It will be the electoral competition, it will be what Giorgia Meloni he can't keep up with everything and everyone, but the initiatives in the environmental and energy fields reflect a (repeated) slippage in the government. We come to the last case: the ban on installing photovoltaic panels on cultivated land. The Minister of Agriculture wants it, Francesco Lollobrigida, which is about to bring a new decree on agriculture to the Council of Ministers. Between kiwi production, interventions for the blue crab and incentives, in the text we were able to read, in the art. 6 it is written that "the areas classified as agricultural by the current urban planning plans are areas not suitable for the installation of photovoltaic systems with modules placed on the ground".
Lollobrigida has made commitments to farmers and in times of seeking votes for the European elections she cannot give the impression of uncertainty. It appears as in a mirror decision of the president of Sardinia Alessandra Todd to block wind power.
What happens to the commitments made at the G7?
Opposite Lollobrigida, however, is the Minister of the Environment Gilberto Pichetto Fratin which after a thousand timidities in the environmental field is fresh from the commitments made at the G7 on the Environment. He signed the increase in the share of renewable sources starting with photovoltaic, despite many other unfinished ones. In short, for two days we have been witnessing a dispute between two ministers with two supporting factions. Lollobrigida has Coldiretti on its side, a very powerful organization spread across the territories. Pichetto has a long chain of renewable companies. The first was on the side of the tractor protest against Europe, the second allocated in February 30 million eurosor for agrivoltaics.
Pichetto tried to tone down the controversy by saying that his offices have activated "a fruitful collaboration" with colleagues from Agriculture to find a way out. At the G7 in Turin Italy made the commitment to triple photovoltaic energy from 66 to around 200 gigawatts. It was clear to the Minister of the Environment that the new panels would be installed in the countryside. We cannot always place them on the roofs of houses or industrial warehouses, the technicians suggested to the Minister, although ISPRA has a different orientation.
Stop planned investments
Lollobrigida places the prohibition starting from the General Regulatory Plans in which the agricultural areas are defined. How many are they? Many and all cultivated, according to agricultural organizations, which have always been against the plans for ground panels. The industrial associations have asked to review the stop on the installations. Also because if the decree were approved like the draft, it would invalidate the requests for authorizations made throughout Italy: "the authorization procedures underway on the date of entry into force of this decree are concluded in accordance with the previous legislation". It doesn't come to mind that in this way hundreds of thousands of euros of investments are wasted. 80% of projects fail, he said. Agostino Re Rebaudengo president of Elettricità Futura. “To develop ground-mounted photovoltaics we need less than 1% of the land,” he declared.
The decree should arrive in the council of ministers today, but the ongoing controversies could hinder its progress. A further divided signal is that of, for example Rosa Filippini president of the Astrolabio environmentalist association. In a tweet he shared Lollobrigida's position regarding the indiscriminate diffusion of photovoltaic panels. Other contrary or favorable opinions are added in these hours. A general lack of preparation on what, how and who should manage the most complicated industrial process of the last 50 years appears evident.
