APA-Rimini (Italy) Hundreds of exhibiting brands have been attracted to the latest Italian energy transition exposition which began in Italy’s seaside resort of Rimini on Wednesday.
The opening salvo of the second edition of KEY – The Energy Transition Expo, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) focussed on innovative technologies, services and integrated solutions for energy efficiency and sustainable sources.
In a statement on Thursday, the expo’s organisers say the number of brands participating can be put at close to 800, accounting for over 30% more than in 2023.
Some 35% of these emanates from abroad, being international companies of repute and leading niches in their own markets.
Gilberto Pichetto Fratin the Italian minister of the Environment and Energy Security admonished the world to craft a new energy model which lends importance to ”the environmental, economic and social sustainability of production processes, lifestyles, methods of movement, and housing characteristics”.
According to him, the wellbeing of humanity will rest on how efficiently it manages the energy that an increasingly crowded world will need.
”Events such as KEY are an important opportunity for learning about the technologies that are driving the energy transition” he said.
”In this scenario, all the unprecedented avenues that innovation will propose for producing clean energy will have to be explored, just as new methods of energy production and distribution will also have to be tried and tested, something that we are already doing” the minister admonished.
He spoke of confidence in bringing about an energy revolution in his native Italy in the wake of the launch of the Renewable Energy Communities (RECs) wich ”can now fully deploy the potential of joint-production, distributed throughout the territory, open even to the smallest villages, with a clear advantage for the environment and significant savings for citizens, businesses, institutions and all the associations that make up a community”.
IMaurizio Ermeti who heads the Italian Exhibition Group claimed that KEY extends its focus beyond a single technological area to cover every aspect of the energy transition theme.
”And it is precisely this transversality that is the differentiating element and what makes it unique compared to other renewable energy trade shows. Here we speak the language of sun, wind, hydrogen, E-mobility and sustainable cities. Our goal for the second edition is to consolidate KEY’s leadership in Europe and the Mediterranean basin in terms of energy transition” he said.
Anna Montini, Rimini City Councillor for Ecological Transition explained how the seaside resort was investing in energy transition and regeneratng the urban, coastal and historic centre areas.
She said since 2012, one school has been renovated every year by installing photovoltaic systems, renewable energy community projects initiated and ”the continuation of the Metro mare, which will be extended from the city’s central station to Rimini Expo Centre by 2026.”
Stefano Locatelli, Vice President of ANCI in his contribution to the opening of the event challenged municipalities to do a lot more when it comes to the future of enegry management.
”At the government’s presentation of the Italian proposal on Recover at the European Commission, ANCI promoted a number of indications, shared with the municipalities, with the aim of supporting and increasing the possibility of achieving the goals set on energy transition and independence and decarbonisation. These indications are still valid and ANCI is also partly re-proposing them at the Energy and Climate Plan discussion table in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment” he said.
GSE President Paolo Arrigoni described the expo as an important platform the GSE to consolidate dialogue with companies and associations.
He said they will use this particular event to support users and operators with seminars and appointments with a view to learning more about the new mechanism to support the development of RECs.
Data collected by the Rome-based transmission system operatorTerna, suggests that in 2023, renewable sources covered a total of 36.8% of demand compared to 31% in 2022.
According to the same source last year witnessed ‘a significant growth in renewable energy production (+15.4%), reaching a record 43.8%, hydro-electricity (+36.1), wind power (+15.1%) and photovoltaics (+10.6%)”.
PR/as/APA