Interview with Federico Brucciani, independent solar PV expert and author of the report "The Italian PV market". Italian consultant Federico Brucciani is very optimistic about market growth in his country. In an interview with Solarplaza, he says that grid-parity will be reached in all market segments within the next 6 to 8 years. He adds that the market is becoming more sustainable than in Spain and that a new and appealing FiT program can be expected as a follow up to the current program, which has met with so much success.

His report, available in Italian and English and published by Solarplaza, is a unique, complete, and detailed overview of Italy’s PV market and industry. It includes a comprehensive analysis of the market, growth forecasts, regulation procedures, and a detailed overview of Italy’s PV supply chain.

What are the official government targets for the Italian PV market?

The official government targets are set within the framework of legislation currently in force (Nuovo Conto Energia – Ministerial Decree dated 19/02/2007): 3.000 MW by 2016. However, during the discussions for the 20 20 20 EU Directive, the government presented a position paper of its own in which the PV market was addressed with regard to a potential of 8,500 MW: 7,500 MW roof-mounted and 1,000 MW ground-mounted.

Italy’s PV market is growing fast, but not as fast as in Spain. In the meantime, module prices are much lower this year. What is your explanation?

The explanation for this situation can be boiled down to the length of the licensing procedure for PV plants, which may vary from 2 to 3 months for small BIPV roof-mounted systems to up to 18 months for large ground-mounted plants. This, coupled with the crisis to have hit the financial sector that has led to a slow-down in investments, has caused the Italian PV market in 2008 to grow more slowly (but more sustainably) than the Spanish market.

What do you see as the most important market segments in your country over the short term and long term in relation to residential, commercial, or utility-scale projects?

The main challenge for PV stakeholders in the years to come is in finding the right balance between all the market segments. However, I note that residential and commercial roof-mounted installations are being focused on by most of the national PV downstream players.