It looks like the fast growth of the solar industry is threatening powerful interests. The same scenario is taking place in France.
Here is the conclusion of Carlo's post (but do read it all):
Should the global PV industry be concerned? very much so. Italy was forecast to install something like 5,000 or more megawatts in 2011, threatening Germany’s ranking as World’s top solar market. This means that as much as a quarter of global PV installations for this year (16- 20 GWs according to the latest estimates by the European Photovoltaic Industry Association, EPIA) are expected to take place in this one country. Should this Decree be signed by Italy’s President Giorgio Napolitano and come into effect, solar panels overproduction will rage for months to come, only to be re-absorbed whenever smaller, weaker manufacturers will have been gradually swept away by this unforecast tsunami, something worse than Spain’s solar tariffs’ shutdown in 2009.
But can they actually do it? Tens of thousands of jobs are now set to disappear (120,000 in the solar sector alone, according to industry sources), along with hundreds of companies involved in what has grown to be a sizeble investment sector for the Italian economy. Things are so serious that national industry associations like Assosolare threatened legal action against this Decree, and are seeking its cancellation by Italy’s President on the grounds of unconstitutionality, as too much powers are given to one Ministry over energy incentives. Francesco Ferrante MP, a Democratic Party deputy, laconically commented: “Delegating renewable energy incentives to Minister Paolo Romani is like entrusting Dracula with the management of a blood donors association“. Assosolare finally suggested that international credit ratings agencies could well step in, to reassess and downgrade the credibility of a nation whose government’s derogative methods create unusual risks and instability to long term industrial investments.
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