Photovoltaics, what changes with the decree and which are the areas where it is forbidden to install solar panels

The decree approved yesterday by the Council of Ministers, contested by renewable energy companies, allows the presence of plants on agricultural land but only if they are raised from the ground

No stop to solar panels on cultivated land, as long as they are raised off the ground.This is the gist of theunderstanding reached yesterday between Francesco Lollobrigida, Minister of Agriculture, and his colleague Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, holder of the Ministry of the Environment, on the decree that landed on the table of the Council of Ministers.What triggered the controversy was Lollobrigida's desire to put a stop to agrivoltaics, i.e. those systems that allow energy to be produced from renewable sources while at the same time preserving the possibility of cultivating the land underneath.The first version of the measure, not agreed with my colleague Pichetto Fratin, provided for an almost total stop to all new installations of ground-mounted solar panels.A measure loudly requested by Coldiretti but deemed wicked by trade associations in the renewables sector, who put pressure on the government to reconsider the decision.

Lollobrigida's blitz

The stop to agrivoltaics that Lollobrigida insisted on has raised more than a few eyebrows, if only because it clashes with some initiatives promoted by the Meloni government itself since it took office.Just over a year ago, in fact, it was Pichetto Fratin himself who enthusiastically announced the signing of a decree which allocated 1 billion euros to stimulate the construction of agrivoltaic systems.After the controversy raised by the draft agriculture decree, Lollobrigida tried to tone it down."We do not absolutely prohibit investments in photovoltaics, but we aim for criteria of compatibility with agricultural production", specified the minister in recent days in an interview with Sun 24 Hours.

The dispute between ministries

One of the first to criticize the direction taken by the executive was Agostino Re Rebaudengo, president of Elettricità Futura, the branch of Confindustria that brings together companies dealing with renewables.The government's line, wrote the association in a letter addressed to the prime minister Giorgia Meloni, «is uncertain and fluctuating, the attitude of various Regions tends to relegate photovoltaics to a marginal role and in any case not consistent with the potential of the technology».But Minister Pichetto Fratin also turned up his nose.In fact, it is on him that the commitment to respect the renewable targets set at European level falls.And a stop to ground-based photovoltaic systems will certainly complicate the path traced by Italy for the next few years.«I only asked my colleague to safeguard the Pnrr targets and the Pniec forecasts of 40 Gigawatts of new photovoltaics by 2030», Pichetto tried to downplay, making fun of the press articles that spoke of a «violent quarrel» with Lollobrigida.

What changes with the decree

After a weekend of discussions and mediations, Lollobrigida and Pichetto Fratin managed to find a solution.The decree, the ministers explain, "says yes to agrisolare, to panels that allow you to cultivate underneath".The main innovation is the ban on plants placed on the ground, which effectively prevent cultivation.Even in this case, however, there are some exceptions.First of all, the plants that have already submitted an application are safe, so as not to nullify the investments already planned.The same goes for the photovoltaic systems of energy communities, financed by a specific measure of the Pnrr and which aim at local energy production and consumption.The ban on ground-mounted solar panels will not affect all agricultural land deemed "compromised", such as those located 300 meters from motorways or between motorways and railways.All these measures are designed to accommodate trade associations, which however remain critical of the decree approved by the government:«This choice puts Italy in a situation of great embarrassment, because we will not reach the community objectives, those relating to the Pnrr, and we will achieve less than a tenth of the objectives signed in the G7 energy», comments Rebaudengo, president of Elettricità Futura.

Italy's delays on renewables

Just as a possible stop to agrivoltaics was being discussed among the government benches, data from Terna - the public company that manages the high voltage grid - certified Italy's delays in renewables.In 2023, solar and wind grew as never before in the last decade, covering 43.8% of energy demand.Yet, last year the installed renewable capacity was 6 Gigawatts, still far from the 9 GW per year needed by 2030 to meet European targets.Italy has committed to reaching the goal of 70% of electricity obtained from renewable sources by the end of the decade.But at this speed, warns the London think tank Ember, meeting the commitment will be almost impossible.

The opportunities of ground systems

According to trade associations, it could be installations on agricultural land that give a boost to the transition.According to Italia Solare, the association representing over 20 thousand photovoltaic operators, it would be enough to use 1% of unoccupied agricultural land to create 50% of the 50 GW required to reach the 2030 EU targets.The remaining 50%, explains the association, can be installed on roofs.The one who has always asked for a general stop to ground-based photovoltaic systems is Coldiretti, who in recent days in a note spoke of the need to "protect national agriculture" by introducing a "firm stop to wild photovoltaics", often carried out "by speculative investment funds and made possible by a regulatory wild west that derives from the absence of territorial governance rules".

Cover photo:Dreamstime/Roberto Dani