Green restaurants: An economic assessment of solar photovoltaics and energy storage systems

The transition to sustainable business models in the catering sector requires the integration of environmental innovation with economic feasibility. Restaurants, as energy-intensive businesses, represent a strategic context for assessing the financial viability of renewable energy technologies. This study evaluates the economic viability of photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage (BES) systems in Italy. The analysis evaluates the project under different policy conditions, with and without public incentives (40 % capital deduction on investment costs), and identifies the key factors that influence their profitability. A comprehensive methodology combining financial and sensitivity analysis, scenario analysis, LASSO regression, break-even point and Monte Carlo simulations was applied to assess economic performance and risk. The results show that the PV system is profitable in both contexts, although incentives significantly improve returns: from 425 to 1590 €/kW. Profitability depends mainly on specific production, the cost of purchasing electricity and the percentage of self-consumption. For the BES, profitability only occurs when self-consumption increases by at least 22–25 % with incentives and 30–35 % without them. Overall, the results emphasise that policy support and management strategies to optimise self-consumption are key to ensuring financial profitability. This work enables restaurant owners to identify the variables that most strongly influence the final outcome, helping them mitigate risks and maximise returns, while supporting more informed decisions that contribute to long-term sustainable development.