The solar geography: Understanding divergent drivers of distributed and utility-Scale PV deployment

We analyze the drivers of distributed and utility-scale photovoltaic (PV) geographical diffusion using a municipal-scale dataset of over 820,000 PV installations in Italy (2005–2020). Our findings reveal distinct spatial diffusion patterns: utility-scale PV concentrated in southern regions with higher solar irradiance but lower energy consumption, while distributed PV is more adopted in the wealthier but less irradiated northern regions. These differences stem from the diverging investors’ profiles and motivations, respectively producers and prosumers. We show that supporting policies distorted the PV diffusion patterns, exacerbating a geographical misalignment between energy consumption and production, which increased systemic costs.