Italy: 63% of Those Without Solar Panels Want to Install Them

Among Italians who do not yet own a photovoltaic system, 63% would like to install one, and of those, 35% state their intention to do so within the next three years.

This interest extends to both residents of detached houses and those living in apartments, despite the significant differences in the adoption of photovoltaic systems between these two housing types.

This situation is highlighted in the study “The House of the Future: How Italians’ Relationship with Home Energy Is Changing,” conducted by TEHA Group for Pulsee and published on October 29.

The research combines an analysis of over 70 institutional and scientific sources with a survey conducted by Kantar, a market research firm, in September 2026. The survey interviewed 700 Italians about their energy consumption habits, their interest in self-generation technologies, the conditions that facilitate their adoption, and their expectations regarding future housing.

Interest in photovoltaic systems in single-family homes and apartments

Interest in self-generation is high across both housing types. According to the survey, 65.7% of respondents living in detached houses who do not have a photovoltaic system would like to install one, a percentage very close to the 63.1% recorded among those living in apartments. The intention to proceed within three years stands at 41% and 33.5%, respectively.

The situation changes significantly when considering already installed systems. 30.7% of respondents living in detached houses report owning a photovoltaic system, compared to just 5.1% of those residing in apartments.

These results carry particular weight when considering the characteristics of the national housing stock. In Italy, in fact, 58.9% of the population lives in apartments, against an European average of 47.9%, a circumstance that contributes to explaining the difficulties in the spread of residential photovoltaics.

For families living in multi-family buildings, the availability of usable surfaces for installation, condominium decisions, and organizational aspects can complicate the realization of such systems.

The spread of collective self-consumption configurations and renewable energy communities offers additional opportunities for participation in energy production and sharing, even for those who do not have exclusive use of a roof (see also the latest episode of our podcast “Cambia Energia,” dedicated specifically to renewable energy communities).

According to GSE data updated as of the end of 2025, the number of photovoltaic systems in Italy’s residential sector exceeds 1.78 million, with a total capacity of approximately 9.6 GW. Forty-seven percent of domestic systems are equipped with energy storage, an increase from the 44% recorded in 2024.

Incentives and costs are holding back investments

Economic viability is the primary motivation for investing in solar self-generation. 66% of respondents identified savings on energy costs as the top priority, while 33% cited the reduction of environmental impact as a key factor.

However, the transition from interest to investment depends largely on households’ ability to cover initial costs and the predictability of long-term economic benefits.

Among the 417 respondents who have not yet adopted technological solutions for energy independence, 52% considered the certainty of reducing their utility bills as a decisive factor, while 44% pointed to the availability of stable public incentives. This was followed by the simplicity of system maintenance and management (43%).

Naturally, financial resources also influence the adoption of energy efficiency measures. According to the survey, 21% of those who can comfortably make ends of the month have already implemented such measures, compared to 13% of those who face financial difficulties.

The study also highlights the importance of support policies, noting that, considering the entire Italian photovoltaic market, new installations increased from approximately 56,000 in 2020 to nearly 380,000 in 2023, a period also characterized by the incentives of the Superbonus. With the scaling back of the benefits, new installations subsequently decreased, reaching 213,000 in 2025.

Incentives for residential photovoltaic systems

Currently, the main support tool for the installation of residential photovoltaic systems, including those combined with energy storage systems, is the renovation bonus. For expenses incurred in 2026, it provides a 50% tax deduction for owners or holders of real rights on their primary residence, and a 36% deduction in other cases, within a spending limit of 96,000 euros per real estate unit.

The deduction covers the costs of purchasing and installing photovoltaic modules, inverters, and any energy storage systems, including professional services and necessary ancillary works. The incentive is also recognized when the system is installed without carrying out other building renovation works.

The incentives can apply to independent dwellings as well as to works on common areas in condominiums, with the higher rate applicable to individual condominium owners who meet the requirements. For 2027, the draft Budget Law proposes to maintain the same percentages.

In apartment buildings, the formation of self-consumption groups acting collectively allows, in compliance with the requirements set out in the CACER Decree, access to a 20-year incentive tariff recognized by the GSE for shared electricity. This tariff is fully cumulative, without any reductions, with the standard tax deductions available for the installation of photovoltaic systems.

A similar opportunity is provided for renewable energy communities (CER), which also allow households in different buildings to virtually share the energy produced by renewable installations, provided that the involved utilities are connected to the electrical grid within the area of the same primary substation.