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Interview with Gianni Chianetta, President of Assosolare

Mr. Chianetta, how has the industry evolved in Italy during the last few years and how do you see the evolution in the short to medium term?

The PV market in Italy has seen a radical change as well as in Germany and Spain thanks to the introduction of the Feed-in Tariff, confirmed as the best incentive scheme for this sector to ever be applied. As expected, the effects of the FiT took more than one year to be reflected in the market, registering a sharp increase in 2007 and 2008. The peculiarity of the Italian PV market compared to those of the other top countries is its distribution within the territory. Its development today depends on the specific authorisation process of each region more than on irradiation. Local governments have and will continue to have a key role in this market until the national government will not take the lead on such an important economy. This is what we at Assosolare ask the national government. Regarding the near future, I believe that this year we will grow with the same percentage increase as last year, but if we want to avoid the experience of a final rush like Spain, which caused speculations as well as an irregular and unstable growth of the industry and much more, we need to define the new tariff and target beyond 2010, by this year.        

After a few months, how do you see the Italian PV market for 2009? Are projects still being financed? 

In the first months of this year we have seen a constraint of the market due to the bad weather conditions and the financial crisis. I have seen that the market has started again, since May 2009, and I believe that in the second semester we will recover our increasing trend. The pause of the first semester will slow down the previsions made by many institutions to close the year with 500 MW. Due to the crisis, financial institutions have become more selective, strict and demanding in realising financing. After an adjustment period of several months, financing is starting again as PV is being recognised as one of the few interesting sectors to invest in. 

What are the effects of the extension of the net-metering for PV systems up to 200 kW since the beginning of the 2009? Is there a strong demand for this kind of system? 

The extension of the net-metering will cause for sure the expansion of this segment, but it is too early to arrive to conclusions. The 200 kW was a request of Assosolare since the beginning of the FiT. This will involve mainly small, medium companies with the availability of large roofs. Entrepreneurs will have the opportunity to save money for their electricity bills, a good return on investment and a reputation advantage in front of customers and employees. Nevertheless, the 200kW net-metering introduced by the actual government needs a further effort to work properly. There are some lateral issues to solve such as the parallel increase of the obligation to become a registered electric company from 20 kW to 200 kW.

What are the most important challenges the Italian market will have to face according to Assosolare in the next 5 years?

First of all, the review of the Feed-in Tariff beyond 2010. The market needs the assurance of the support of the government for the next few years until Grid Parity, which is close but will not happen in the next 5 years . The market needs simple and stable rules for a stable growth. The decrease of the tariffs could determine the reduction of players due to the reduced margin and the strong competition. I see also that the industry will need a further effort to stimulate the necessary expertise and learn quickly from other markets to follow the growth in such a short time. The bureaucracy will continue to be an obstacle even if some regions are adopting new regulations. Assosolare, being the Italian partner for PV Legal, a 2-year EU project, will build a map of the regional regulations and in collaboration with the other EU national associations will give advice to the national and regional governments in specific workshops. Italy has to face the critical bottleneck of the national electrical grid. The Government needs to develop a plan and invest money in a short time because this has already started to be a serious problem in some areas. The new emerging markets as China and USA, will change the global scenario. In the general trend of price decline, the new big markets could determine a small price increase due to the strong demand expected for next year. These new global players will significantly influence the global market and Europe has to decide if it will continue to play a key role or not. We can change the present and the future if we really want to and if we make a joint effort.