My Italian Link - Issue #09 My Italian Link Issue #09 | Page 40

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BUSINESS
A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
FOR OUR WORLD WITH ENEA
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From renewable, efficient and nuclear energy to cultural heritage preservation and food safety, the Agenzia
Nazionale per le Nuove Tecnologie, l’Energia e lo Sviluppo Economico Sostenibile (National Agency for New
Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development – ENEA) prides itself on the provision of
top-notch sustainable solutions for both enterprises and the public at large. www.enea.it
THINKING GLOBALLY, ACTING LOCALLY
As a public body and research institution under the umbrella of
Italy’s Ministry of Economic Development, ENEA has been fo-
cused on the innovation of Italy’s national economic systems
since the 1960s. For ENEA, technological innovation and sustai-
nable development are the name of the game. Solutions to cli-
mate change? Smart cities and sustainable tourism? How about
the protection of cultural heritage with simultaneous develop-
ment of modern energy? ENEA is right there for all of it, innova-
ting 21st-century living and gover-
nance thanks to their wealth of
expertise, facilities and extensive
collaborations with national and
international institutes.
MONITORING THE EARTH
Then there are ENEA’s pursuits in Antarctica. Here, ENEA is the
official body implementing the Italian National Research Pro-
gramme. Not only do they handle all technical and logistic ac-
tions for the Mario Zucchelli and Concordia Stations, they
conduct national funded researches and partecipate to Euro-
pean projects on the polar environment, climate change and
polar technology at land and sea. What exactly does this mean?
Essentially, this research is pivotal to tracking our planet’s
weather patterns and implemen-
ting climate adaptation strategies.
“ Thanks to ENEA, a world
CHANNELING THE AFRICAN SUN
It doesn’t end there! With sustai-
nable development and renewable
energy as a focus, finding solu-
tions in Africa are a must. Near
the City for Science and Technolo-
gy, outside Alexandria, Egypt,
ENEA has developed the Multipur-
pose Applications of Thermody-
namic Solar plant (MATS), which
produces energy from the sun.
Here, they have innovated hybrid
technology that allows not only
renewable solar energy, but the ability to store and re-use this
energy using molten salt, as well as water desalination for the
surrounding community. The MATS demo plant is a prime exa-
mple of ENEA’s work, which provides exactly the type of inno-
vation and problem-solving so dearly needed in Africa and
beyond. Thanks to ENEA, the catalyst for a connected society,
a world where we may one day provide water and energy to all
on a sustainable basis is not unthinkable.
where we may one day
provide water and energy
to all on a sustainable basis
is not unthinkable. ”
HARNESSING THE STARS
One contribution has been the de-
velopment of nuclear fusion – the
natural process that fuels the sun
and stars. Fusion reactors reach
up to 100 million degrees, but are
less prone to nuclear reactions
than regular fission plants, better
for the environment, and are a vir-
tually inexhaustible source of en-
ergy. ENEA, Italy’s representative in the European Consortium for
the Development of Fusion Energy (EUROfusion), are recognised
as pioneers of this technology. In particular, their Frascati Lab
has contributed to the development of the world’s first demo, the
ITER fusion reactor. Beyond the world of energy, fusion technolo-
gy also contributes to the industries of neutronics, liquid metal
technology, and safety. ENEA’s innovation, then, is set to improve
far more than just the world’s energy sources.
~
ENEA BY NUMBERS
2,400 researchers & technologists
30 research centres & territorial offices in Italy
€143 million & over in annual state funding
30 participating companies
2050: first implemented fusion energy
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