Solar Energy in Sicily and the Regional Energy Master Plan: lessons learnt and proposal for future policies

Marco Beccali, Maurizio Cellura, Christian Bartolomeo*

Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali (DREAM),

Universita degli Studi di Palermo
Viale delle Scienze, edif. 9 — 90128 Palermo, ITALY
Tel.+39+091236141; Fax. +39+091484425; marco. beccali@dream. unipa. it

Abstract

In the last years Sicily has benefited, together with other Objective 1 areas, of relevant funding coming from UE — Agenda 2000 programme in order to improve the economic framework strengthening its infrastructures, its enterprises and exploiting its resources. Many of these resources have been directed also to improve energy and environmental policies of the region.

At the same time National and Regional Government are today involved to grant the fulfilment of about Greenhouse gas reduction and Renewable Energies diffusion objectives shared with other UE countries. By this way, some of the actions implemented by the Regional Government have been addressed to the upgrade of the energy system also focussing to the role played by local enterprises into the market of energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies.

In particular, in the framework of the Energy Master Plan a survey of the state of diffusion of solar energy technologies in Sicily has been conducted. The study, conduced by the DREAM department, has also investigated, using innovatory methodologies, the global technical and economic potential of solar energy (PV and thermal application) in residential and industrial sectors taking into account both opportunities and barriers to its diffusion.

The main results of the study have emphasized how to improve energy policies in Sicily in the field of Renewable Sources integrating National and European policies with local specific actions.

This report summarises the work carried out by the Department of Energy and Environmental Research of the University of Palermo on the behalf of Regional Government of Sicily for the development of the new Regional Energy Master Plan. An Action Plan for the diffusion of renewable energies and the promotion of rational use of energy has been proposed to decision makers in order to start a negotiation activities among political, enterprises, users, technicians, research actors.

In order to suggest the most effective actions, the first step of the work focussed on the monitoring of the on-going policies for RET support, mainly based on UE funding for agenda 2000 programme and structured into the framework of the Regional Operative Plan (P. O.R.). Solar Energy support policies today are addressed to low and high temperature solar thermal technologies and also PV grid connected systems.

Funding are allowed either to private and public investors and are provided as unsecured funding. The amount of the specific funding and the eligibility criteria have been expressed in several “sectorial” calls for tender that are described in the following pages.

Furthermore, is necessary to highlight that new energy regulations have created,
after a “green” renewable energy market, a brand new “white” one based on the
trading of “energy efficiency” or “white” certificates. Minimum targets of energy

efficiency have been in fact stated for energy utilities in addition to the ones referred to minimum share of renewable energy production.