Italy has officially reported that 1,850 megawatts of new solar photovoltaic systems were installed in 2010, substantially exceeding industry estimates.
Gestore dei Servizi Energetici, an agency that promotes, supports and develops renewable energy in Italy, added that data are still coming in for 2010 and that the total installed capacity through 2010 may reach 3,000 megawatts from 150,000 systems.
Italy installed 711 megawatts of solar PV in 2009, 340 megawatts in 2008, and only 60 megawatts in 2007.
GSE says that there are an additional 4,000 megawatts of solar PV from 55,000 systems in the pipeline that potentially will bring total installed capacity to 7,000 megawatts.
Italy's 2020 target for solar PV is 8,000 megawatts.
Though there are no official statistics available on solar installations in the United States, industry sources estimate that as much as 800 megawatts and possibly up to 900 megawatts of solar PV were installed in 2010.
If true, it appears that Italy, with 60 million inhabitants, installed three times more solar PV in 2010 than the entire U.S., with its 311 million people.
Within three years, Italy installed 1,000 megawatts more solar PV capacity than the total installed in the United States during the past 30 years.
Italy's rapid development of solar PV has been driven by its system of feed-in tariffs, Conto Energia, that pays for every kilowatt-hour generated by solar panels, whether owned by homeowners, small businesses or the Vatican, which has a solar electric system.
Under Italian weather conditions, 3,000 megawatts of solar PV capacity is capable of generating from 3 to 4 terawatt-hours per year, equivalent to about 1 percent of the country's electricity consumption.
