capacity per capita at 128 watts per resident, following Germany and the Czech Republic.
Source: solarserver
