Valle d’Aosta is the most “virtuous” region, while Piedmont is the highest producer of photovoltaic energy in Italy. This is established by a study from ACEPER (Association of Consumers and Producers of Renewable Energy), an organization that brings together 10,000 renewable energy production plants, with 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 across 17 Italian regions. A region’s virtue is assessed based on the ratio between actual photovoltaic production and expected production, where expected production is estimated using the official PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System) tool. This program allows for an accurate calculation of the plant’s production, including future years, considering variables such as installation location, month of interest, inclination, and orientation.

Photovoltaic: The Ranking of Italian Regions

According to ACEPER’s ranking, Valle d’Aosta leads as the most virtuous region, with 960,391 kWh (kilowatt-hours) of actual production and an expected production of 1,011,502 kWh, resulting in a ratio of 95%. Emilia-Romagna comes in second, with 37,939,525 kWh produced and 43,840,630 kWh expected (87% ratio), ahead of Piedmont, which is third with 139,917,414 kWh produced and 162,741,031 kWh expected (86% ratio), but is the top region in terms of total kWh produced from photovoltaics.

Following are three regions with 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 the ranking for photovoltaic production with 66,305,239 kWh produced and 78,089,977 kWh expected.

Veneto is next, with 49,221,066 kWh produced and 58,691,563 kWh expected (84% ratio), making it the third highest producer in Italy. The Marches, with 20,328,123 kWh produced and 24,622,400 kWh expected (83% ratio), are ahead of 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.

The following regions are Sicily (2,325,953 kWh produced, 3,144,591 kWh expected, 74% ratio), Lazio (16,105,440 kWh produced, 22,635,310 kWh expected, 71% ratio), Campania (13,893,494 kWh produced, 19,822,080 kWh expected, 70% ratio), Sardinia (49,792 kWh produced, 71,369 kWh expected, 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. She adds, “However, the national average hovers around 65% productivity, a figure that concerns ACEPER greatly. This is why we are requesting a meeting with the government as soon as possible to understand how to bring 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 lowering consumption.“