Non-hydro renewables to reach 46% share in Italy’s power in 2030 - GlobalData

Solar panels in Italy. Image by: TerniEnergia (www.ternienergia.com).

The share of thermal power in Italy's mix is expected to drop to 36.9% by 2030, while non-hydro renewables will rise to 45.8%, according to a report by GlobalData.

In 2017, Italy obtained most of its electricity from thermal power, with its share in the country’s installed capacity being 50.7%. More specifically, natural gas accounted for 41%, and the shares of coal and oil were 7.5% and 2.2%, respectively.

Italy's thermal power capacity rose to 58.8 GW in 2017, but it is seen to fall to 51.1 GW between this year and 2030. Gas and oil-based capacities are to remain stable, with some oil to gas conversions expected, but coal will be gone after 2024.

Italy imports more than 90% of its coal, while it has small deposits of coal reserves, mostly in South Sardinia. The country also imports gas, despite having economically accessible gas reserves, mainly due to the lack of supportive government policies.

In contrast to coal, the contribution of renewable energy will be increasing. GlobalData forecasts Italy's green capacity to reach 63.4 GW in 2030.

The significant progress of renewable energy in the last 17 years, supported in part by subsidies that are no longer available, is visible in the table.

Installed capacity	2000	2017
Non-hydro renewables in total:	1.7 GW	34.5 GW
- of which solar	19 MW	19.7 GW
- of which wind	364 MW	9.8 GW
Thermal energy	53.5 GW	58.8 GW