Breakdown of energy supply in Italy 2023, by source
In 2023, fossil fuels accounted for almost 80 percent of the total energy supply in Italy. Among fossil fuels, natural gas and oil both accounted for roughly 38 percent of the energy mix. On the contrary, renewables accounted for less than 20 percent of the total energy mix of Italy. Nowadays, energy transition is imperative, but it is easy to foresee a long way ahead before reaching a complete replacement of fossil fuels with renewable sources.
Natural gas in Italy
The central role of natural gas and renewables in the Italian energy strategy is confirmed by the mix of energy sources generating electricity in this country. In 2023, the share of electricity production covered by renewable energy sources was larger than the electricity generated from natural gas.
The potential of photovoltaic energy
Hydropower is the dominant renewable source of net electricity production in Italy due to infrastructural reasons. Scarce rainfall has thus negatively affected the level of energy generation from renewables. Photovoltaic technology played a crucial part over the last few years, in terms of installed capacity and electricity production. PV capacity in Italy is forecast to increase by over 20 gigawatts between 2023 and 2027.
