Mapping feasibility and energy potential of offshore floating photovoltaics in Italy

As photovoltaic capacity expands, land availability and land-use conflicts are becoming increasingly relevant constraints for large-scale deployment, motivating interest in offshore floating photovoltaics (FPV). However, the feasibility and energy potential of this solution are strongly site dependent. This study quantifies the technical feasibility and upper-bound energy potential of offshore FPV deployment within the Italian Exclusive Economic Zone using a multi-criteria geospatial approach. Specifically, metocean conditions (waves, wind, currents), bathymetry, distance to shore and human-use constraints are integrated through continuous suitability scoring and expert-derived weighting factors. Results show that the most favourable conditions for offshore FPV are concentrated in near-shore regions of the Adriatic Sea, the Gulf of Taranto, selected areas of Sicily and parts of Sardinia, where moderate hydrodynamic exposure and suitable bathymetry prevail. A sensitivity analysis shows that the spatial distribution of suitable areas and the estimated energy potential are not significantly affected by possible variations in the weights assigned to the main parameters. Overall, this work demonstrates the significant potential of offshore FPV to support the Italian clean energy transition and provides a suitable methodology to replicate similar feasibility studies in other regions.