Renewable Energy Surpasses Fossil Fuels as Primary Electricity Source in Italy
Renewable Energy Generation Reaches Record Highs in 2024
In the first half of the year, renewable energy surpassed fossil fuels as the primary source of electricity generation, according to a statement released by Italy’s grid operator last week.
In a press release on Thursday, Italian grid operator Terna revealed the information. It stated that, in the first half of 2024, the country’s electricity generation from renewable sources accounted for 43.8 percent of total energy demand, a first for the industry. The record percentage contrasts with just 34.9 percent in 2023, when coal production fell precipitously by 77.3 percent and fossil fuels saw a 19% year-over-year decline.
Hydroelectric and Wind/Solar Power Drive Renewable Energy Growth
Hydroelectric power, which saw a record production increase of 64.8 percent year over year for 25.92 TWh of electricity produced for the country, was a major factor driving the increase in renewable energy. Significant increases in wind and solar power generation—which increased by 29.2 percent and 18.2 percent, respectively, over the course of the six-month period—also aided renewable energy sources.
30.8 percent of the energy breakdown came from solar power, with the remaining sources being geothermal (3.1 percent), wind (10 percent), biomass (9.3 percent).
The country’s production met 88.5 percent of the energy demand, with electricity exchanged with other nations providing the remaining 11.5 percent. When all of these are taken into account, renewable energy sources in Italy met 52.5 percent of the country’s energy demand in the period between January and June.
Continued Growth in Renewable Energy Capacity
Furthermore, installed solar and wind capacity in the nation increased by 17.3 percent, or 6,831 MW, between June 2023 and 2024. Hourly production from renewable energy sources also reached a peak of 33.2 GW on June 22 from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The International Energy Agency (IEA) released similar forecasts earlier this year, predicting that by early next year, renewable energy will surpass coal as the world’s primary source of electricity generation.
These projections covered distributed solar and energy storage, like Tesla’s Powerwall home batteries and Virtual Power Plant (VPP) program, as well as utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) systems. Along with smaller sources like H2 production, concentrated solar power, the ocean, bioenergy, and geothermal, it also included hydroelectric power sources and wind power from both onshore and offshore projects.
