Italy: New Land Area for Ground-Mounted Solar Power Up 65% Year-on-Year to 2,798 Hectares

In Italy, the land area newly occupied by ground-mounted solar power installations reached 2,798 hectares (ha) last year, an increase of approximately 65% compared to the previous year. This scale accounted for 27.3% of the total new land consumption nationwide, with approximately 65% of the newly developed solar sites concentrated in the central region of Lazio and the southern region of Sicily.

According to the “2026 Report on Land Consumption, Urban Ecosystems, and Territorial Status” released on October 27 (local time) by the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA) and the National System for Environmental Protection (SNPA), the new land area occupied by ground-mounted solar power in 2025 was 2,798 ha, an increase of 1,098 ha (64.6%) from 1,700 ha in 2024.

The new land area occupied by solar power installations has been rising sharply in recent years. The new occupied area, which was 75 ha in 2021, increased to 263 ha in 2022 and 420 ha in 2023, expanding to 1,700 ha in 2024. Last year, an area approximately 37 times that of 2021 was newly converted into solar power sites.

Overall land consumption in Italy also increased. Last year, the land newly converted for artificial uses, including construction, infrastructure, and power generation facilities, totaled 10,243 ha, a 22.4% increase from the previous year. Net land consumption, excluding areas restored to their natural state, was 9,497 ha, the highest level recorded since 2012.

Among this, the area occupied by ground-mounted solar power was 2,798 ha, accounting for 27.3% of the total new land consumption. This figure reflects only the land where new solar installations were erected last year, excluding the cumulative site area that includes existing power plants.

By region, new solar sites were concentrated in the central region of Lazio and the southern region of Sicily.

The new land area occupied by ground-mounted solar power in Lazio was 952 ha, representing 66.3% of the region’s total new land consumption. In Sicily, approximately 859 ha was newly converted into solar sites, accounting for about 53% of the region’s total new land consumption.

The combined area of these two regions was approximately 1,811 ha, representing about 65% of Italy’s total new land area occupied by ground-mounted solar power. ISPRA explained that large-scale solar installations in the central, southern, and island regions emerged as one of the main drivers of land consumption, while land conversion due to construction and logistics facilities was prominent in the north and major metropolitan areas.

However, land consumption associated with ground-mounted solar differs from the permanent covering of the ground surface seen in the construction of buildings or roads. ISPRA classifies land occupied by solar power installations as reversible land consumption, as the site can be restored after the equipment is dismantled. Consequently, the 2,798 hectares of newly occupied area are not all covered with concrete or asphalt.

Utilizing the roofs of existing buildings was presented as a means to reduce new land use associated with the expansion of solar power.

ISPRA estimated that the total roof area potentially available for solar installations across Italy could reach up to 1,116 square kilometers. The report explains that leveraging building roofs allows for the expansion of solar installations without converting additional natural land into power generation sites.

This figure represents an estimate of available space rather than confirmed installation areas. The report highlights that while ground-mounted solar sites are expanding rapidly, the roofs of existing buildings can also serve as additional space for solar power generation.