Genoa. Liguria remains the bringing up the rear in renewable energy in Italy. And there is numerous data that certifies the negative record. According to the calculations by the study center Italy for climateour region is last for consumption from renewable sources (7.2% in 2021, GSE data) and is the one with the lowest share of coverage green In the primary energy mix (8% in 2021, Enea data). But also the dashboard Of Ternathe company that manages the high voltage network in Italy, confirms that in 2022 (latest data available) Liguria produced 88.3% of energy on its territory in thermoelectric power plantsthe largest percentage among all regions.
Numbers that have been the subject of again political clash in the Region. Yesterday the M5s councilor Paolo Ugolini presented a question in the chamber to find out “what actions President Giovanni Toti and his council intend to promote” for the development and growth of renewable energy sources, with important and necessary economic investments.
“According to the Government’s plans – recalled the five-star representative – i photovoltaic parks uutility scalesi.e. solar parks that provide energy not to a house but to entire neighborhoods, are expected to grow at the rate of 10-12 new gigawatts of power installed every year“. Instead “from the beginning of 2019 to the end of 2023, therefore in 5 years, The Liguria Region has authorized plants for 7 megawatts. Liguria with its 3.2 hectares of surface covered by photovoltaic systems utility scales And the last region in Italy for authorized projects and by installed power”. Again according to data processed by Italy for climate, in 2022 Liguria installed a power of 9 kilowatts per square kilometrea value actually close to the national average (10.2 kW/km2).
The Energy Councilor Alessio Piana confirmed the line already expressed previously, i.e. appealing to the “intrinsic difficulty” of the Ligurian territory which does not allow the installation of wind and photovoltaic systems “that do not jeopardize the territory and the environmental protection of the coast and hinterland”. Because “we – Piana remarked – we don’t have water resources like the Aosta Valley and we don’t have the same windiness as Molise, where, moreover, wind turbines are contested by the 5 Star Movement”. Then the replies to the accusations of inaction: “In 2022, 3 requests for the installation of wind farms were received, in 2023 8 were received, numbers that cannot be attributed to regional policies”.
Anyway, the growth of renewable sources in Liguria occurs at a rather slow pace. In five years (from 2018 to 2022) the production of electricity from wind farms went from 130.42 gigawatt hours to 203.36 gigawatt hours, the photovoltaic from 105.74 GWh to 140.12 GWh, thehydroelectric it even plummeted from 266.93 GWh to 91.17 GWh. On the other hand, although it still accounts for the lion’s share, production has dropped further thermoelectric, which went from 5,145.14 GWh to 3,280.17 GWh (with an increase, however, in recent years). Numbers far from almost 15 thousand gigawatt hours in 2002when all of them were still in operation gas and coal power plants that have been decommissioned or reconverted in the meantime.
The result is that the Liguria remains a region in strong energy deficit: that is, it is forced to import 42.9% of the electricity needed to satisfy demand (2,745.11 GWh out of 6,406.30 GWh). Before the coal ban, however, it was able to export more than 6 thousand gigawatt hours. The increase in domestic production from renewable sources has not compensated for the gap not even remotely: in 2022 photovoltaic, wind and hydroelectric made in Liguria together they satisfied only 6.8% of demand.
Again according to the databases Of Italy for climate, Liguria did not activate any renewable energy community in 2022 (Veneto leads the ranking with 13). These are associations between citizens, commercial activities, local public administrations and small/medium enterprises to produce, exchange and consume energy from renewable sources on a local scale. Actually the first was born in 2023 in Genoa with the installation of a photovoltaic panel on an old car wash in Corso Italia.
The Region, through Ire, has launched a tender to support small municipalities under 5 thousand inhabitants who want to create an energy community. The councilor Flat he also recalled the 189 million investments expected up to 2030 (thanks to European funds) for the energy efficiency of companies and municipalities: “Of these 17 million have already been attributed to 212 companies for 12 megawatts of power”.
Tags: Renewable energy Liguria confirms Italy consumption green
