So what is the formula that Italy is developing ? Certainly , distributed generation , energy communities , and the wider distribution of electric vehicle charging stations are the technologies that will significantly develop in the near future .
The national gas transmission network is also working on obtaining certification for the distribution of green hydrogen alongside existing activities involving biomethane and biogas .
However , most of all , a holistic vision is needed that brings technologies closer together and makes them interchangeable , based on the features of the area and the needs of the community .
A good example would be enhancing a proper closed-loop geothermal system where geographically possible , and exploiting the cogeneration potential of industrial parks with district heating .
For the time being , such measures stay far from the National Action Plan . Yet , taboos in the tech sector can be counterproductive to a successful ecological transition .
It is therefore necessary to take measures to promote energy saving , sustainability , a reduction in emissions and the recovery of primary materials and the natural ingredients of soils .
I am referring to not only just a biogas matrix , but also the collection of organic waste which is an excellent nutrient for soil fertility .
Moreover , we cannot think of facing the sustainability challenge without innovative , biodegradable and recyclable materials . The choice of sustainability is made in each and every sector , including construction , large infrastructures or daily consumable items .
It is no coincidence that a waste battery recycling centre will open in Italy . It will be dedicated to the regeneration of electric vehicle batteries , bearing in mind the expected impact that the electric car sector will soon have on mobility .
Digitization represents another great European and Italian challenge that we are preparing to tackle in a much more serious manner than the statements made in the past years . Nonetheless , it is still not very clear .
Issues such as energy poverty stay on the sidelines . In turn other countries , such as Portugal , are introducing them as key elements of their ecological transition policy . Italy also pays attention to this element , but it is still only ancillary to other aspects .
Lastly , the role of sharing in the transition should not be underestimated , which has changed , and partly distorted , consumption models . Starting from city mobility both on four-wheeled vehicles and its non-motorized forms , through the opportunities in the field of energy sharing , let us think of the aforementioned energy communities , the potential of domestic smart meters and other consumer goods .
In short , the change is already happening and it is engaged on voyages between the present and the near future .
What is perhaps missing is a harmonious vision of these opportunities and their integration with the real economy . They will probably undermine some old technological and industrial fiefdoms .
However , they could make room for new and real job opportunities and a better quality of life . Italy excels in a great deal of these technologies and has already completed cutting-edge tests both in the field of technology and industrial supply chains .
Let us also consider green chemistry and the material recovery chain as the real circular economy , an activity that , as outlined above , goes hand in hand with a people-oriented and , above all , more environmentally sustainable smart city .
Agnese Cecchini is Editorial Director of Italian energy sector publishing company Gruppo Italia Energia
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