Italian industry puts its weight behind renewables

ITALY: Italy's leading industrial association, Confindustria, has signed a deal with state energy agency Gestore dei Servizi Energetici (GSE) to promote electricity production from renewable sources.

by Nadia Weekes 13 October 2010

The memorandum of understanding aims to help Italian operators in the renewables sector grow and compete internationally.

Exchanging information on technological developments and job opportunities will be at the heart of the deal. GSE will also allow Confindustria members to access its resources, including information on global tenders.

In a statement, Confindustria director general Giampaolo Galli said: "Growth targets for renewable energy to 2020 are an important opportunity for economic growth.

"Access to GSE’s portals is a precious tool to help our companies plan their investments, raise their technological innovation standards and increase their presence in new markets."

Under targets set in the EU’s renewable energy directive, Italy is committed to sourcing 17% of the energy it uses from renewables by 2020.

Italy estimates it will create an additional 10GW of installed capacity through onshore wind farms over the next decade.

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