The Aosta Valley is the most “virtuous” region, while Piedmont is the top producer of photovoltaic energy in Italy. This is established by a study from ACEPER (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energies), which represents 10,000 renewable energy production plants, amounting to over 7,000 members and a total installed capacity exceeding 2 GWp. The study was conducted on a large sample of 5,236 photovoltaic plants distributed across 17 Italian regions.

A region’s virtuosity is determined by the ratio between actual photovoltaic production and expected photovoltaic production, where expected production is estimated using the official PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System) tool. This program allows for an accurate calculation of plant production, including forecasts for future years, taking into account variables such as installation location, month of interest, inclination, and orientation.

According to ACEPER’s ranking, the Aosta Valley leads as the most virtuous region with 960,391 kWh (kilowatt-hours) actually produced and an expected production of 1,011,502 kWh according to PVGIS, resulting in a ratio of 95% between actual and expected production. The Emilia-Romagna region takes second place with 37,939,525 kWh produced and 43,840,630 kWh expected (an 87% ratio), followed by Piedmont, which ranks third with 139,917,414 kWh produced and 162,741,031 kWh expected (an 86% ratio), though it is clearly first in terms of total kWh produced from photovoltaic sources. 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, second in total photovoltaic production with 66,305,239 kWh produced and 78,089,977 kWh expected. Veneto follows with 49,221,066 kWh produced and 58,691,563 kWh expected (an 84% ratio), making it the third region in Italy for production.

The Marche region, with 20,328,123 kWh produced and 24,622,400 kWh expected (an 83% ratio), precedes Tuscany, with 5,830,869 kWh produced and 7,263,032 kWh expected (an 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. Following are Sicily (2,325,953 kWh produced, 3,144,591 kWh expected, and a 74% ratio), Lazio (16,105,440 kWh produced, 22,635,310 kWh expected, and a 71% ratio), Campania (13,893,494 kWh produced, 19,822,080 kWh expected, and a 70% ratio), Sardinia (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 ratio of ACEPER members’ production between actual kWh produced and expected kWh according to PVGIS, which stands at a more than satisfactory 79% for plants maintained and revamped by ACEPER,” specifies Veronica Pitea, President of ACEPER, who adds: “However, the national average is around 65% productivity, a figure that concerns ACEPER greatly and is why we are requesting a meeting with the government as soon as possible to understand how to raise national production to at least 85%. We need to focus on how to increase the power and productivity of our plants,” concludes President Pitea, “not on how to save by reducing consumption.”