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Events
Event Report
Visitor numbers surpass
expectations at The Innovation
Cloud—Solarexpo
A high level of attendance and a great sense
of satisfaction, together with renewed
dynamism among operators, marked the
first edition of The Innovation Cloud—
Solarexpo, which ended May 10th after
three days at Fiera Milano-Rho, Spain.
31,300 visitors from 83 countries,
acknowledged by exhibitors as being among
the leading professionals in the field, came
to the Trade Fair’s pavilions and took part
in 60 conferences of national and international
significance. All the operators praised
the exhibition’s innovative approach in
presenting the changes in the world of
cutting-edge energy technologies.
“In just three days, our exhibition
brought operators to a shared conviction:
notwithstanding the fact that the macroeconomic
framework of the country is still
very difficult and many uncertainties in the
regulations persist, the worst is over,” said
Luca Zingale, founder and scientific director
of The Innovation Cloud. “Our approach
to staging the event is flexible and open to
the changes affecting the market and the
industry. The operators have accepted our
invitation to share the latest advances and
we are grateful to them for that.”
The events of The Innovation Cloud-
Solarexpo provided the framework for an
open, in-depth discussion about the future
of the solar market, both in the context of
grid-parity, such as the post-incentives
Italian market, and in the global arena,
through the Global Solar Summit.
The conference “Photovoltaic Energy
in Italy after ContoEnergia (the feed-in
tariff scheme)” drew a large audience to
a lively debate over the growing penetration
of photovoltaic power in the national
electricity system. In this area, a common
position emerged between the Energy
Authority and the Ministry of Economic
Development, represented respectively by
Andrea Galliani and Luciano Barra, over
the proposal to extend the system’s charges
to solar electricity, which has so far been
exempt.
The topicality of the hybridization
of technologies for intelligent buildings,
networks and cities was expressed from
various points of view, embracing innovation
in construction in favor of energy efficiency
and climate control, the new LED
technologies and distribution networks in
view of smart grids. One of the conferences
organized by RSE (Research on the Energy
System) bore the title “E-Clima: climate
control from renewable sources” and this
was a much appreciated opportunity for
an in-depth examination of the awareness
of innovation, applications and the potential
of heat pumps, combined with solar
energy. Proper instruments of support and
electricity tariffs designed specifically for
this technology emerged as desirable conditions
in order to effectively achieve the
widest uptake of climate control equipment
powered by heat pumps.
An attitude of greater openness towards
energy efficiency and a sustainable lifestyle
but limited awareness about the
technological solutions to be adopted in
order to achieve these goals was, was the
main conclusion of a survey over Italian
families focused on “Energy saving and
comfort in buildings” carried out by ISPO
on behalf of ANIE Confindustria and
presented as part of a conference held at
the end of the third day. A proposal for an
energy strategy up to 2030 was put before
the public decision-makers and the public
organizations active in the sector (the
Energy Authority, GSE, ENEA, CNR etc.)
by the organization CoordinamentoFREE,
which brings together associations in
the sector of renewable electricity and
thermal sources and energy efficiency. In
the conference “Towards a Sustainable
Energy Strategy. Scenarios up to 2030,”
CoordinamentoFREE explained its position
paper and presented an E-book in response
to what has been widely acknowledged as
“the systematic disinformation on photovoltaic.”
Furthermore, the events made possible
a targeted, effective approach to the challenge
of internationalization, which was the
topic of many opportunities for updating
and discussion with associations and
research centers of international standing.
Two cooperation agreements and the
launch of the first six green energy projects
were announced as part of the conference
“Delivering renewable solutions within
the Mediterranean electricity market” by
RES4MED, the association formed by Enel
Green Power, Edison, CESI, GSE, PwC and
Milan Polytechnic in order to share strategies
and experiences for a proper transition
to clean energy in the Mediterranean. The
availability of new financial instruments
targeted at the development needs of green
companies was the focus of great interest,
especially during Green Investor Day, which
facilitated meetings and discussion between
financial investors, banks and listed companies.
www.innovationcloud-expo.com
30 – Global Solar & Alternative Energies – May/June 2013 www.globalsolartechnology.com