Renewables, industry alarm: uncertain rules first obstacle to growth
Anie Rinnovabili survey results released. For 75% of companies, unstable rules are the first brake on investment
The technologies are there. The capital is also there. Even the demand for clean energy continues to grow. Yet Italian renewables are slowing down. The reason, say the companies in the sector, is not to be found in the markets or in the cost of the technology. The problem is the rules.
Three out of four companies indicate regulatory uncertainty as the main obstacle to the development of renewable energies. A fact that emerges strongly from the survey carried out by Anie Rinnovabili - circulated on the occasion of the Milan event 'Energy Transition and Security' - which photographs a sector that has entered a less linear phase after years of running. What is lacking, however, is not the tools to produce green energy. Rather, there is a lack of rapid procedures, predictable authorisations and a regulatory framework that allows investments to be planned with long-term horizons.
The result is that the sector is now facing an unexpected slowdown. After four consecutive years of growth, 2025 closed with an 8.2% drop in new installations, down to 6.2 gigawatts. And the first months of 2026 have not reversed course: the first quarter recorded a 10% contraction, rising to 11% in photovoltaics, the technology that had driven Italy's energy transition more than any other.
Administrative time is the main burden. Sixty-seven per cent of the companies say they suffer a very serious or significant impact due to authorisation procedures. More than half also report the consequences of the lack of implementation measures related to tax incentives and support instruments. In addition to this, there is the infrastructure chapter: for 44% of the companies, the timing of grid connection is one of the main critical issues.
The message coming from the sector is clear. Stable rules are needed rather than new economic aid. This is confirmed by a striking fact: only 19% of companies consider it a priority to introduce new incentives. The main demand is another. 71% point to regulatory stability as the most effective intervention to support growth in the coming years, ahead of compliance with authorisation deadlines and the strengthening of electricity grids.
