Italy renewable energy market faces stagnation despite solar growth

The Italian renewable energy market is experiencing stagnation despite a 14% increase in renewable sources during the second quarter of 2026. This recovery is primarily driven by an 18% growth in the photovoltaic sector, following a period of contraction. Over the last twelve months, the market has seen only a 1% growth rate, following a decline in 2025.

According to Anie Rinnovabili, Italy entered 2026 with a 1.6 GW surplus relative to its burden-sharing trajectory. In the first half of 2026, total renewable power increased by approximately 3.4 GW. While this brings the total progress to about 5 GW, meeting the 2026 annual target of 8.3 GW will require an additional 3.3 GW in the second half of the year. Achieving this goal would exhaust the accumulated surplus, leaving no safety margin for future slowdowns.

Andrea Cristini, president of Anie Rinnovabili, noted that regulatory and legislative changes have increased uncertainty and perceived risk, hindering the sector's economic and environmental potential. He emphasized that Italy is losing ground compared to other European manufacturing nations and called on ministries, regions, and municipalities to resolve bottlenecks in the authorization processes.