Here is the “Silicon Valley” of the energy transition

When it comes to energy transition, it must be kept in mind that this path cannot ignore the ability to invent new technological solutions to produce clean energy and to reduce (and then eliminate) emissions. In short, this path depends on research and the speed with which innovation is transferred to companies. Thus, the birth of a technological pole dedicated to new energy supply chains in an area like that of the former gasometer of Rome Ostiense represents one of the most significant projects that the country expresses in this area. Is called Road (Rome advanced district) and was created by Eni in partnership with Acea, Autostrade per l’Italia, Bridgestone, Cisco, the FS group and NextChem (Maire) on an area of ​​over 12 hectares owned by the six-legged dog. “In the same spaces where energy was supplied to industrial Rome in the early 20th century,” he explains Matthias Voltaggioprogram manager of Road – technological innovation projects will be created that will help companies achieve the objectives of the 20230 Agenda”.

In short, Road aspires to become a little Silicon Valleyy of the energy transition, with the added value of having a history of industrial vocation behind it which had already made the area the engine of a new modernity. It was the Italian-English mayor Ernesto Nathan, at the beginning of the twentieth century, who wanted the birth of the largest gasometer in Europe which served to feed the industrial and technological functions that settled in the Ostiense district of Rome. The iron giant, which was joined by three other smaller ones, thus became one of the driving forces of post-war Italy’s economic development (Eni became the owner of the area in 2017 with the acquisition of the asset from Italgas ). “And today, from a symbol of industrial archeology the Gazometer area – continues Voltaggio – is transformed into a place of collaborative research between companies from different sectors but which share the goal of energy transition and are willing to share, in some areas , new solutions to make your business model evolve without giving up your industrial vocation”. Road also has the characteristics of a true business incubator having embraced an orientation that already existed in the area, namely that of giving birth and growing start-ups, and it is no coincidence that a collaboration was born with the University of Rome three. In the Gazometro area, in addition to the Joule business school, there are the new Eni research laboratories and the Zero accelerator, a node in the national CDP network dedicated to the best clean tech start-ups. “Road promotes the development of new energy supply chains of which the recycling and reuse of raw materials and the development of new technologies for infrastructure monitoring are just a few examples – underlines Voltaggio – The main areas of intervention will also range from technologies for decarbonisation to the circular economy, from sustainable mobility to smart cities, passing through the promotion of health and safety. A proposal was also born to develop the energy district of the future, on which a discussion table is underway with all the public and private actors involved”.

Indeed, the first shared work tool will be the development of a metaverse environment, a digital twin through which to experiment, design and share the best solutions to support the urban community. But how will Road foster collaboration between companies, institutions and research? “In addition to actively collaborating in research – explains Voltaggio – Road will work to define training programs to adapt and enrich skills within partner companies, to encourage co-innovation processes, test integrated mobility solutions and set up a joint observatory on data and trends relating to the main transformations of the labor market with respect to the new supply chains”. In fact, Eni has already launched doctoral scholarships with the Sapienza University to map the main international innovation districts to which Road’s activity could be linked. In this path, digital and artificial intelligence will have a fundamental and transversal role, but, as Voltaggio says, they represent a tool for building a new industrial era that will see the birth of new jobs and, hopefully, reduce the current mismatch of skills between demand and offer.