This is established by a study from ACEPER (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energies), which brings together 10,000 renewable energy production facilities, representing over 7,000 members with a total installed capacity exceeding 2 GWp.

The study was conducted on a very large sample of 5,236 photovoltaic installations across 17 Italian regions. A region is considered more or less virtuous depending on the ratio between actual photovoltaic production and expected photovoltaic production, where the expected production is estimated according to the official PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System) measurement tool. This program allows for an accurate calculation of the plant’s production, including projections for the coming years, taking into account variables such as installation location, month of interest, tilt, and orientation.

Ranking

Let’s look at the ACEPER ranking, which places Valle d’Aosta at the top as the most virtuous region with 960,391 kWh (kilowatt-hours) produced and an expected production of 1,011,502 kWh according to PVGIS, resulting in a ratio of 95% between actual and expected production. Emilia-Romagna takes the second spot with 37,939,525 kWh produced and 43,840,630 kWh expected (87% ratio), followed by Piedmont in third place with 139,917,414 kWh produced and 162,741,031 kWh expected (86% ratio), but leading in terms of total kWh produced from photovoltaics.

Three regions have an 85% ratio: Abruzzo with 20,100,052 kWh produced and 23,625,127 kWh expected, Liguria with 5,187,522 kWh produced and 6,108,499 kWh expected, and Lombardy, which is second in total photovoltaic production with 66,305,239 kWh produced and 78,089,977 kWh expected.

Following is Veneto with 49,221,066 kWh produced and 58,691,563 kWh expected (84% ratio), ranking third in production. Marche, with 20,328,123 kWh produced and 24,622,400 kWh expected (83% ratio), precedes Tuscany, which has 5,830,869 kWh produced and 7,263,032 kWh expected (80% ratio). Molise, with 1,589,155 kWh produced and 2,000,284 kWh expected, and Puglia, with 18,459,422 kWh produced and 23,406,458 kWh expected, both have a 79% ratio, while Umbria, with 21,396,944 kWh produced and 27,506,185 kWh expected, has a 78% ratio.

Sicily follows with 2,325,953 kWh produced, 3,144,591 kWh expected, and a 74% ratio, Lazio with 16,105,440 kWh produced, 22,635,310 kWh expected, and a 71% ratio, Campania with 13,893,494 kWh produced, 19,822,080 kWh expected, and a 70% ratio, Sardinia with 49,792 kWh produced, 71,369 kWh expected, and a 70% ratio, and Basilicata, which closes the ranking with 4,171,443 kWh produced, 6,836,095 kWh expected, and a 61% ratio.

“This research also considers the average production ratio of ACEPER members between actual kWh produced and expected kWh according to PVGIS, which stands at a more than satisfactory 79% for plants maintained and revamped by us at ACEPER,” specifies Veronica Pitea, President of ACEPER, who adds: “However, the national average is around 65% productivity, a figure that greatly concerns ACEPER and is why we request a meeting with the government as soon as possible to understand how to bring national production to at least 85%. We must focus on how to increase the power and productivity of our plants,” concludes President Pitea, “not on how to save by reducing consumption.”