No incentives for small domestic systems. State aid for renewables is back, but it will not at all pave the way, as had been hoped, for self-production and local distribution from clean sources. It is, in fact, a decree addressed to large investors.
He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him
No incentives for small domestic systems. State aid for renewables is back, but it will not at all pave the way, as had been hoped, for self-production and local distribution from clean sources. It is, in fact, a decree addressed to large investors.
In fact, in this respect, the draft of the renewables decree in the three-year period 2018-2020, which not only arrives a year late, but unfortunately will not push distributed generation, which goes against the trend with the objectives of the National Energy Strategy and the European Directives.
Industry operators and associations arise. Also because, moreover, the current formulation does not apply to biomass, biogas, off-shore wind, innovative geothermal, solar thermodynamic, so the measures in their favor are postponed to a subsequent decree.
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Photovoltaic, incentives only for plants above 20 kW
The Ministry has decided to insert photovoltaic incentives only for medium-large systems, thus excluding, as we said, domestic systems. That is the only ones who can guarantee a true pultian energy revolution. Plants connected in exchange on site are excluded.
The total sale of energy will be remunerated by GSE with a tariff of 110 € / MWh for plants from 20 to 100 kW and of 90 € / MWh for plants from 100 kW to 1 MW.
The proposals of the Free Coordination
The Renewable Sources and Energy Efficiency Coordination, as a preliminary, proposes that:
- the decree relating to biomass, biogas, off-shore wind, innovative geothermal, solar thermodynamic is promptly finalized;
- to allow for investment planning capable of further reducing costs, separate auctions are held for wind and photovoltaic systems, on the basis of the power shares assigned to the single technology;
- the auction rates for wind power indicated in the text allow the realization of the quotas indicated, using the latest generation wind turbines;
- the measures for total or partial renovations also apply to plants that have not joined the incentive spreaders;
- priority for plants built on landfills, quarries, etc. is conditional on preventive remediation operations and is also extended to systems installed on roofs that contain asbestos, provided that the proponents undertake to remove it, making use of the incentive measures provided for by current legislation for the removal of asbestos;
- the criteria for the participation of plants located in Member States are better clarified, a participation which must in any case be subject to a free trade agreement;
- Finally, that the existing legislation be amended, replacing the exclusion of agricultural areas from access to incentives with criteria that prevent settlements in contrast with the needs of agricultural production.
Severe delay
For the environmental association it is serious that the approval of a provision was reached only at the end of the legislature that should push interventions already in 2018, but which instead will only see the auctions and the scheduled registers open only in November of this year, thus delaying a lot those investments necessary to restart the installations in our country, as foreseen by the National Energy Strategy approved five months ago and the European Directives.
Furthermore, the concern for the delicate political phase in which the measure will have to be approved, with the steps of the Authority for Energy and the State Regions Conference, before the final approval by the European Commission is evident.
Incentives for photovoltaics in contaminated sites, landfills and quarries without reclamation
With respect to the provision, Legambiente underlines a particularly delicate and worrying aspect, as incentives are provided for photovoltaics even in contaminated sites, landfills and exhausted quarries without there being any obligation to reclaim or recover the areas.
“Minister Calenda should guarantee the maximum transparency and speed of approval of the provision at this stage, accepting the modification proposals coming from the FREE Coordination, to overcome some limitations and problems of the text. - adds Zanchini - The time has also come in our country to overcome the barriers encountered by families, condominiums and businesses in the self-production and local distribution of energy produced from renewable sources. The SEN opened to this prospect, but the risk is that in the political uncertainty of the coming months this essential element for the full development of clean energy for the benefit of the territories, will once again be postponed. We therefore ask the Minister of Economic Development to present a proposal as soon as possible so that we can open a political discussion and an in-depth analysis with the operators in the sector ”.
What will happen now?
The preliminary text that is circulating is destined to undergo changes, also because there is still no green light from the Minister of the Environment. Now we await the opinion of ARERA, the Unified Conference and then Europe's okay. It is hoped, therefore, in an improvement of the provision before final approval, which can highlight and correct the defects. Meanwhile, as they say, "better than nothing".
In the meantime, for domestic systems we will have to settle for tax deductions, which at the moment however guarantee return times equal to those that existed in the past at the time of the incentives.
Read also: Self-production of energy: strong lobbies and compliant governments boycott renewables and distributed generation (PETITION)
Roberta Ragni
