Italia Solare has called for regulatory measures to remove barriers to the participation of renewable energy plants, energy storage systems, energy communities, aggregators and consumers in energy and grid services markets.

The association presented its proposals during a hearing on the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment’s (ARERA) Strategic Framework (Quadro strategico) 2026–2029.

Luciano Barra, legislative affairs manager at Italia Solare, said the electricity system should increasingly rely on the coordinated management of distributed resources, with generation, storage, grids and consumers contributing to system security and efficiency.

According to Italia Solare, grid development and distributed resources should be considered complementary elements of a single strategy.

Grids, flexibility and planning

The association said infrastructure investment, flexibility, active grid management and flexible connections should be assessed according to technological and economic neutrality, selecting the solutions that deliver the best results for the system and consumers.

Italia Solare also called for anticipatory planning and greater coordination between the institutions involved, with greater consistency between grid development, renewable generation growth, the electrification of consumption and the implementation of European electricity market rules.

It said the effectiveness of regulation should be measured through clear and transparent indicators, including connection times, the ability of grids to integrate renewable generation, the development of flexibility markets, the quality of services provided by network operators, consumer participation and reductions in overall system costs.

Active consumers and energy communities

Italia Solare also called for consumer protection to evolve alongside the electricity system.

The association said consumers should have practical access to long-term contracts, multiple suppliers, energy sharing, dynamic prices, demand aggregation and participation in flexibility markets.

It also highlighted the role of energy communities, which it said can contribute not only to renewable generation but also to flexibility, efficient energy use and the electrification of consumption.

To perform these functions, energy communities should be able to access consumer data through simple and rapid procedures when consumers have delegated access to them.

The association also welcomed a rapid but gradual transition from the national single price, Prezzo Unico Nazionale (PUN), to zonal pricing. The association considers this a potential tool to increase the involvement of local areas in renewable development and its economic benefits.

Grid connections and FER X

During the hearing, Italia Solare also addressed the reform of grid connections assigned to ARERA under Article 7 of Decree-Law 21/2026.

The association said the new rules should recognise the contribution of systems operating under direct and distributed self-consumption. It also called for grid capacity commitments associated with storage systems to take into account the benefits these systems can provide through more efficient use of available capacity.

Italia Solare further called for particular attention to the definition of the infrastructure required to connect plants to the grid, with the aim of minimising delays and avoiding changes to connection solutions that could cause further delays or disputes, including for projects already under development.

Regarding FER X, the association called on ARERA to establish adequate auction prices for photovoltaic plants of up to 1 MW, in order to support investment levels consistent with Italy’s 2030 targets.

“Appropriate auction prices, capable of stimulating the investment needed, would in any case be more cost-effective than current gas generation costs and those expected in the near future,” Barra said.