Energy from the sea

Experts on the future of our energy have set an ambitious and fascinating target: by 2050, the sea - or more specifically its waves and tides - could satisfy at least 10% of Europe's electricity demand. And considering the theoretical potential, this figure could be even greater globally. This represents a decisive contribution to energy transition, safeguarding our future from a fate otherwise marred by climate change. It is an innovative sector that attracts investments from major international corporations. In Europe, the United Kingdom seems keen to lead the pack, On its way, however, the UK has found that the Italians are hot on its heels and rapidly gaining ground. This is the basis of the 100% Italian deal celebrated on 28 October in Ravenna, in the presence of the Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte. The event, attended by senior management figures of the four groups involved in the deal - Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Eni, Fincantieri and Terna - heralds the next stage of the initial agreement signed on 19 April which laid the foundations for the creation of a joint venture that could be expanded to other areas of operation.

Wave power: pilot project. The ISWEC (Inertial Sea Wave Energy Converter) was built around three years ago through a collaboration between Eni and Turin Polytechnic University, through its spin-off Wave For Energy (W4E) sponsored by Enea and Cnr. It was the world’s first experimental system for the integrated generation of electricity from wave and photovoltaic power, and has been in operation off the coast of Ravenna since March 2019. Today’s prototype is the result of the pilot project, now in the industrial development phrase. The system will produce energy from wave power, one of the technologies available for the production of clean and renewable energy, to be integrated with smart grids to manage our future energy supply.

Wave power: how it works. The ISWEC device resembles a great floating yellow buoy and works thanks to an inertial system that uses wave power: waves, even small ones, move the hull which, in turn, moves the flywheel and this produces power that can be used to generate electricity. The real innovation is the possibility to tune the device depending on the sea conditions and the fact that there are no mechanical moving parts in the water, thus protecting the device from corrosion and deterioration. Low maintenance and high energy efficiency: these are the two key advantages of the prototype which the four partners are now advancing to the industrial production phase. The first to benefit should be the minor Sicilian islands which are not connected to the national grid, pay higher costs and generate more pollution.

With the Ravenna deal signed, the next stage is the development of the business model and its subsequent implementation into operation. In the meantime the first industrial installation of the ISWEC system will be carried out at the Eni Prezioso off-shore platform in the Strait of Sicily off the coast of Gela, with the aim of commencing electricity production in the second half of 2021. It will be the test for an even more ambitious project, which aims to replicate and expand the installations both in Italy and abroad.

The partners. Eni CEO Claudio Descalzi emphasises the new company mission towards decarbonisation, partly through significant developments in improving the environmental impact of off-shore activities and complex oil projects. Eni is also interested in repurposing off-shore platforms to create important bases for renewables, including wind farms.

According to the plans laid out by the MD Fabrizio Palermo, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti can use its financial expertise to support the creation of value not only for the partner companies but also - and perhaps above all - for communities and local regional bodies. For its part, Fincantieri boasts world-class expertise in naval engineering and as such - according to the plans of MD Giuseppe Bono - can offer its leadership in maritime and naval applications, which will be the cornerstone of the project.

Terna's role is no less fundamental: as CEO and General Manager Luigi Ferraris explained, ISWEC “is a miniature representation of what we will achieve in the future with the need to integrate the ever expanding presence of renewables into the Italian national grid. The new model of smart integration will accelerate the project's implementation in terms of technological innovation and complex management systems”, he emphasised. “Our country has infinite potential, thanks to the characteristics of our coastline, the “energy” characteristics of our wave power which we can transform into truly green energy and, of course, our technological and industrial leadership".

The global scenario. The turbines installed five years ago off the coast of England and Scotland; France's ambitions which - riding the wave of substantial public investments - aim to gain supremacy by multiplying the installations already launched in 2012 with the off-shore maxi-turbines constructed off the north coasts of Brittany before the town of Paimpol. But everyone is taking steps, including the United States, with the major public-private agreement signed six years ago between the US Navy and the aerospace giant Lockheed Martin for the first pilot power plant in the Hawaiian Islands.

In the meantime, scientists are weighing up the potential of these solutions. They note that the Earth's surface is 70% seawater, a practically limitless source of energy which can be generated by harnessing its waves, currents, tides, even temperature gradient (the difference between surface and depth temperatures can be used according to a principle similar to that of a heat pump). Only the waves, theorise some scientists, have the potential to fulfil the global demand for electricity. But if we succeed in replacing 10% of the electricity generated by fossil fuels with wind power by 2050, we will already have achieved a great deal.