Italy Faces a Storage Race as Solar Expansion Threatens Green Energy Waste

Italy will need around 50 GWh of new industrial-scale battery storage to absorb a surge in solar power as it pursues a 63% renewable energy target by 2030, according to a joint report by grid operator Terna and gas network operator Snam.

The report projects solar generation rising to 110 TWh by 2030 — up from 44 TWh — covering roughly 37% of national electricity output. Installed solar capacity would reach 82.3 GW, compared with 43.5 GW in 2025, split between 54.1 GW of utility-scale plants and 28.2 GW of rooftop systems. Combined solar and wind capacity would total 103 GW; when all renewable sources are included, they would supply 63% of domestic electricity.

The heavy concentration of photovoltaic capacity in the south is reshaping interzonal power flows. The exchange between the South and Centre-South zones stood at –12.3 TWh in 2024; by 2030 it is projected to reach +21.2 TWh — a full reversal of direction. That structural shift will drive curtailment of renewable generation to 6 TWh by 2030 and as high as 25 TWh by 2040, with oversupply no longer confined to spring but spreading throughout the calendar year.

To contain the losses, the Terna-Snam report identifies several system measures: adding 50 GWh of industrial batteries on top of the 50 GWh already available through pumped hydro; procuring capacity through MACSE auctions, where a planned 16 GWh tender follows the first 10 GWh round; and tripling electricity exports to 15 TWh via interconnectors with Slovenia, Austria and Tunisia. The central question is whether storage construction can keep pace with solar deployment — delays risk a sustained system surplus and significant clean-energy waste.

Source: ESS News (pv magazine)