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To date, despite the existence of the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda and the need for an energy transition, the results set is still quite far away from being achieved. The awareness of this situation moves many European countries to promote policies based on the use of renewable sources. This paper is aimed at illustrating the Italian legislative context, evaluating the effectiveness of the introduced incentives, according to parameters that affect the productivity of a photovoltaic system. It is also aimed at helping to bridge the gap linked to the relationship between incentives and energy transition, also with regard to renewables. The research focuses on an evaluation methodology, based on technical and economic standards and it is accompanied by a case-study. In order to analyze the productivity of the photovoltaic system, all the main input factors that could affect the technical and economic performance of the system were investigated. In particular, solar potential analysis, shading elements, installation place, azimuth, tilt of modules and technology. For the economic valuations, the discounted cash flow method was used. The results obtained show that some Italian regions, particularly those in the north, should prefer other forms of renewables, such as hydroelectric and geothermal, and that the FER1 decree is not suitable for the promotion of solar photovoltaics in some areas. The research shows also that policies on renewables should be calibrated according to the intrinsic features of the place where they are located and have to be related to the built heritage they will interface, in the light of technological and plant system aspects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Efficient use of energy, reduction in fossil fuel dependence and control of CO 2 emissions are all fundamental to development of a sustainable economy. Competitiveness in energy use saves imports of oil and gas, increases gross domestic product and creates new jobs in the renewable energy and energy efficiency sectors. This study identifies the more or less competitive European Union member states in terms of sustainable growth, using Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) model, and proposes new allocations of country greenhouse gas limits and energy consumption, using a Zero Sum Gains DEA model. The analysis of European countries fills a gap in the existing literature and contributes to the discussion on the 2020–2030 European strategy, proposing an efficiency-based indicator which measures country performance in terms of economic, social and environmental factors: GDP represents the economic factor, population represents the social factor, and emissions, final and renewable energy consumption are the environmental factors. The numerical results show that the initial allocations are inefficient. Applying the modelled reallocation, the most efficient countries are “rewarded” by potential increases in emission and energy consumption, while the least efficient countries must bring about decreases to achieve full efficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents a study that examined innovation transfer to small and medium enterprises in European Union countries. Information on technological innovation transfer methodologies; Factors that affect innovation transfer; Discussion on a proposed innovation transfer framework.