Southern Italy's €200m solar scheme struggles to find takers

Italy's Ministry of Environment and Energy Security has approved 566 self-consumption photovoltaic projects under a support scheme aimed at boosting renewable energy adoption in the southern regions, according to pv magazine. The programme, endowed with €262 million, has so far allocated less than €62 million of its budget, leaving more than €200 million in funding unclaimed as the application deadline approaches.

The shortfall points to a deeper reluctance among Puglia's businesses to commit to solar infrastructure despite the subsidy. Companies across the Mezzogiorno have been slow to file applications, suggesting barriers beyond cost—whether bureaucratic complexity, uncertainty about long-term returns, or the technical demands of retrofitting existing facilities. The regional economy, built on agriculture, tourism and the Taranto steelworks, has not yet seized the opportunity at the scale the government intended.