Decarbonisation: new deal on wave power

Wave power supporting achievement of decarbonisation goals. This is the basis of the agreement signed by Terna with Cassa depositi e prestiti, Eni and Fincantieri for the development of generation systems using wave power on an industrial scale.

The document was signed at the Rome headquarters of Eni by Terna CEO and General Manager, Luigi Ferraris, CEO of Cassa depositi e prestiti, Fabrizio Palermo, Eni CEO, Claudio Descalzi and CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono. The sole objective: to pool capabilities for transformation of the Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter (ISWEC) pilot programme into a viable project on an industrial scale, ready for immediate use.

What is wave energy? Wave energy refers to the movement of the sea or, more generally, of any body of water featuring waves and their propagation. The Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter, installed by Eni off the coast near Ravenna, exploits this physical principle to produce renewable energy, contributing to the common global goal of system decarbonisation.

This collaboration of Italian excellence will support acceleration of the development and industrialisation process for the technology in question, which is yet to be fully exploited. Terna will contribute to development of studies into the best methods for connection and integration of the generation system with the electricity grid, including integration with hybrid systems composed of conventional generation, solar plants and storage systems.

The industrial and commercial capabilities of the partner companies, together with a networked presence across the country and financial support of CDP, represent a strategic formula permitting design and creation of an initial installation by 2020.