The South Could Grow More with Renewables: Photovoltaics, Wind Power, and Other Clean Energies Could Be the Driving Force for Development in the South, If the Hurdles of Criminal Organizations and Bureaucracy Can Be Overcome.

So says Veronica Pitea, President of ACEPER, the Association of Renewable Energy Consumers and Producers. The group has more than 10,000 renewable energy installations, over 7,000 members, and a total installed capacity of 2GWp.

The South Could Grow with Photovoltaics and Other Renewables

The South has a wide range of opportunities and it is crucial not to waste another chance for growth. These opportunities include the “Bonus Sud,” Industry 4.0, Research & Development Tax Credits, and a broad array of grants supporting the installation of not only photovoltaic but various renewable energy production systems. How can this be achieved? By overcoming the structural limitations posed by the presence of criminal organizations and a stifling bureaucracy: “The problem is that too often our entrepreneurs find themselves having to argue with state officials who dispute the various tax bonuses due to a lack of understanding of the regulations.

In Research & Development, we have often seen credits challenged aggressively by the Revenue Agency, as noted in one of many rulings (C.T.P. VICENZA, JUDGMENT NO. 365/3/2021): ‘There is an abuse of power by the Office, as it is not technically competent to assess the value of the activities undertaken to improve the company’s production cycles.’ For this reason, unfortunately, even though the necessary measures for development are in place, entrepreneurs often decide not to pursue them due to a lack of confidence in our system’s effectiveness.”

The mafia and other criminal organizations also play a role: for some years now, they have begun to realize that there are excellent opportunities to make money even with clean energy, and they are becoming interested in the sector. This should not discourage those who choose to invest: “We have already had stories in the past like that of the ‘king of wind power’ Vito Nicastri… I don’t want us to hide behind a finger; we know well that similar situations exist in various sectors. This is why law enforcement works to ensure that, as in the case of Messina Denaro, such ‘entrepreneurs’ are identified and punished by the law.”

Renewables: The Only Way Out of the Energy Crisis

There are no alternatives to developing renewables: increasing the installed capacity for wind, photovoltaics, etc., could be the key to overcoming the energy crisis, in both the North and the South, but action is needed on bureaucracy: “We see no other possibilities for addressing the crisis,” said Pitea. “In this regard, the Government must absolutely provide for less bureaucracy, more technical discussions with market players, and less regulatory instability. Over the years, one thing that has frightened both foreign and Italian entrepreneurs is something we have only in Italy, called ‘retroactivity,’ which is the power of our laws and decrees to be changed after years with retroactive effects. We’ve seen many such situations in the renewable sector.”

The “Spalma Incentivi,” the “Salva Italia” decree, and the “Tremonti Ambiente” are just some of the cases cited by the entrepreneur, who calls for a change in direction from the government: “So far, from the Meloni government,” Veronica Pitea continues, “we have seen regulations that seem interesting, but without the implementing decrees, we don’t really know if they will actually turn into opportunities. We are still very cumbersome, and unfortunately, in the case of grants that could facilitate the sector, bureaucracy wins over Green.”