Linea Trovata Group - Smart sustainable energy solutions

Our Group's marketing team is always good for a surprise. New year 2011 starts with a new corporate movie showing from helicopter-view several renewable energy installations realized by Linea Trovata Group in Belgium, the Netherlands, in France and Italy. We wish you a pleasant flight. Enjoy!

Ministry of Economic Development finally approves new Italian feed-in tariff "Conto Energia" and regional authorization guidelines

Sometimes it is worth waiting and finally a long wait comes to an end: On the 9th of July 2010, the Italian ministry of economic development officially announced the approval of the new PV feed-in tariffs and of regional guidelines for renewable power plants. Starting 2011, the third "Conto Energia" will gradually reduce the tariffs (18% to 20% in three reduction steps for the year 2011 as illustrated below and for 2012 and 2013 another 6% per annum), reducing the impact on the consumer's electric bills. The national guidelines give general rules about the approval procedure for building and operating power plants driven by renewable energies in order to coordinate the sector and grant a similar development in all Italian regions.

Source: Italian ministry of Economic Development, translation and summary: PHOTON (all rights reserved)

Other Sources and where to read more about this topic:

edilportale.com | Articles 1, 2, 3 | Authors: Rossella Calabrese et al. (all rights reserved);
APER | http://www.aper.it/newsite/images/stories/cstampa/2010/com_stampa_16-2010_l.g%20e%20c.pdf (all rights reserved).

The complete press release of  Italian ministry of Economic Development can be viewed using the following links:

http://www.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/pdf_upload/comunicati/phpcL4ra7.pdf

http://www.sviluppoeconomico.gov.it/pdf_upload/documenti/lineeguidaenergia/lineeguidaenergia.pdf

PV incentives in Italy — Italian government to discuss new incentives for solar energy on July 8th

According to a recent press release by Italian Government and photon-international.com on the 8th of July 2010, the central and regional governments in Italy will discuss, among other things, future incentives for solar energy. After the first two incentive programs, named respectively “Conto Energia” and “Nuovo Conto Energia”, the future “Conto Energia” is expected to be designed. As reported before on this Blog there circulated already several drafts for such new PV incentives regime to be expected for the next three years in Italy.

Sources: Presidenza del Consiglio dei Ministri, Translation and summary: PHOTON (all rights reserved)

The complete press release can be viewed in PHOTON's archive using the following link:

http://www.photon-international.com/newsletter/document/27453.pdf

Simplified DIA Authorization Procedure sufficient for Renewable Energy Projects in Italy up to 1 MW

This Blog recently reported about Italian Constitutional Court’s decisions no. 119/10 and no. 124/10, declaring illegitimate the regional laws of Apulia and Calabria respectively (see previous Blog-Post on 10 April 2010). Main reason for such lawsuit and Constitutional Court’s decisions was, that both regional laws had unilaterally allowed for the authorisation of 1 MW or 500 KW projects by means of a simple “start of works” declaration (dichiarazione di inizio attività or in short “DIA”), contradicting federal law (Decreto Legislativo or Dlgs) no. 387/2003, which foresees and requires a lengthy autorizzazione unica procedure (in short “AU”) for much smaller projects (e.g. photovoltaic projects above 20 KW or wind energy projects above 60 KW).

Now, only a few weeks after and maybe as a reaction to the aforementioned Constitutional Court’s verdicts, which not only have caused significant uncertainty in the market as to the validity and risks of previously authorized DIA renewable energy projects (mainly solar pv plants) in Apulia and Calabria, but also were widely perceived by investors and renewable energy industry as a political obstacle to the expedited development and financing of renewable energy plants in Italy, it comes to a sudden and unexpected turn of events. Italian Government decided to enact a new national law in compliance to European Community Law and EU guidelines.

The Italian Chamber of Deputies has taken the above mentioned market concerns seriously and reacted accordingly by proposing on a federal level what the Apulia and Calabria regions had in the past attempted to achieve independently without the necessary federal backing. Indeed, on 23 April 2010 the Chamber of Deputies proposed an amendment to the latest draft of Italy’s so-called “Community Law 2009” (ddl Comunitaria 2009), the yearly framework law delegating the Government to enact by decree the rules necessary to comply with the mandatory provisions of European Community Law. In particular, the Chamber of Deputies proposed that, when implementing Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of renewable energy sources, the Government should provide that renewable energy projects with a peak capacity of up to 1 MW be authorised through a simplified “DIA”.

On 12 May 2010 the proposed amendment was approved by the Italian Senate (Art. 17 ddl n. 1781-B), which now means that it now will soon become law and therefore the Italian Government must enact the necessary provisions by legislative decree within the same deadline as for transposing the entire Directive 2009/28/EC into national law, i.e. 5 December 2010. In such new law (Dlgs) renewable energy projects of up to 1 MW will be subject to the simplified DIA procedure.

Latest developments and recent Italian Government reactions can be interpreted as a clear sign, that Italy is willed to finally end legal uncertainty and discussions due to regional normative chaos and to create a stable legal foundation on a national level in order to further promote renewable energy investments. Simplifying authorization procedures is definitely one first good step to reestablish market stability and investor's trust and to prepare the stage for future growth in Italy. Next decisive step should be the overdue regulation of the new incentive regime (Conto Energia) for the next three year period 2011-2013, expected to be officially announced within 30 June 2010 by GSE under the auspices of Italian Government (Ministry of Economic Development, Ministry of Economy and Finance, Ministry of Environment).

Sources and where to read more about this topic:

edilportale.com | Articles 1, 2 | Author: Paola Mammarella (all rights reserved);
McDermott Will & Emery | Author: Carsten Steinhauer (all rights reserved);
projectfinancemagazine.com (all rights reserved).


Photo via picApp | Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images
Content © 2010 Getty Images | All rights reserved.

Italian Institutional court claims Apulia Regional Law n. 31/2008 — DIA Authorization of PV Projects up to 1MW declared as unconstitutional

Maybe it was the ease of developing renewable energy projects due to administrative and bureaucratic simplifications in Apulia under the provisions of Apulia Regional Law 31/2008 introduced by green energy friendly Nichi Vendola, president of Apulia region, that has been a big thorn in the sides of many other regions.
However on 29 December 2008, the Italian Government filed a lawsuit at the Constitutional Court for the declaration of unconstitutionality of Apulia Regional Law 31/2008. A first public hearing on this matter took place on 26 January 2010 and resulted now in a final verdict published on 31 March 2010. The  Constitutional Court specified the illegitimacy of two paragraphs of Art. 3 (Paragraphs §1 and §2) of Apulia Regional Law 31/2008, pursuant to which renewable energy plants with an output of up to 1MW could so far be authorised through a simplified “start-of works” declaration (DIA – Dichiarazione inizio attività).

Hence the court decision now implies with immediate effect, that ground-mounted PV projects above 20kW located in the Puglia region can no longer be authorized by a simple DIA procedure, but require an Autorizzazione Unica (AU – conferenza unificata), like originally foreseen in national decreto legislativo n. 387 (Attuazione della direttiva 2001/77/CE relativa alla promozione dell’energia elettrica prodotta da fonti energetiche rinnovabili nel mercato interno dell’elettricità) issued on 29 December 2003. More importantly on the other hand the court decision can not retroactively affect PV projects which had been fully permitted through the DIA procedure before the verdict. Already permitted projects should therefore remain valid and unaffected. Only in case these authorizations would be legally challenged within the legal period for objection, then the Constitutional Court’s decision could have sort of a retroactive effect.
In any case, Apulia government will now have to react properly and will have to introduce a new regional law in order to strike a fair balance between the interests of all parties involved. The legitimate reliance of the developer on the validity of the regional laws as they were in force during the authorisation process will have an important impact, as well as the investments already made in the project. However the current ruling only applies to the authorizations approved under the regional law n. 31/2008 and hence has no direct impact on the previous Regional Law n. 1/2008 whose article 27 already allowed for the authorization of 1MW PV projects by means of a simple DIA.

Future of Italy's PV industry in Government hands

According to a recent study of I-com research institute, the possible impact and contribution of Solar PV Industry on Italian Market would be quantifiable in Italy by an esteemed 22 billion in value added for the Italian economy, 45 thousand jobs for the next twenty years and 6 million tonnes less CO2.

Nevertheless, Italy's photovoltaic sector, in comparison to other markets, is still far behind in development. In 2009 Italy almost doubled installed capacity compared to previous years and Italy since year end 2009 approached the level of 1000 MW installed (760,4 MW within nuovo conto energia), but compared to other countries like Germany or Japan, such levels were already surpassed six years ago, back in 2004.

Italian Solar PV Industry in terms of employment and economic value added is already bearing its first fruits. Now, in coming weeks, it us up to the Italian government to finally decide on the new incentive regime of PV to follow 2010 in order to consolidate the development of an area that could contribute significantly to the competitiveness of Italy.


Sources: Energia-blog | Authors:  9Colonne, I-com research institute.

Technological trends (BIPV) from SAIEnergia 09

Italy slowly discovers Building-Integrated Photovoltaics (BIPV), building integration of PV solar power systems, and thus Photovoltaic modules that are integrated directly into a roof's surface to provide more aesthetic appeal.


Here are the best italian solutions and products for perfect integration of solar power systems into the roof of a building seen at SAIEnergia 09 in Bologna:

Tegolasolare: Traditional hand-crafted clay roof ceramic tile with a small, modular, discreet photovoltaic panel (4 cells) integrated and fitted on the front (see picture above).

Tech-tile: Techtile System can generate both electricity (Techtile Energy) or heat (Techtile Therm). It permits maximum integration with the building because the Techtile roof tile looks exactly the same as a conventional tile.

System Photonics: The ROOF collection replaces or becomes a part of traditional roof coverings (shingle roofing or cascade tiling), while maintaining and improving their insulation and protective properties.


Read more about this topic at:
pienosole.it;
design.tv.it;
solarserver.de.

Solar Evolution — The beginning of a new era for solar power

"A new era for solar power is approaching. Long derided as uneconomic, it is gaining ground as technologies improve and the cost of traditional energy sources rises.Within three to seven years, unsubsidized solar power could cost no more to end customers in many markets, such as California and Italy, than electricity generated by fossil fuels or by renewable alternatives to solar. By 2020, global installed solar capacity could be 20 to 40 times its level today."

McKinsey & Company | Authors: Peter Lorenz, Dickon Pinner, and Thomas Seitz

Source: Climate Change Special Initiative and McKinsey Quarterly

Forecast — The growing competitiveness of solar power: McKinsey forecasts grid parity within the next three to seven years. This means that solar energy's unsubsidized cost to end users will approach the cost of conventional electricity in a number of markets, including parts of the United States (California and the Southwest), as well as Italy, Japan and Spain.

Outlook — The global solar market in 2020: According to McKinsey, the worldwide installed global solar capacity will grow by roughly 30 to 35 percent a year, from 10 gigawatts today to about 200 gigawatts in 2020.

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLES:

McKinsey Quarterly — The economics of solar power (LINK);
McKinsey Quarterly — Evaluating the potential of solar technologies (LINK1, 2).

Endless potential of the sun

"The total power needs of the humans on Earth is approximately 16 terawatts. In the year 2020 it is expected to grow to 20 terawatts. (Ed. A terawatt is a trillion watts.)

The sunshine on the solid part of the Earth is 120,000 terawatts. From this perspective, energy from the sun is virtually unlimited."

Eicke Weber, director of the Fraunhofer Institute for Solar Energy Systems,

in Freiburg (Germany)

Source: National Geographic Magazine | Author: George Johnson

TO READ THE FULL ARTICLES:

National Geographic — Plugging Into the Sun (LINK)

National Geographic — Ranking Renewables (LINK)

National Geographic — Renewable Futures (LINK)

Americans invade Apulia

Texas-based JMJ Holdings is close to purchase the AS Bari football club from the Matarrese family. JMJ president and CEO Tim Barton has already signed an exclusive agreement to buy the team pending due diligence over the next 30 days.

The takeover of AS Bari marks only the beginning of JMJ's italian venture. Barton said he first heard the team was for sale when he was in southern Italy on a business trip to develop environmentally friendly energy investments a few months ago.

JMJ Holdings, founded in 1990 by CEO Tim Barton, is a real estate firm engaged in the acquisition, development, management and advisement of luxury real estate assets on a global basis. Since renewable energy offers high returns, like many other international real estate firms and investment funds, JMJ is on the search for green energy projects and investment opportunities.

Barton mainly focuses on photovoltaics in Apulia. He sees "photovoltaic installations on every rooftop in the city of Bari."

Conclusion: International financial crisis has not only slown down project developments in Italy but also brought harsh market conditions to solar industry. Thus we definitely need more courageous entrepreneurs like Barton, equipped with visions and the necessary capital.

Autostrada del Sole – Multifunctional Carports and house top solar PV installations on petrol and service stations

Good ideas are only those that are implemented and finally turn into reality. I am sure many visionaries had similar ideas along those lines, but sometimes even sleeping giants seem to wake and pick up those ideas, concepts and start sustainable initiatives.

Autostrade per l'Italia Spa plans to invest, install and operate a network of many small size PV integrated carports and house top solar PV installations on petrol and service stations. Along the 2854 Km of motorway managed by Autostrade per l'Italia Spa, there are round about 3000 parking sites, gas stations, roadhouses and service areas with parking possibilities. According to "pienosole.it" the sum of all small solar PV installations could equal a cumulative global PV installations capacity of approximately 5,5 GWh/year and could supply all motorway facilities with clean solar energy.

Conclusion:

"Every little helps" since many small size solar PV installations in the end form one large-scale power plant and sometimes great ideas can only be implemented by great corporations right at the source.

Bureaucracy slows down Project development of Photovoltaics in Italy, but according to GSE by end of 2009 Italy could reach 900 MW

In the first four month of 2009, an overall of 8.000 new plants (82,6 MW) were connected to the grid; which equals a media of 3,4 MW per week, contra 6,5 MW per week reached in 2008. Thus compared to the year 2008 PV project development has slown down a little. This trend maybe caused by several circumstances: a worldwide recession, financial crisis and last but not least by italian bureaucracy with its non-uniform and protracted authorization procedures.

Nevertheless by end of april 2009 a total of 39.753 PV plants were installed and operational. This equates to more than 500 MW, of which Lombardia reaching 49 MW by the end of 2008 and Puglia with 51,6 MW represent Italy's leading solar regions.

More importantly GSE expects market improvements and italian renewable markets to gain momentum. According to GSE Italy could break the 900 MW barrier by end of 2009. We will definitely contribute our part!

[Sources: http://www.energia24club.it; http://www.pienosole.it]