Italy's Charm Tainted by Solar Panels

Pierluigi Bersani, Italian Minister of Economic Development, recently put forward an initiative to dramatically increase Italy's solar output. In 2002 Italy produced 2% of its non-renewable electrical energy using solar power ( source: DOE/EIA), and in 2004 it began a 0.35% annual increase. The Bersani initiative, which has allocated 62 million euro in 2007 to communities that employ solar power, is well-intentioned and adheres to Brussels' plan of reducing carbon emissions -- but in the eyes of many it causes eyesores.

Most that visit the Italian countryside can't help but leave with the feeling that the entire terracotta roof dotted landscape be deemed a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The greening of Italy's energy sector is a good thing, but how far will it go, and with how much care will it be implemented? Will the towers of San Gimignano be covered in pannelli solari in the name of energy efficiency and carbon emissions reduction? Will Bersani's plan create little energy, but lots of ecomostri? Luckily, these ecomostri can be easily removed. And in the end, what's uglier, a smoggy belpaese (N.d.R.: see Giugno 16), dependent on foreign fossil fuels, or one accented with solar panels?

(N.d.R.: see Aprile 25th and 27th for more on Ecomostri)