(Finance) – Italy is one of the countries with the lowest energy autonomy in Europe, producing only 22.5% of the energy consumed in its territory, compared to a European average of 39.5%. In comparative terms, Italy is fifth last in the EU ahead of only Malta (2.7%), Luxembourg (5.0%), Cyprus (7.2%) and Belgium (22.4%). At the same time, however, Italy is among the most virtuous countries in terms of improving energy autonomy, having increased its level by 9 percentage points between 2000 and 2019. The increase in Italy is equal to over 2 times that of France (3.7 percentage points) and over 4 times that of Spain (1.8 percentage points). This growth is mainly attributable to the development of renewable energy sources present in the area and which can be further exploited. Considering the usability of water, sun and wind on the territory, Italy is second in the EU for the availability of renewable energy sources. These are the main data emerging from the study “Towards Italian energy autonomy: water, wind, sun, waste our raw materials”, carried out by The European House – Ambrosetti in collaboration with A2A. Presented today in Cernobbio in a press conference in which they took part Marco Patuano, president of A2A And Renato Mazzoncini, CEO and general manager of A2A, the research aims to qualify how the enhancement of the energy sources available on the Italian territory can contribute to the energy autonomy of the country and the key role that the regions and territories play in this process.
“With this study it was possible to analyze the potential of the regions in terms of enhancing the available energy sources, and to define the contribution of the various territories for the energy autonomy of the country within the existing regulatory and structural constraints – he declares Patuano -. Progress has already been made in terms of development of energy production from renewable sources, as shown by the index defined by Ambrosetti according to which Italy records the most marked increase among the main European peers in the period 2000-2019. The possibility of further optimizing production according to the peculiarities of the individual Italian regions, the relative resources available and the plants already present, would allow Italy to activate its full potential and make it less subject to exogenous dynamics. This is an objective that can only be reached through a paradigm shift and the fundamental involvement of national and local institutions, citizens and businesses “.
“We come from a summer characterized by the persistence of the effects of a geopolitical and economic crisis and by the increasingly evident effects of climate change. A scenario that is fostering awareness of the need to make the most of renewable energy sources to make the country as good as possible. possible autonomous and to accelerate the process of decarbonization and ecological transition – he comments Mazzoncini -. Today, according to the indicator developed by Ambrosetti, Italy is fifth last in Europe for energy autonomy but is second for the availability of renewable resources in its territory. And it is precisely the full exploitation of our indigenous sources, such as water, wind, sun and waste, which would triple Italy’s independence from foreign energy supply: an increase of almost four times compared to that recorded in the last 20 years, to advantage of citizens and businesses “. In perspective – as Mazzoncini points out – what emerges from the study is” a message of optimism “but it is necessary that progress be made both at the Italian and European level.” I am convinced – he said the managing director of A2A – that today the price cap can bring unexpected results. So much so that two days were enough, in which it was seriously discussed at European level, to already give a good significant drop in the price of gas. I believe that today the most important way is to think of a European energy policy that, in an emergency situation, allows us to think about the price cap, in agreement with the main supplier countries without Russia, in order to guarantee that it is successful. It could give a significant result. It is not a problem that Italy can solve alone but I believe that, as Europe has managed to tackle the Covid problem together, it should now face this emergency situation, as if it were a solidarity buying group “.
“The changed global geopolitical context has placed the theme of energy autonomy at the center of the European and national agendas – he says Valerio De Molli, managing partner & CEO of The European House – Ambrosetti -. Italy is the second country in the European Union for the availability of renewable energy sources: these resources must be activated as soon as possible, through a strong involvement of the territories. The exploitation of water, wind, sun and waste – which can be activated quickly in the light of current technologies and constraints – can increase our energy autonomy by almost 36 percentage points, substantially contributing to guaranteeing current consumption levels and achieving the most important goals. of sustainability and decarbonization “.
The development opportunities deriving from the use of renewable energy sources in the Italian territories – Adopting a logic of rapid activation of energy sources in the territories, the study highlights how the enhancement of the indigenous production of renewable energy allows to increase energy autonomy. Relative to the photovoltaic, the development opportunity in Italy – with current technologies and existing regulatory and structural constraints – is equal to an additional 105.1 GW, almost 5 times the current installed capacity. Of these incremental GWs, about 40% is related to the systems installed on the roofs, while 60% to the systems on the ground. In particular, Lombardy, Sicily and Puglia together account for 32% of the additional power. As for thewind power, the enhancement of development opportunities in the country’s territories – in accordance with current technologies and existing regulatory and structural constraints – enables an increase in power of 21.1 GW compared to today, or almost twice the current installed capacity. In particular, with a total of 13.3 GW, Sicily, Puglia and Sardinia represent 63% of the development opportunity linked to wind power. Finally, the enhancement ofhydroelectric – through the repowering of existing plants and the development of mini-hydroelectric plants – enables an increase in power of 3.3 GW (concentrated in Lombardy, Trentino AA and Piedmont), over 20% of the hydroelectric capacity installed today.
The development opportunities deriving from the energy enhancement of waste and the development of the biomethane supply chain –A fourth resource present in the area, alongside renewable energy sources, is waste. Correct management of the waste cycle, also through the use of energy recovery, – the study notes – makes it possible both to reduce the use of landfills and to contribute to increasing the national production of electricity. Overall, Italy today presents an opportunity for energy recovery from waste (urban and special) and from sewage sludge that amounts to over 8 million tons. Making the most of such an opportunity can enable electricity generation of over 7 TWh, equal to approximately 2% of the current annual Italian electricity generation requirement. An effective management of waste and production waste can also – highlights the report – create the conditions for the development of the biomethane supply chain. Specifically, considering the conversion of the biogas plants existing today, the enhancement of the OFMSW and the integration biomasses, Italy can produce about 6.3 billion m3 of biomethane, about double the national production of gas, 8 % of national gas consumption and 22% of gas imports from Russia.
The contribution of energy sources available in the area to energy autonomy – The renewed international energy context has brought out the centrality of the role of energy autonomy and domestic energy production and made it necessary to accelerate along the development trajectories outlined by the European Union. Overall, the enhancement of all development opportunities related to water, wind, sun and waste and consistently with the prospects of electrification of consumption and energy efficiency would almost triple Italy’s energy autonomy (reaching a level of 58.4% ), or 35.9 percentage points more than today and about 4 times the increase recorded in the last 20 years.