Overview of the status and distribution of RES connection requests and new criteria for the acceleration of RES integration in the Italian grid
Enrico Maria Carlini
Director of Grid Planning and Interconnection Terna
Italy’s potential in terms of renewable generation is very high. In recent years, demand for connection of new renewable plants to be integrated into the public grid has grown exponentially, confirming the private Investors’ interest towards our Country. As of today, Terna received 260 GW of RES connections requests to the National Transmission Grid (NTG), of which about 90 GW are wind off-shore initiatives and the remaining 170 GW are wind and solar on-shore projects.
The growth of renewable capacity poses numerous technical and operational challenges to the TSO. One of those issues concerns the fact that an unprecedented volume of non-dispatchable plants is affecting Southern regions and the Islands, due to the greater availability of the primary energy source. However, these areas are characterized by the lack of a robust meshed transmission infrastructure. This requires detailed in-depth planning studies in order to provide coordinated, secure and cost-effective connection solutions.
Present lecture provides a comprehensive presentation of the status of requests for connection to the National Transmission Grid from photovoltaic and wind plants (as at 31 August 2022). Based on the insights gained from the nationwide analysis conducted by Terna for the definition of the areas potentially eligible for RES installations, the main achievements of the research are illustrated, as well as the envisaged gaps and possible routes forward for regulatory and legislative framework.
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