“Geothermal energy is a strategic sector for Italy, despite the fact that it has been completely neglected for many decades: I hope that today can be the starting point for the development of a new national plan”. This was stated by the Nobel Prize for Physics 2021 Giorgio Parisi, who spoke at the conference on geothermal energy organized by the Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei.
“It is clear that countries that are able to independently produce the energy necessary for their needs are much more resilient to crises and price increases, such as the one we are facing” Parisi continues: “This is why we must invest in energy geothermal”.
In fact, the conference aims to revitalize a technology in which Italy has been a pioneer and which can prove to be fundamental not only for our country but for the whole world, in light of the climate crisis closely linked to the use of fossil fuels. “Considering the global climate crisis and the repercussions on energy needs – comments Carlo Doglioni, president of the National Institute of Geology and Volcanology who will participate in the event – geothermal energy can contribute significantly to the energy mix necessary for the transition that the world has to face “.
Giorgio Parisi also explains why geothermal energy is so promising and what advantages it can offer: “it does not depend on the availability of resources such as minerals and rare earths or on meteorological conditions and it is a very reliable energy source. Furthermore – adds the Nobel prize – in this field Italy has a big advantage over all other European countries, excluding Iceland, because it has many volcanic areas that provide high heat, so we don’t need to dig deep to be able to exploit geothermal energy.”
Manzella (Cnr), less bureaucracy and more funding
Italy remains one of the first European countries for the production of geothermal energy, which constitutes about 2% of energy needs, but progress is extremely slow and not very ambitious: “Our country has great potential as regards geothermal energy”, Adele Manzella, a member of the International Geothermal Association and researcher at the Institute of Geosciences and Georesources of the National Research Council, told ANSA. “The resources and technical skills are there – says Manzella – only the political will is missing: more funding, less bureaucracy and better information would be needed, to avoid the bad perception that the public often has of this form of energy. But, above all, , it takes organization and long-term planning.”
The only disadvantage of geothermal energy, in fact, is that it requires the construction of wells, cobserves the researcher. Therefore, these are interventions that need to be planned. The initial investment is huge – says Manzella – but is then recovered very quickly”. This is also because the production plants fit very well into local economies, a peculiar feature of geothermal energy: “There are many applications, from heat pumps for domestic heating up to large plants for the production of electricity”, says Adele Manzella. “In Holland, for example, it is also used a lot for heating greenhouses”.
The importance of geothermal energy also lies in its ability to satisfy the thermal requirement, which constitutes half of the total energy requirement. “Our country is far behind on this: in Europe many district heating projects are being launched – adds Manzella – instead in Italy the few plants are located almost exclusively in the Centre-North and very few are based on renewable energies”.
Source: Ansa
I am a journalist with over 6 years of experience working in the news industry. I currently work as an author for Global Happenings, and my coverage focuses on Technology news. I have written for various publications, including Reuters, The New York Times and The Guardian.
