2023-06-15 15:42:12
To satisfy the entire electricity requirement of the national residential sector, it would be necessary to install photovoltaic panels on 30% approximately of the total area of the roofs of the buildings for residential use in our country, which is equivalent to almost the entire area suitable for the installation of these devices. This is how much he calculated theAeneas in the study published in the open access journal Energies which describes reality photovoltaic potential in Italy to 2030 and 2050 using only the roof surfaces of existing buildings, without the need for further land use.
“In our country there are over 12 million residential buildings with a total roof area of approximately 1,490 km2, of which only 450 km2, equal to approximately 30%, could have suitable characteristics for the installation of photovoltaic panels”, he explains Nicolandrea Calabrese head of the Enea laboratory of energy efficiency in buildings and urban development and co-author of the study together with his colleague Dominic Palladinoresearcher of the same laboratory.
The study highlights how, assuming that we occupy this optimal area entirely (about 450 km2), yes could generate over 79,000 GWh of electricity for a total installed power of 72 GW. Even if it were possible to occupy a smaller surface area (approximately around 310 km2), the energy produced would be able to satisfy the electricity needs of the residential sector equal to an average annual consumption of around 65.5 thousand GWh.
However, the most ‘probable’ scenarios highlighted by the Enea study demonstrate that the installed photovoltaic power could only be equal to 6 GW, or 11.5% of the national target set at 52 GW of new photovoltaic capacity by 2030 (twice and a half the power recorded in 2020). By 2050, the study estimates that the production of electricity from photovoltaics could potentially cover just under 40% of national needs, but with significant differences at the regional level: Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Lombardy should get closer to the national targets even by following more precautionary measures, while other regions would need more stringent scenarios.
“To support and promote rooftop photovoltaics we need to remodulate the incentives or adopt new actions on a regional basis. For this reason we have defined a new index which measures the photovoltaic potential of each region and which could be of support to political decision-makers and local authorities in adopting increasingly effective and specific energy strategies for each individual territory”, underlines Domenico Palladino.
At a territorial level, the Enea study calculated that by 2050 in the North-West over 5,500 GWh of electricity could be produced with photovoltaics on the roofs, making it possible to satisfy up to 50% of residential needs. In the North-East this percentage could exceed 50%, with a total production of 7,100 GWh. In the Centre, the percentage would drop to around 40%, while in the South and in the Islands the coverage of the requirement would reach progressively lower percentages.
Despite the potential and convenience of photovoltaics on building roofs, challenges such as the intermittent nature of this energy source e administrative procedures which remain complex, even if legislation has recently been passed which aims to reduce bureaucracy and promote new installations on the roofs of existing buildings, including those in historic centres. “In recent years, many energy efficiency measures have been implemented in our building stock, but much remains to be done: residential buildings are still responsible for 12% of emissions and 30% of our country’s overall energy needs, above all due to air conditioning and the poor thermal performance of the building envelope”, conclude the two Enea researchers.
#Enea #photovoltaics #roofs #residential #electricity #satisfied