Cesi, let’s accelerate with renewable energies

Domenico Villani, ceo of Cesi: what does the group he manages do?
“We are a multinational that for about seventy years has been offering customers, in more than 70 countries around the world, services in the fields of innovation, digitalisation, testing, engineering and consultancy for the energy sector and in civil and environmental engineering. In particular, through the Kema Labs Division, we are world leaders in independent testing for the electricity sector. Furthermore, with our company Ismes, we provide engineering support in the management of hydrogeological risk and in the design and monitoring of complex infrastructures. Lastly, Cesi develops and produces solar cells for space applications”.

What is your perception of energy policy in our country?
“Our analyzes show that with at least 40 GW of new renewables by 2025, total independence from Russian gas and the closure of coal-fired plants could be achieved. However, this can only be achieved by also investing in storage, to support the availability of renewables network. However, in the short to medium term, Italy will still depend on imports of fossil fuels, which is why we must continue to diversify, increase national production, focus on existing regasification terminals and build new ones. It is also necessary to invest in new electrical interconnection networks for the transfer of large quantities of energy. Finally, in the long term, it is also useful to invest in research on fourth generation nuclear power”.

Europe, with the RePowerEU, sets itself the goal of reaching 45% of green energy by 2030. At what stage is Italy?
“Achieving this target for Italy would mean 85 GW more of new renewable power. If these targets were achieved, our country would reach an 84% share of renewables in the electricity mix by 2030. We need to speed up the implementation of renewable plants up to an average of 10 GW per year, compared to approximately 3GW in 2022. However, a strong push is needed to grant authorisations, slowed down by various interests.This year alone, requests for connection to the transmission grid exceed 300GW. To encourage the spread of green energy, it is also crucial to upgrade the electricity grid. An example is Terna’s Tyrrhenian Link, which will connect Campania, Sicily and Sardinia”.

What happened in Emilia Romagna makes clear the need for a change of direction in energy policies. What interventions to safeguard the territory and infrastructures must be implemented?
“The 2021 ISPRA Report photographs an Italy that for 93.9% of the Municipalities is at risk from landslides, floods and coastal erosion. Thus, it becomes essential to operate in advance and constantly monitor the territory. From this point of view, the technologies and monitoring systems play a crucial role.In this context, our company Ismes also intervenes, a dedicated group of 70 professionals, including engineers and geologists who work in the field every day to contribute to the protection of territories and infrastructures”.