project - enerea

WORLD NEWSENERGLOBE NEWSMt. Vesuvius – Core of Sustainable Energy StrategyNaples Plans to Tap Mt. Vesuvius as Core of Sustainable Energy Strategyby Tom SchuenemanPosted January 23, 2013Dominating vistas around Italy’s Bay of Naples, Mount Vesuvius erupted on August 24 in theyear 79 AD, a cataclysm that brought an end to the Roman cities of Pompeii,Herculaneum and Stabiae and its denizens, preserving their remains involcanic ash.The looming presence of Vesuvius is a stark reminder of thedestructive power of volcanoes for residents of Naples, as well asthe vulnerability of populations around the world who reside intheir presence. Today, however, the city of Naples is looking to tapinto and harness Vesuvius’ energy to improve lives, theenvironment and living conditions.“Today, however, thecity of Naples is lookingto tap into and harnessVesuvius’ energy toimprove lives, theenvironment and livingconditions”The largest volcano in Europe, Vesuvius is actually two volcanoes in one –the active Gran Como crater sits within that of inactive Mount Somma. Experts estimate that theenergy produced in the Campi Flegrei, or Phlegraen Fields, a 13 kilometer (km) (7.8 mile) widecaldera and geothermal field west of Naples, is equivalent to that of four large nuclear powerplants.Speaking at The Environment, Peace, Geothermal Energy, Development and Labour conferenceheld in Naples January 21, city officials announced a strategic sustainable development plan thatwould see the building of “a trigenerative pilot [geothermal heat and power] plant integratedwith other sources, which in this case will be solar thermodynamic energy and liquid biomass,such as recycled vegetable oils and algae,” according to a report from ANSAmed.Built with private funding, the pilot geothermal plant is slated to be the first of several smallscaleheat and power plants to be built throughout Naples, a sustainable economicdevelopment initiative that falls in line with theEuropean Initiative on Smart Cities programand Horizon 2020 Framework Programme forResearch and Innovation, Naples city councillorAntonio Luongo explained during theconference.Naples’ town council in August approved PAES,a strategic sustainable energy plan.“Geothermal energy is one of the sustainable5