Italy has one of the most efficient energy systems in Europe and among those with the lowest environmental impact in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. An important milestone, above all if we consider that in Italy nuclear energy has been abandoned for some time, while in many European countries it is still used extensively. This is demonstrated by a study by ISPRA (Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research) on “National greenhouse gas emissions: indicators of efficiency and decarbonisation in the main European countries”, an analysis that compares the evolution of the energy systems of the Union taking into consideration various factors, including the economic trend of the various production sectors, and the composition of the mix of fossil and renewable energy sources together with their consumption and associated greenhouse gas emissions.
The great turning point in the direction of renewable sources (hydroelectric, photovoltaic, solar thermal, geothermal, wind, bioenergy and renewable waste) Italy completed it in 2007, bringing the national share to 2016% in 17 against the European average of just over 13%. Not only. Despite the preponderant role that fossil fuels still play in Italy, greenhouse gas emissions per unit of consumption from this type of source are among the lowest in Europe (3,41 tons of CO2 equivalent for each ton of oil equivalent against 3,56 tCO2eq/toe in other EU countries). In general, in the period 2008-2016, emissions of energy origin represent on average 82% of total emissions, while those produced by industrial processes and agriculture represent 7,4% and 6,5% respectively. Absorptions due to forestry activities in the period 2008-2016 amount on average to 28,3 Mt CO2eq/year.
Yet, national indicators indicate high energy and economic efficiency: energy intensity, expressed in terms of gross domestic consumption of energy per unit of GDP, is among the lowest in the main European countries, 98,50 toe against 118,62 toe in the countries of the European Union in 2016). Furthermore, national greenhouse gas emissions per unit of gross domestic energy consumption are in line with the European average (2,76 tCO2eq/toe against 2,62 tCO2eq/toe for EU countries), despite the contribution of a non negligible share of energy of nuclear origin still present in Europe.
Emissions and GDP in Italy do not follow the same trend: the comparison of the trend of greenhouse gas emissions with that of the GDP highlights their decoupling. Indeed, over the period 1990-2016, the growth of emissions was generally slower than that of the economy. A fundamental role was played by the replacement of fuels with a higher carbon content with natural gas, which took place mainly in the electricity production sector and in industry, combined with the increase in the share of energy from renewable sources.
The overall efficiency of the energy system is also above the European average: in 2016 the energy available for final national consumption constituted 78% of primary energy against 72% of the average of EU countries, thus showing a high efficiency of energy transformation. Excellent results also for the Italian industry: final energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions per unit of added value place Italy among the countries with the lowest values of the 28 European countries (259 tCO2/M€ compared to an EU28 average of 306 tCO2/M€). On the other hand, the situation in the tertiary sector is different, where emissions per unit of value added equal to 23 tCO2eq/M€ against the 19 tCO2eq/M€ of the EU28 average.
