Where Can Solar Go? Assessing Land Availability for PV in Italy Under Regulatory Constraints

The expansion of solar photovoltaic (PV) energy is a central pillar of Italy’s climate and energy transition strategy. However, the actual availability of land for PV deployment is heavily influenced by a complex regulatory framework that imposes numerous spatial exclusions. This study presents a comprehensive geospatial analysis of exclusion zones for ground-mounted PV installations across Italy, integrating data from national regulations, environmental protection laws, and cultural heritage inventories. Using a vector-based overlay approach, we categorized constraints into six groups: natural assets, landscape protection, cultural heritage, natural hazards, environmental buffers, and infrastructural safety zones. The analysis shows that only approximately 26% of Italy’s land area remains available for PV development. Regional disparities are pronounced, with southern regions such as Sicilia and Puglia offering the highest availability, while northern and central regions face severe limitations due to dense overlays of protected landscapes and heritage sites. These findings offer quantitative support to the often-cited claim that Italy’s strict land-use regulations are a significant barrier to renewable energy development. The study highlights the need for more flexible, spatially informed regulatory frameworks to reconcile conservation priorities with the urgency of decarbonization.