pv magazine has spoken with Federico Brucciani, secretary of Italian PV association Italia Solare, about the rapid expansion of residential solar-plus-storage in Italy, where 80% of new PV systems now include batteries. He also discussed the structural weaknesses of the C&I segment and the slow regulatory rollout of flexibility markets despite the country’s rapidly growing distributed storage base.
During a chat with pv magazine on the sidelines of the Smarter E trade show in Munich, Germany, Federico Brucciani, secretary of Italia Solare, offered a broad and candid assessment of the state of photovoltaics and energy storage in Italy, touching on market dynamics across the residential, commercial & industrial (C&I), and utility-scale segments.
Brucciani described the storage sector in particular as being in a strong growth phase, while stressing that the expansion is far from uniform. In particular, he drew a clear distinction between residential and other segments, noting that “the storage market in Italy is booming,” but adding that “you have to distinguish the residential segment, which is driven by the the eco-bonus – which is an income tax (IRPEF) rebate.”
According to his account, recent incentive schemes, including regional rebate schemes, have fundamentally reshaped the residential market, not only stimulating demand but also changing the very nature of system design. As he put it, “with the Superbonus, residential installations have become PV-plus-storage systems,” reflecting a structural shift in how households approach self-consumption.
