Italy has 80 MW/168 MWh of storage linked to renewables

At the end of March, Italy had 18,036 storage systems linked to renewable energy power generators, according to figures released by national renewables association ANIE Rinnovabili.

Some 2,857 systems were installed in the first quarter alone, the association reported, based on data supplied by grid operator Terna. The nation saw an average of around 860 units added monthly.

The storage systems have a combined capacity of 80.2 MW and a maximum storage capacity of 167.7 MWh. Those installed in the first three months of the year total 11.2 MW/20.6 MWh.

Around 93% of the installed storage capacity is represented by systems based on lithium-ion technology. The figures show around 99% of the devices has a storage capacity of less than 20 kWh.

Lombardia leads

Most of the storage systems are deployed in the region of Lombardy – some 6,414 units. The regional government in June allocated €4.4 million for rebates for residential and commercial storage systems coupled with PV, to be awarded this year and next. Last year the budget was €3 million, in 2017 it was €4 million and in 2016 €2 million.

The rebate is worth up to €3,000 can cover up to half the cost of buying and deploying storage systems. Only applicants with storage projects combined with PV installations that have a generation capacity of up to 20 kW are eligible.

The Veneto region has the second largest volume of storage capacity, with 2,668 systems, followed by Emilia-Romagna (1,996) and Piedmont (1,358), confirming a pattern of usage in the wealthier north of Italy.

Italian energy agency the Gestore dei Servizi Energetici in June 2017 published new technical rules for the integration of storage systems with renewable energy generation systems.