Race to energy efficiency: increase the pace of investment

Photovoltaic and energy efficiency

The third point mentioned by Boga is the one that must prompt reflection: «Businesses and households are very attracted to photovoltaics, but it is said that an increase in the volume of investments and installations in renewables does not translate into an improvement in energy efficiency . The adoption of clean technology must go hand in hand with the management, monitoring and forecasting of consumption, which is now possible thanks to artificial intelligence. The report speaks of «Jevons paradox», according to which technological improvements, if not correctly monitored and managed, can increase, rather than decrease, consumption.

The civil, tertiary and residential sector accounts for 65% of total energy consumption: the key to decarbonising Italy is here. Boga points out that the sector is more backward than the industrial one.

The age of the Italian building stock also slows down the implementation of intelligent management systems because there is a lack of the basis that can support them, i.e. connectivity. The smart building, especially in the residential field, are still the exception. The most efficient tool for improving the efficiency of buildings is the heat pump, which uses air from the external environment for district heating. In this case, Italy represents a virtuous example in Europe, second only to France for the sale of units, according to the Irena report «Heat Pumps Costs Markets 2022».

Shifting attention to businesses, important steps have been taken towards making consumption more efficient, through the use of mature technologies and plant modifications to the process, but the lack of awareness of SMEs weighs heavily.

In large manufacturing companies the importance of energy management systems (EMS) is clear: the 250 companies involved in the Energy & Strategy survey reported an increase in investments of more than 22 percent.