Energy produced from renewable sources last May covered more than half of Italian demand, a level never reached before. The growth is mainly due to hydropower, fueled by abundant rain and snow, and the increase in solar panels attached to the grid thanks to Superbonus incentives. This is according to data released by Terna, the company that manages the national transmission grid. Electricity demand last month was 24.7 billion kWh, up 1.9 percent from the same month last year. Renewable sources covered 52.5% of electricity demand (it was 42.3% in May 2023). This is the highest value on a monthly basis ever. Hydro (+34.7%), photovoltaic (+36.3%) and wind (+10.5%) sources increased. The increase in solar energy production (+1,062 GWh) is due to the combined effect of increased capacity in operation (+669 GWh) and increased irradiation (+393 GWh). On the other hand, geothermal (-4.3%) and thermal (-14.6%) sources decreased as a direct result of the growth in renewables. In May, moreover, coal-fired generation, which in Italy is moving toward complete decommissioning, covered about 1% of total demand and has remained below 2% since the beginning of the year.
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