Complex Networks Approach to the Italian Photovoltaic Energy Distribution System

One problem in the study of the Italian electric energy supply scenario is determining the ability ofphotovoltaic production to provide a constant and stable energy background over space and time. Knowinghow the photovoltaic energy produced in a given node di ffuses on the power grid is of crucial importance. Asmart grid able to face peaks of load must be designed. Approached here from a complex systems point ofview, the network of energy supply might be represented by a graph in which nodes are Italian municipalitiesand edges cross the administrative boundaries from a municipality to its first neighbours. Using datasetsfrom ISTAT, GSE and ENEA, the node production and attraction of photovoltaic energy have been estimatedwith high accuracy. The attraction index was built using demographic data, in accordance with medium percapita energy consumption data. Moreover, the energy produced in each node could be determined usingdata on the installed photovoltaic power and on local solar radiation. The available energy on each node wascalculated by running a distributive model assuming that the energy produced in one node which di ffuses toits first neighbours is proportional to the attraction index of the latter. Therefore the available energy at eachnode is the sum of many contributions, coming from topological paths involving all the other nodes acrossthe network. The availability of cross temporal data on the photovoltaic power installed on the Italian territoryalso make it possible to understand the evolution of the available photovoltaic energy landscape over time.