ROME, Dec. 26 (Xinhua) -- Italy installed a record amount of renewable energy this year, according to new data released on Tuesday by a monitoring group in the sector.
The country installed 3.1 gigawatts of renewable energy over the first nine months of this year, a record high compared with the same period in previous years, said the Renewable Energy Sources (FER) Observatory.
The total amount of new renewable energy -- enough to power around 2.5 million homes for one year -- represents an increase of 57 percent compared to the same period last year. The total amount of renewable energy produced in Italy as of Sept. 30 also increased to 63.8 gigawatts, or around 37 percent of the country's total energy needs, the Observatory said.
Hydroelectric power is Italy's most dominant source of renewable energy, followed by solar power, bioenergy, wind power and geothermal power.
The report was released by the Observatory in collaboration with ANIE Rinnovabili, an association of renewable energy producers. ■
