Italy has experienced an unprecedented milestone in its electricity market: for the first time in history, electricity prices remained at zero or near-zero levels for eight consecutive hours, from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., across the entire country, from Sicily to Northern Italy. This event coincided with a public holiday marked by low demand and excellent solar production. 3p6p4q

Solar lowers bills for everyone 3e62z

The event highlights the direct impact of solar power in reducing electricity costs for families and businesses. “Solar lowers bills for everyone, starting with companies that have contracts indexed to the wholesale price,” said Paolo Rocco Viscontini, president of Italia Solare. He emphasized that this is proof that more solar means lower energy expenses, while also cautioning that maintaining grid security is essential to avoid incidents like the recent blackouts in Spain.

However, prolonged periods of zero or even negative prices—already seen in other European countries—pose systemic challenges, particularly the urgent need to invest in storage systems. These allow surplus solar energy to be shifted from peak daylight hours to evening periods, contributing to grid stability.

Italia Solare also stressed the importance of protecting solar producers from prolonged zero prices or production curtailments imposed by the grid operator, which could undermine the financial sustainability of their projects. In this context, the recent ARERA Resolution 128/2025 extends compensation for unproduced energy to all non-dispatchable renewable sources, including solar, a protection that was previously available only to wind energy producers.

Market Data c582

According to the Energy Market Operator, the National Single Price (PUN) showed a sharp decline today:

• 8:00 – €90.97/MWh

• 9:00 – €50.00/MWh

• 10:00 – €13.33/MWh

• 11:00 to 14:00 – between €1.00 and €0.01/MWh

• 15:00 – €0.00/MWh

• 16:00 – €0.01/MWh

• 17:00 – €1.00/MWh

• 21:00 – peak of €141.12/MWh

The price stayed at or below €1/MWh for six consecutive hours, with a low point of €0/MWh between 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m. across all market zones.

According to Terna, demand peaked at 29.5 GW at 12:00 p.m., well below the 40–45 GW peaks of recent weeks. At that time, solar was already the leading source of electricity production nationwide.

Today's event confirms that the energy transition is well underway, but also underscores the need for careful governance to ensure long-term sustainability and grid stability.