CTO Assessment - European Commission

The Italian
Sustainable Islands
Programme
Contacts: Gianni Silvestrini • Ministero dell’Ambiente
Servizio Inquinamento Atmosferico e Rishi Industriali • via Cristoforo Colombo 44
00147 Rome • Italy • Tel +39 06 57225323 • Fax +39 06 57225371
E-mail: gamberale.mario@minambiente.it
Main aims and motivations
In the last 20 years there have been several
attempts to introduce renewable energies
in Italian small islands, with limited
results. Rather then a problem of funding,
the reasons has been the combination of
two important obstacles: the regulatory
framework for the production and distribution
of electricity and the obstacles posed
by authorities (Soprintendenze) that defend
the landscape.
The Ministry of Environment has decided
to launch a sustainable energy program
for the small islands to try to overcome
these obstacles and foster the large scale
diffusion of renewable sources of energy.
The expected results are a greater
sensitisation towards these less polluting
forms of energy , more rapid concentration
of different funds in this area , accelerated
establishment of new rules for local
electric producers and finally reduction of
the gap between the culture of the Authorities
in defence of landscape and the approach
of the installers of renewable energy
technologies.
The project
The programme foresees the realisation
of environmental valorisation actions to
be realised in Italian Small Islands that
are natural parks.
For the realisation of the programme a
Protocol has been signed by the former
Minister of Environment and the Association
of small islands, ANCIM.
The first operational step toward the application
of the Protocol has been the
launching of a public tender for the local
administration of Small Island to submit
energy and mobility plans (deadline 15
October 2001).
Projects will be judged by a jury that will
select the best projects and finance them
to a maximum of 1.7 million Euro per
project for the energy projects and to a
maximum of 1.25 million Euro per project
for mobility.
A fund of 2.4 M euro will be given to a
couple of islands that will be chosen among
all the municipalities that will prepare feasibility
studies to improve sustainable mobility
in their areas.
The answer to the call has been wide. Most
islands are interested both in renewable
energies and mobility.
As regards the energy plans the islands
are requested to follow a scenario procedure
focusing firstly on energy saving measures
and solar thermal systems and secondly
in renewable energies application for
electricity production.
Enabling factors
The tourist nature of the island gives a
unique opportunity of applying direct solar
technologies: the seasonal nature of the
load curve meets the solar insulation curve
availability much better than any other seasonal
load curve in the continent. The first
result of this is that the ratio between the
energy actually used and the total energy
produced is much higher than usual.
The Programme will offer to a large number
of islands a unique possibility to develop
specific feasibility studies on the
large-scale introduction of renewable energies
and will enable a couple of them to
begin the transition toward self-sufficiency.
Challenges
Most of the island generation systems are
managed by small electricity distribution
companies. Only 8 out of 45 are ENELowned
(Panarea, Salina, Capraia,
Stromboli, Vulcano, Alicudi, Filicudi,
Ventotene). Island utilities are quite reluctant
to change the existing situation for
several reasons:
They work in a monopoly condition.
The extra cost of local energy production
is totally covered by the government.
This mechanism produces high energy consumption
and inefficiency and it is the reason
why distributors are definitely against
a change of scenario particularly if energy
saving measures and renewable energies
are being proposed.
Summary of characteristics of the CTO´S projects:
Proposed technologies
Financial data
Island Wind(kW) SPV(kW) STH(m3) Energy Saving Total investment(Euro) Funding(Euro) Co-funding(%)
Pantelleria
660
100
758
URE
2,848,715
1,137,339
40
Pantelleria
660
100
758
URE
2,848,715
1,137,339
40
Ventotene
-
126
494
Lamps, pumps
1,766,799
1,062,842
60
Gorgona
50
-
455
Boilers, lamps
1,152,758
406,749
35
Giglio
535
14
346
Pumps
1,726,960
465,552
27
Panarea
study
33
60
-
363,415
205,252
56
TOTAL
1,245
273
2,113
7,858,646
3,277,734
CTO - Showcase
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