Piedmont is the region that produces the most electricity from photovoltaics, with 139,917,414 kWh produced, followed by Lombardy and Veneto, while Valle d’Aosta is the most efficient. This is established by a study from Aceper, the association that brings together 10,000 renewable energy production plants, representing over 7,000 members with a total installed capacity exceeding 2 GWp. The news comes just as the Democratic Party, announcing its proposed law on energy communities, criticized Governor Alberto Cirio for his openness to nuclear energy. The governor recently expressed satisfaction at ‘the end of a taboo, which for twenty years in Italy has prevented any discussion of nuclear energy.’ However, he later clarified his position: ‘I am not proposing Piedmont as a candidate to host nuclear power plants; our energy focus is on hydroelectric power and hydrogen, for which we have also won a flagship project under the PNRR.’

Aceper’s ranking places Valle d’Aosta at the top as the most efficient region, with 960,391 kWh actually produced and an expected production, according to PVGIS measurements, of 1,011,502 kWh, resulting in a real-to-expected production ratio of 95%. The national average is 65%. Emilia-Romagna is second, 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 kWh produced from photovoltaics.

Next 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, ranked second for 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 (84% ratio), making it the third Italian region for production.

The study was conducted on a sample of 5,236 photovoltaic plants across 17 Italian regions. A region’s efficiency is determined by the ratio between actual and expected photovoltaic production, where the expected production is estimated according to the official measurement tool PVGIS (Photovoltaic Geographical Information System)