Government of Italy to reinstate guaranteed purchases of green certificates for 2010

Facebook
Twitter
LinkedIn
Reddit
Email

A decision has been made to reinstate guaranteed purchases of green certificates in Italy for 2010 since the announcement that the government would stop them halted investment in the sector. However, the government plans to overhaul the certificates once again in 2011 in order to avoid speculation, reports the Wall Street Journal.

“We have gone for a solution that takes into account [promoting] investments as well as introducing reforms,” said industry ministry undersecretary, Stefano Saglia.

This article requires Premium SubscriptionBasic (FREE) Subscription

Unlock unlimited access for 12 whole months of distinctive global analysis

Photovoltaics International is now included.

  • Regular insight and analysis of the industry’s biggest developments
  • In-depth interviews with the industry’s leading figures
  • Unlimited digital access to the PV Tech Power journal catalogue
  • Unlimited digital access to the Photovoltaics International journal catalogue
  • Access to more than 1,000 technical papers
  • Discounts on Solar Media’s portfolio of events, in-person and virtual

Or continue reading this article for free

With the reinstatement, the Italian government scraps a decree featured in its €25billion austerity budget, which relieved GSE from its role as the buyer of last resort for green certificates issued to support development of cleaner energy production.

The proposals abolishing the guarantee that the GSE would buy the excess green certificates shocked energy players and observers, blocking new financing for renewable-energy projects.

While the certificates were introduced as an incentive, they actually played a key role as bank collateral so long as the GSE guaranteed a floor price. “The market is blocked right now as no bank will give any loans until the [photovoltaic] tariffs and incentives are clarified,” Andrea Fontana, country manager for Italy for Fotowatio Renewable Ventures, said.

The green-certificate system has intrinsic volatilities, compared to a tariff scheme allowing gradual reductions, continued Fontana. “In the photovoltaic sector we are paid per kilowatt-hour produced, and this is better for business-model planning.”

Italy now awaits the news of subsidy cuts, which are expected within the next few days. With these cuts, Italy joins several other European countries, including Germany and France, in making changes to its renewable subsidy program. The Italian government is still undecided on exactly how it will change its feed-in tariff system, yet the revised subsidies will cover the period 2011-2013.

Read Next

May 22, 2025
The New York State Energy and Research Development Authority (NYSERDA) has contracted 2.2GW of solar PV across 18 projects.
May 22, 2025
SMA Solar will begin local assembly of power systems for large-scale solar and energy storage systems in the US.
May 22, 2025
Prefabricated solar structure provider 5B has become the first recipient of the Australian government’s AU$1 billion Solar Sunshot Program, securing up to AU$46 million for its “Maverick” automated solar deployment system.
May 21, 2025
There is potential for cPPAs to deliver the energy transition, according to speakers at the Renewables Procurement and Revenue Summit.
May 21, 2025
US PV module manufacturer Silfab Solar has acquired a patent portfolio for back-contact (BC) solar cells from solar research firm EnPV.
May 21, 2025
The US International Trade Commission has voted unanimously to impose AD/CVD tariffs on solar cells from Southeast Asia.

Subscribe to Newsletter

Upcoming Events

Solar Media Events
June 17, 2025
Napa, USA
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 1, 2025
London, UK
Solar Media Events
July 8, 2025
Asia
Solar Media Events
September 16, 2025
Athens, Greece