Alternative energies from clean sources
Who was there and what was said at the 3rd edition of the Business Talk "Alternative Sources for New Energy – Renewables, Hydrogen and Nuclear", organized by RCS Academy and Corriere della Sera
Green molecules, decarbonisation, diversification of energy sources between technological innovation and necessary infrastructures. These are the topics discussed yesterday at the 3rd edition of the Business Talk "Alternative Sources for New Energy – Renewable, Hydrogen and Nuclear", organized by RCS Academy and Corriere della Sera and dedicated to energy sources for the ecological transition, towards the goals of net zero : renewables, hydrogen and nuclear power.
RENEWABLES, PICHETO: INTERVENING WITH THE OBJECTIVE OF NEUTRALITY
“The Commission and the European Council – declared the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto – are a sum of the interests of each country. We have a duty to defend the interests of Italians, without absolutely questioning the fact that 40% of emissions come from buildings and that, therefore, it is absolutely necessary to intervene on this front with the aim of neutrality”.
The minister explained that “we are defining an identification process with the Regions of other suitable areas. We are going to define, by law, all the areas that are contiguous to railways, highways or between railways and highways. It's about adding areas, in that sense. The same will be true for wind power. One of the great spaces we can have is that of offshore wind power, by identifying places where there is wind”.
On the subject of cars, Pichetto stated that “the fundamental point that we have set for 2035 is 'why only electric?' However, this does not mean saying no to electricity, it means having the conviction that electricity is one of the most important decarbonisation systems. It's the highway to the future, but that doesn't mean you should choose this with an ideological stance. We, as a government, are investing 3 billion and 600 million euros in hydrogen. We are making a big investment in hydrogen and e-fuel . The reasoning, however, was also to put biofuel on the table, which has a very small share of emissions".
DIALUCE (ENEA): RESEARCH AND INNOVATION WILL PLAY A KEY ROLE
The president of Enea, Gilberto Dialuce, underlined the fact that “the decarbonisation process at a European level, but above all at a global level, requires a technological effort but also a mentality effort, a very important change of mentality. This is because the route is extremely challenging. Research and innovation will play a key role in this transition process towards a sustainable state model. For example, even with regard to the topic of the circular economy, we should change lifestyles and consumption styles. If you want to focus on renewables, the issue of critical raw materials will become fundamental to avoid developing dependencies like the ones we have had and experienced recently, dramatically for gas".
LANZETTA (ENEL): GIGAFACTORY CATANIA WILL PRODUCE 3 GW FROM SOLAR PANELS IN 2024
Nicola Lanzetta, Italy director of the Enel Group, recalled how “the first thing we did was to build means of upgrading this factory in Catania – the Gigafactory 3Sun construction site – which I think is certainly a source of pride for us, for Enel. For this country it is a factory that in 2024, therefore practically tomorrow, will produce a quantity of panels equal to 3 GW. Beyond the number, it means doing about 15 times as much as we are doing now in this factory but above all, it will be the largest in Europe, whose production will be greater than the sum of all European factories. This gives us the dimension of what can be done in this area. Enel Italia will invest 18 billion in 3 years, 9 of which will go to the grid, in particular to make it more resilient. Investing in the network is vital”.
MAZZONCINI (A2A): FOR DECARBONIZATION YOU NEED BIOFUELS, E-FUEL AND HYDROGEN
“Today, in Italy and around the world, we consume 80% of energy in the form of a molecule (oil, gas) and 20% in the form of an electron. If we want to have a decarbonised world, we need green electrons and green molecules. The green electrons are hydroelectric, wind, photovoltaic, while the green molecules will probably be biofuels, e-fuels and hydrogen. There is, however, still an important debate about when they will be available, in what percentages, etc. We are still working on this, but they will certainly be necessary". So Renato Mazzoncini, CEO and General Manager of A2A.
MONTI (EDISON): AIM TO HAVE AT LEAST 20% PRODUCTION FROM BIOGAS BY 2030
For Nicola Monti, CEO of Edison, “natural gas is an important element, especially for the Italian energy and production system. We are one of the countries that have the highest percentage of gas use in Europe. The gas will therefore accompany us, but it can gradually be mixed and replaced with green gas, such as biogas".
“There is a fairly ambitious biogas production plan in Italy – added Monti – we should reach 5-6 billion cubic meters of production per year, therefore having at least 20% of gas production by 2030 renewable from biogas within the overall consumption. Then there is hydrogen, which represents another chapter in the form of the energy vector that can be integrated into the production processes of those industrial systems that are not electrified and can also constitute a solution”.
As for nuclear energy, Monti stated that “in the next decade it could be a possible solution. We are thinking of the use of small-scale nuclear power, those called 'Small modular reactors', i.e. more flexible modules, around 300 MW of power, both electrical and thermal, which can give a production flow at a fixed cost and which have a low environmental impact because they do not produce CO2. Furthermore, being small, they can be prefabricated and industrialized, and therefore have low production costs and construction times".
GALLO (ITALGAS): ENABLING INFRASTRUCTURE FOR DIFFERENT GASES, SUCH AS BIOMETHANE
The CEO and general manager of Italgas, Paolo Gallo, recalled that "in the last 18 months the energy situation has changed significantly: there is no longer just the energy transition, there are issues of security of supplies, the cost of energy and the competitiveness of our industrial system. The infrastructure can play a fundamental role in guaranteeing these three objectives, because it can offer solutions that go exactly in these directions”.
According to Gallo “biomethane allows us to achieve all three objectives, because it has a CO2 content equal to zero or negative and guarantees greater security of supply, because it is produced locally. Furthermore, biomethane can reduce a number of costs because, in addition to being the product of waste treatment, it also produces a fertilizer, and just recently there was talk of a lack of fertilizer due to the war in Ukraine. The infrastructure is therefore an enabler for these different gases”.
“In the last 2 years – continued the CEO of Italgas – we have met over 500 startups. We have selected some of them because they have offered us absolutely innovative products and services. As far as energy efficiency is concerned, for example, we found startups that brought us great ideas on how to reduce energy consumption, ideas that we have already applied during 2022. Last year Italgas managed to reduce consumption to 2021 by 20%, a figure that was unimaginable at first. This is thanks to the number of innovations and new ideas that have been brought in and immediately applied. Having an ecosystem that is open and 'contaminated' by ideas even outside our sector is an incredible value”.
FLOUR (SNAM): WE EXPECT A VERY IMPORTANT ROLE OF GREEN HYDROGEN
“Biomethane is already a reality today: in Italy there are 200 million cubic meters traveling within our network and by 2030 we expect growth of up to 5 billion cubic meters, compared to the current demand of 65-70 billions". Thus Claudio Farina, executive vice president of Strategy, innovation and Sustainability of Snam, who added: “we expect a very important role for green hydrogen. It will be transported in our tubes, which in the meantime we have checked for compatibility from a technical and engineering point of view. The hydrogen will be transformed into liquid and transported, probably by ship, in the form of ammonia. Furthermore, starting from green hydrogen, the so-called e-fuels will be made, therefore a whole series of molecules that will help replace the molecules that today come from fossil fuels, mainly from oil and its derivatives”.
ALVERÀ (TREE ENERGY): IN 5 YEARS WE WILL HAVE HYDROGEN AT 30-40 EUROS PER MW
Marco Alverà, CEO of Tree Energy Solution, also spoke about hydrogen: “in 5 years we will have hydrogen at about 30-40 euros per megawatt hour, obviously where there is sun and wind. Hydrogen at these prices means it will cost less than oil, less than gas, and nearly as expensive as coal. The great challenge that the United States has launched with the Inflation Reduction Act is a reaction to China's very strong push on hydrogen and batteries. It is an attempt by the United States to take possession of the primacy and to accelerate this decline in the prices of renewable energies".
“The advantage of government interventions – explained Alverà – is not to take 15 years of time, as happened with solar energy, because from a climatic point of view we have less time. From a business point of view, we have the opportunity to set up factories in Italy, Europe and the United States, thus not delegating everything to China”.
IACONO (HERA): 500,000 TONNES OF HYDROGEN IN ITALY, BUT THE CHALLENGE IS TO PRODUCE GREEN HYDROGEN
“With regard to hydrogen – Orazio Iacono, CEO of the Hera Group intervened – Brussels has paved the way, but the times for developing the supply chain on a large scale and at competitive prices are not yet entirely clear. The development of the hydrogen-related supply chain will greatly depend on the simultaneous grounding of investments, both on the production and on the consumption side, in final uses. Today in Italy we have 500,000-600,000 tons of hydrogen, but it is gray hydrogen, without CO2 capture".
“The challenge – explained Iacono – is to produce renewable hydrogen. On this we have begun to take small first steps: for example we were the first in Italy to test the mixing of hydrogen with methane gas, in our distribution network in Castelfranco Emilia. We did it last November with a blending of up to 2%, and we were able to test in the field that it is feasible. We will not stop there: we are planning to ask for a derogation to reach 10%, passing through 5%. Also thanks to this, our networks – and not just ours – will become part of the eligible activities and aligned with the first two environmental objectives of the European taxonomy".
RIZZOTTI (NEWCLEO): WITHIN 4 YEARS WE WILL PRODUCE SMR REACTOR PROTOTYPE IN ITALY
Elisabeth Rizzotti, co-founder and managing director Italy of Newcleo, explained her company's nuclear strategy: "our business model is as follows: for countries where acceptance of the physics of nuclear energy is more complicated , the fact of being able to carry flexible reactors ( small modular reactors , ed ) that can be built and then transported to where they are to be used, carrying the fuel. It is then possible to reprocess the fuel that is rejected by the reactors, take the waste back and reprocess it to produce new mox. This is a model that is based on the principles of the circular economy".
As for timing, added Rizzotti, “we have a partnership with Enea and recently we have also activated one with Enel. Within 4 years we will produce a reactor prototype in Italy, as it should be in its commercial version, which however will not be powered by nuclear power. At the same time, by 2030 we will produce the first small reactor in France, with a capacity of 30 MW, while by 2032 we will produce a larger reactor in England, with a capacity of 200 MW, which is the size we consider commercially easiest to use. To give an idea of what it means, 200 MW are enough to feed the needs of 600 Italian families”.
GOZZI (FEDERACCIAI): ITALIAN STEEL INDUSTRY INVESTS IN RENEWABLES, BUT WE ALSO NEED NUCLEAR
Antonio Gozzi, president of Federacciai, underlined that “we must improve the carbon footprint of electricity purchased from the grid. As steel companies, we have around 8,000 hours of exercise a year: we can cover 2,000 of them by purchasing renewable energies. All the Italian iron and steel workers are investing in renewable energy – in particular photovoltaics and also storage tanks – but we cannot delude ourselves that we can operate an electric furnace only with renewable energy or only with storage tanks, because it would take dozens and dozens of soccer fields of storage tanks to give the power needed to an electric furnace that produces a million tons”.
“We – added Gozzi – need a decarbonised base energy of the other 6,000 hours, a decarbonised baseload. There are basically two technologies to get it: one is to decarbonise the use of gas, then take advantage of the Italian logistics and infrastructure platform on the purchase of Mediterranean gas and use this gas in turbo gas power plants which still have a relatively modern fleet , but by introducing carbon storage systems. The second technology is that of fourth generation nuclear power and micro reactors. Federacciai has launched a collaboration with Ansaldo: we went to Slovenia to see if we can participate in the financing of the doubling of the Slovenian nuclear power plant and, in the meantime, we can make a long-term PPE of decarbonised nuclear energy, which would help achieve the goal of decarbonisation also pushed towards Scope 2. If we manage to do this, we will have a completely green electro-steel and steel industry with 20 million tons of CO2”.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/energia/energie-transizione-ecologica-rinnovabili-idrogeno-nucleare/ on Fri, 31 Mar 2023 10:39:38 +0000.