Italy installed 4.83 GW of solar power capacity through 147,632 new projects between January and September 2026, according to an analysis by the industry association Italia Solare.

Solar capacity additions brought the country’s cumulative solar capacity to 48.34 GW, with 2.31 million grid-connected projects.

Italy connected 1.74 GW of solar projects in the third quarter (Q3) of 2026, up 5% quarter-over-quarter from 1.65 GW and 37% year-over-year from 1.27 GW.

New connections rose from 38,660 in the second quarter to 58,459 in Q3.

In the first quarter of 2026, Italy added 1.44 GW of new solar capacity. The capacity additions reflected a mixed trend across segments, with growth in large-scale installations offset by a slowdown in the residential market.

Utility-Scale, C&I Installations Drive Growth

In the first nine months of 2026, the Italian solar market recorded different trends across the residential, utility-scale, and commercial and industrial (C&I) segments.

The residential segment, comprising projects of up to 20 kW, added 897 MW across 135,254 new installations, accounting for 19% of the capacity installed during the period.

C&I projects with capacities between 20 kW and 1 MW added 1,697 MW capacity. With 11,905 projects, the segment accounted for 35% of newly connected capacity over the nine months.

The utility-scale segment, with plants of 1 MW or more, recorded 2,241 MW of added capacity and 473 new connections. The sector represented 46% of the total installed capacity since the beginning of the year.

In Q3 2026, the utility-scale segment added 858 MW capacity, up from 457 MW in the same quarter last year. Projects between 1 and 10 MW accounted for 394 MW of the newly added capacity, and projects over 10 MW capacity contributed 464 MW.

The C&I segment recorded 543 MW in new capacity, up from 500 MW in Q3 2025. The residential segment added 341 MW in Q3 2026, up from 312 MW in Q3 2025.

Storage Systems

As of September 30, 2026, Italy’s connected energy storage systems had a cumulative energy capacity of 19.98 GWh and a power capacity of 8.34 GW.

Of this capacity, solar projects accounted for 12.55 GWh, standalone systems for 7.37 GWh, thermoelectric plants for 57 MWh, and wind energy projects for 6 MWh.

Between January and September, 98,197 storage systems were connected with a total capacity of 1.95 GWh. Solar projects accounted for the lion’s share of the newly connected storage capacity during the period, with 98,186 systems and 1.49 GWh. The remaining 11 standalone systems had a cumulative capacity of 467 MWh.

In Q3 of 2026, solar-plus-storage systems recorded 480 MWh of new capacity, 252 MW of power and 31,039 connected plants. Compared to the previous quarter, the segment’s capacity decreased by 5%, power by 10%, and the number of systems by 6%.

However, compared with Q3 2025, solar-plus-storage projects saw connected capacity rise from 417 to 480 MWh. At the same time, installations in the segment fell from 32,697 to 31,039.

Italia Solare noted a shift in the distribution of new solar-plus-storage installations. During Q3, storage systems associated with solar projects of up to 6 kW capacity stood at 242 MWh, compared to 129 MWh in the previous quarter.

In contrast, storage systems associated with projects between 6 and 20 kW fell from 229 to 105 MWh during the quarter. Systems associated with projects over 20 kW capacity totaled 133 MWh, compared to 147 MWh in the second quarter.

Sicily Sees Highest Installed Capacity

Sicily led the ranks among regions by recording 686 MW of newly connected solar capacity, followed by Lombardy at 644 MW, Piedmont at 498 MW, Veneto at 463 MW, Emilia-Romagna at 443 MW and Lazio at 432 MW.

In terms of the number of connected plants, Lombardy led with 22,999 new installations, followed by Veneto with 18,099, Emilia-Romagna with 13,405 and Sicily with 11,653 installations.

Italy’s expanding solar capacity is strengthening the role of solar power in the country’s renewable energy mix. In November last year, the Italian Council of Ministers allocated €250 million (~$288 million) to support the Transizione 5.0 tax credit program for businesses transitioning to renewable energy sources.