Italy has 3,630 active renewable energy communities with a combined operational capacity of 302.9 MW, according to new data. More than 29,800 PNRR-funded applications have been approved, unlocking €768.3 million in grants for 1.74 GW of capacity.
Italy operates 3,630 renewable energy communities that are currently active, delivering a total operational capacity of 302.9 MW, based on the latest statistics released. In addition, more than 29,800 applications supported by PNRR funds have gained approval, which releases €768.3 million in subsidies to back 1.74 GW of new capacity.
By June 30, the number of active renewable energy communities (RECs) across Italy stood at 3,630, generating a combined capacity of 302.9 MW, according to information issued by the Italian energy services operator Gestore dei servizi energetici (GSE).
Installations in the smallest size range, those with capacity up to 10 kW, represent almost half of the total REC setups, totaling 1,673 projects. In comparison, just 35 RECs exceed 1 MW in size. The overall count of participants, determined through connected points of delivery (PODs), has reached 37,821.
The GSE has also issued fresh statistics regarding the effects of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR) support program for RECs, drawing from the five rounds of grant allocations announced so far, including the most recent one that came out in early July.
From April 8, 2024, through November 30, 2025, authorities received 48,750 applications in total. Out of that figure, 29,820 received approval, which accounts for €768.3 million ($895 million) in granted funding and 1.74 GW of planned capacity. Applications that were withdrawn or turned down came to 2,887, made up of 1,977 withdrawals along with 910 cases of exclusion.
The GSE indicated that 15,456 applications filed between November 24 and November 30, 2025, still lack funding approval. These pending requests correspond to €572.8 million in sought-after grants and roughly 1.33 GW of capacity.
The GSE stated that future rounds of grant allocations will address the leftover eligible submissions, along with any that qualify after the redistribution of resources made available by withdrawals, cancellations, or extra funding that becomes accessible.
Receiving a favorable technical eligibility evaluation does not ensure receipt of funding on its own. Once the technical examination concludes, proposals face further evaluations, such as reviews by the investment committee, anti-mafia verifications, and confirmations that there is no overlapping funding or any conflicts of interest.
Consequently, the GSE observed that the sequence in which applications arrive does not always match the sequence in which projects secure funding approval.
All grant decisions, including any backed by supplementary funding, need to be completed by August 31, 2026, to meet the PNRR timelines. At the same time, the cutoff for finishing the approved projects, which had initially been June 30, 2026, was pushed back to December 31, 2027.
On a regional basis, Lombardy led with the largest volume of submissions under the PNRR REC support program, logging 7,434 applications. Sicily came next with 6,598 applications. The Aosta Valley had the lowest number, at 208, which stems mainly from its limited population and smaller territory relative to other Italian regions.
The GSE further pointed out that numerous withdrawals stemmed from applicants discovering they failed to satisfy the necessary eligibility standards. Primary causes for exclusion encompassed submissions from organizations ineligible to join as REC members or partners; filings made by parties other than the actual project investor; lack of an approved grid connection offer; absence of required construction authorizations; inclusion of incentives that cannot be combined; facilities situated in cities or towns exceeding 50,000 residents; and initiatives that began building work prior to the submission date.
Additional exclusions arose from surpassing the 1 MW capacity limit because of extra installations belonging to the same organization or a connected entity, a tactic referred to as artificial fragmentation.
Italy’s overall €5.7 billion support program for RECs consists of two separate funding channels.
The initial channel, allocated a total of €3.5 billion, provides a 20-year tariff based on the volume of electricity used by self-consumers and renewable energy communities, with financing drawn from a charge applied to the electricity bills of all users. In this setting, a renewable energy community refers to “legal entities empowering citizens, small businesses and local authorities to produce, manage and consume their electricity.”
The second channel, carrying a total allocation of €2.2 billion, offers an investment subsidy that covers under half (40%) of a project’s overall expenses.
Originally reported by pv magazine on Jul 21, 2026.
