Italy's New Energy Plan Is Upgraded, And Renewable Energy Targets Are Comprehensively Raised

The Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security recently announced a newly revised energy and climate plan, which has been submitted to the European Commission for review. The goals in the revised plan have all been increased. Italy plans that by 2030, renewable energy will generate 65% of electricity and account for 40% of total energy consumption, while green hydrogen will meet 42% of industrial demand. Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Fratin also said Italy could close coal-fired power stations in 2024, a year earlier than originally planned, if gas prices remain at current low levels.

In order to promote the application of green energy in the agricultural field, Italy has vigorously promoted the construction of agricultural photovoltaic projects. In March this year, Enel announced that it would build the country's largest agricultural photovoltaic power station in the Lazio region, where Rome is located. The annual power generation will reach 280 GWh, which can meet the energy needs of about 111,000 local households and reduce about 130,000 tons of carbon emissions.

In terms of green hydrogen production, the European Union has approved a green hydrogen energy plan of 450 million euros in Italy. In the future, Italy will increase investment in green hydrogen production, storage, and transportation, and hydrogenation equipment. In addition, the Italian government also announced that it will invest 300 million euros to carry out hydrogen train pilots and related supporting facilities in some areas. Two green hydrogen projects have also received public funds from the European Union. Vehicle hydrogen refueling stations have also been completed in Venice, Rome, and other cities.

To encourage the development of renewable energy, the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security signed a decree to promote the use of photovoltaic, wind energy, hydropower, and biomass energy to residents in the form of electricity price incentives and subsidies, and allocated 2.2 billion euros to subsidize the construction and renewal of community renewable energy facilities. At the same time, the Italian government announced a subsidy of 1.1 billion euros to encourage agricultural photovoltaic projects to install efficient and innovative photovoltaic modules; another 1.5 billion euros in subsidies to help agricultural enterprises install photovoltaic systems on their roofs, and these enterprises will receive income from electricity sales after they are connected to the grid.

Italy has also continued to increase research and development of renewable energy technologies. The country's New Energy and Environment Committee proposed a three-year research plan on the main components of solar thermal power plants and plans to establish an experimental platform in Rome for the study of solar industrial thermal systems. In addition, the city of Partana in Sicily has built Italy's first solar-thermal-photovoltaic hybrid power station. The power station can meet the electricity demand of about one-third of the local households and can store energy. It can also run at full load for about 15 hours without the sun.

A number of measures taken by the Italian government have provided strong support for the development and application of renewable energy, which will further promote the popularization and promotion of green energy in the country and contribute to sustainable development.