Wind power in Italy

Wind power in Italy, at the end of 2015, consisted of more than 1,847 wind turbines with a total installed capacity of 8,958 megawatts. In 2019, Italy generated 20,054 GWh of electricity from wind power, equal to 7.1% of the total electricity generation.[1]

Italy is ranked as the world's tenth producer of wind power as of the end of 2016. Prospects for Italian wind energy beyond 2020 were positive, with several projects planned to go live before 2030.[2][3]

Overview

In 2001, the European Commission issued its Directive on Electricity Production from Renewable Energy Sources. The Directive set a goal for Italy to obtain at least 25% of its electricity from renewables by 2010.[4] The 1999 Italian ‘White Book’ targeted to install 2,500 MW of wind power capacity by 2010; Italy exceeded this in 2007. The Italian government targeted 12,000 MW by 2020. Given that Italy's recent growth in wind power capacity has been about 30% annually, in 2008 the target appeared reachable by 2015.[4] Italy introduced a renewable energy quota system in 2002, and uses green certificates to ensure that power producers and importers produce specified percentages of electricity from renewables. Renewable energy under the quota system must come from new or repowered plants which began operating after April 1, 1999.[4]

The first floating wind turbines were tested in 2007-2008. Blue H Technologies of the Netherlands deployed the world's first floating wind turbine, 21.3 kilometres (13.2 mi) off the coast of Apulia in December 2007.[5] The first foundations for the 30 MW Beleolico offshore wind farm were installed near Taranto in January 2022,[6] and inaugurated in April 2022.[7]

Wind power is an established component of Italy’s renewable energy sector and contributes to the country’s electricity generation mixture. According to the IEA Wind TCP national report, Italy had about 12.1 GW of installed wind power capacity at the end of 2023, generating around 23.4 TWh of electricity and meeting about 7.6 % of national demand.[8] Italy’s wind energy capacity is predominantly onshore, with most installations located in southern regions such as Apulia, Campania, Sicily, and Sardinia, where wind conditions are more favorable. Regional data indicate that southern regions amount for the majority of capacity and generation, with Apulia, Sicily, Campania, and others leading the total production capacity.[9] Growth in new onshore wind capacity has faced challenges in recent years, including permitting constraints, landscape protection rules, and local opposition in some areas, which have slowed deployment compared to earlier phases. Industry analysis and wind power reports discuss regulatory and permitting barriers that have affected project timelines.[10]

Installed capacity growth

The table shows the annual increase in installed wind power capacity in recent years.[11]: 39  Development of wind power expanded steadily over the last decade, with capacity rising from about 8 GW in 2012 to over 12 GW by 2023, reflecting sustained investment in wind farms across Italy. Historical capacity figures show gradual growth in installed wind power since the early 2010s.[12]

Year Nameplate capacity Plants
MW change number change
2000 363 - 55 -
2001 664 82.92% 81 47.27%
2002 780 17.47% 99 22.22%
2003 874 12.05% 107 8.08%
2004 1,131 29.41% 120 12.15%
2005 1,639 44.92% 148 23.33%
2006 1,908 16.41% 169 14.19%
2007 2,714 42.24% 203 20.12%
2008 3,538 30.36% 242 19.21%
2009 4,898 38.44% 294 21.49%
2010 5,814 18.70% 487 65.65%
2011[13] 6,936 19.30% 807 65.71%
2012[14] 8,144 17.42% 1,054 30.61%
2013[15] 8,552 5.01% 1,386 31.50%
2014[16] 8,703 1.77% 1,847 33.26%
2015[16] 9,126 4.86% 2,734 48.02%
2016[17] 9,388 2.87% 3,598 31.60%
2017 9,780 4.18% 5,579 55.06%
2018 10,310 5.42% 5,642 1.13%
2019 10,760 4.36% 5,644 0.04%
2020[18] 10,907 1.37% 5,660 0.28%
2021 11,320 3.79% 5,731 1.25%
2022[19][20][21] 11,850 4.68% 5,928 3.44%
2023[19][20][21] 12,340 4.14% 6,019 1.54%
2024 [22] 13,020 5,51%

Offshore wind power

As of 2024, Italy’s offshore wind sector remains in its early stages, with about 13 MW of installed capacity and project pipelines under development following new auctions and policy support. Several large offshore wind initiatives, including the Adriatic Offshore Wind Project and the Puglia Offshore Wind Farm, have been proposed, reflecting potential future expansion in the sector.[10]

In 2024, the 7Seas Med floating offshore wind project located off the coast of Sicily received a positive environmental impact assessment, representing a significant step forward for offshore wind development in Italy. In parallel, Italy has a substantial offshore wind project pipeline under environmental review, amounting to more than 81,300 MW of potential offshore capacity, including megawatt-scale initiatives in the Sicilian Strait and Sardinia regions.[23]

In support of these developments, industry partnerships have been formed to advance floating offshore wind infrastructure,such as the 2025 deal between Saipem and the Divento consortium aimed at supporting future Italian offshore wind projects.[24]

See also

References

  1. ^ IEA monthly electricity statistics for OECD member countries
  2. ^ Durakovic, Adnan (6 April 2022). "ENI firm and CIP to build floating wind farms offshore italy". offshoreWIND.biz. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  3. ^ Durakovic, Adnan (22 February 2022). "Floating Wind Partners Up Italian Portfolio to 4.6GW". offshoreWIND.biz. Retrieved 17 July 2022.
  4. ^ a b c "GWEC: Europe". Global Wind Energy Council. Retrieved 2008-11-23.
  5. ^ "Project Deep Water - Blue H Technologies". Offshore Wind. The Energy Technologies Institute. Archived from the original on 27 March 2019. Retrieved July 18, 2018.
  6. ^ "Foundations Stand at First Mediterranean Offshore Wind Farm". Offshore Wind. 13 January 2022.
  7. ^ "The first Mediterranean offshore wind farm is officially inaugurated". www.windtech-international.com. 25 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Italy National Wind Energy Report 2023" (PDF). International Energy Agency- Technology Collaboration Program on Wind Energy. 2023.
  9. ^ Greco, Luca; Serri, Laura (2024). "Italy Annual Wind Energy Report 2024" (PDF). International Energy Agency- Technology Collaboration Programme.
  10. ^ a b "Italy | HHWE". Retrieved 2026-01-07.
  11. ^ "Rapporto Statistico 2010" (PDF). Statistiche sulle fonti rinnovabili (in Italian). Gestore Servizi Energetici (GSE). Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
  12. ^ "Italy Wind Capacity (Yearly) - Historical Data & Trends". ycharts.com. Retrieved 2026-01-05.
  13. ^ Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) - Dati Statistici impianti a fonti rinnovabili in Italia nel 2011 [1]
  14. ^ Wind in power: 2012 European statisticsFebruary 2013 Archived 2020-01-10 at the Wayback Machine
  15. ^ EWEA (February 2014). "Wind in power: 2013 European statistics" (PDF). European Wind Energy Association. Retrieved 2014-11-05.
  16. ^ a b "Energia da fonti rinnovabili in Italia – Dati preliminari 2015". GSE. Archived from the original on 2017-10-18. Retrieved 4 July 2016.
  17. ^ "Eolico in Italia" (PDF). ANEV. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2017. Retrieved 29 September 2017.
  18. ^ "Wind power in Italy: where do we stand?". 12 June 2022.
  19. ^ a b "Renewable Energy Progress Tracker – Data Tools". IEA. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  20. ^ a b "Italy: wind power capacity 2023 | Statista". Statista. Archived from the original on 2024-05-28. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  21. ^ a b "Italy: number of wind energy plants 2006-2021 | Statista". Statista. Archived from the original on 2024-06-13. Retrieved 2025-01-14.
  22. ^ "Generazione Energia | Dati Terna Driving Energy". dati.terna.it (in Italian). Retrieved 2025-03-11.
  23. ^ "Italy drives offshore wind energy with more than 80 GW under environmental processing - Strategic Energy Europe". 2025-02-13. Retrieved 2026-01-10.
  24. ^ "Saipem signs deal with Divento for STAR 1 use in floating offshore wind facilities". Reuters. 5 March 2025.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Wind power in Italy.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.