Tag: Italy

Brunico (Bruneck), Italy

Brunico (Bruneck), Italy

  • Target: 100% renewable energy
  • Status: Achieved
  • RES: Solar thermal systems, solar photovoltaics, small hydro plants, biomass plant, biogas plant, and district heating network.
  • Implementation: Brunico, Italy is a town in South Tyrol. Today, the town is producing more electricity and heat than it consumes. It has an array of renewable energy systems installed. For heating, it has 840 m² of rooftop solar thermal systems supplying water heating, a 120 km district heating network fed by a 9 MW biomass plant and a 1.5 MW biogas plant near a landfill site supplies heat for more than 2000 buildings. Electricity for around 1500 families comes from 3 MW of rooftop photovoltaic panels, small hydro plants totalling 4.4 MW, and a 20 MW biogas plant that is fed by wood waste. The town additionally has a large 46.3 MW hydro project from its prior electricity system that is not counted toward the renewable energy total. The elementary school and fire station are entirely energy independent with their solar PV installations of 32 kW and 64 kW respectively. Brunico’s School Centre is additionally able to meet part of its heating requirements with 750 m² of vacuum tube collectors that heat up 3000 m³ of undeground tanks. The hot water is pumped through radiators and radiant floor heating panels.

    To support Brunico’s renewable energy commitment, town policy requires  that all local buildings meet up to 25% of their own energy needs with renewable sources, including 50% of their hot water demand. Italy's feed-in tariff law, like the German feed-in tariff provides a great incentive to the town. The law guarantees connection to the grid for renewable energy producers of all sizes and reasonably priced payment differentiated by technology for all the renewable electricity they generate.
  • Population: 15,491 (2010)
  • Area: 45 km2 (17 sq mi)
  • Link: https://www.stadtwerke.it
Brunico (Bruneck), Italy

Dobbiaco (Toblach), Italy

Dobbiaco, Italy

  • Target: 100% renewable energy
  • Status: Achieved
  • RES: Solar PV and thermal collectors, hydro power plant, biomass district heating plant and  biogas facility.
  • Implementation: The city of Dobbiaco is located 1,256 m above sea level, in the Pusteria Valley in the northern Italian region of Trentino Alto-Adige. It was awarded by the Italian Environment League the title of “Renewable Town” in 2009 and 2011, and was also included in the Res Champions League of 2011. In terms of electricity production, extensive energy supply has been achieved through solar PV panels with an installed capacity of 1,590 kW and a 1,783 kW mini-hydro power plant whose production capacity exceeds the electric needs of households of Dobbiaco. There are also 1,350 square meters of solar thermal collectors installed as well as a district heating network connected to two installations. One is an 18 MW thermal biomass plant and the other one is a 132 kW biogas facility. Together they produce more energy than the heating needs of Dobbiaco. The biomass district heating plant opened in 1995 and it is able to also satisfy the heat demand of the neighboring town of San Candido. The biomass used in this plant is composed of locally sourced wood chips derived from pruning residues, bark residues, and wood waste from sawmill and various factories. Thanks to this combination of technologies, Dobbiaco produces more electricity and thermal energy than that is consumed by households.
  • Population: 3,283 (2010)
  • Area: 126.6 km2 (48.9 sq mi)
  • Link: https://www.suedtirol.info/en/experience/sustainable-holiday/south-tyrol-backs-sustainability
Dobbiaco, Italy

Morgex, Italy

Morgex, Aosta Valley, Italy

  • Target: 100% renewable energy
  • Status: Achieved
  • RES: A hydropower plant, PV installations, biomass plants and a district heating system.
  • Implementation: Morgex is a small town located in the center of the Valdigna region in northern Italy. To date, the town supplies all of its electricity and heating requirements with renewable energy. To meet the demands of its electricity sector, the town is powered by a 1.1 MW hydropower plant that produces enough electricity for 1,100 families, and also by 9 photovoltaic installations totaling 112 kilowatts. Heat is obtained from biomass plants fed with locally grown wood. One plant installed in 2001 and expanded in 2005 has a capacity of 9 MW and a distribution system 10 kilometers long, which powers the local school and other town buildings.
  • Population: 1,989 (2006)
  • Area: 43 km2 (17 sq mi)
  • Link: Current Status of Energy Production from Solid Biomass in North-West Italy
Morgex, Aosta Valley, Italy

Prato allo Stelvio (Prad am Stilfser Joch), Italy

Prato allo Stelvio, Alto Adige, Italy

  • Target: 100% renewable energy
  • Status: Achieved
  • RES: Biomass heating plant, 4 small hydroelectric plants, rooftop solar and a wind farm.
  • Implementation: In 2010, Prato allo Stelvia, a small Italian town in the mountains, won the RES Champions League title for having the best policies to promote renewable energy. Today, it has achieved 100% renewable energy self-sufficiency. The town has installed several renewable energy technologies, including a 1.4 MW central biomass heating plant, 4 small hydroelectric plants totaling just over 2 MW,  5.4 MW of rooftop solar power spread throughout the town, and a 1.2 MW wind farm. This energy mix has brought many benefits to the citizens of Prato all Stelvia. The air is free of pollution from conventional power plants, and utility bills have been reduced by 30-40%. Moreover, in 2003, when nearly all of Italy suffered a massive black out, the town fared well even though it was still connected to the national grid,  thanks to its efficient locally operated grid powered by renewable power plants.
  • Population: 3 603 (2018)
  • Area: 51,49 km²
  • Link: https://www.e-werk-prad.it/it/
Prato allo Stelvio, Alto Adige, Italy

Varese Ligure, Italy

Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Varese Ligure, Italy

  • Target: 100% of renewable electricity.
  • Status: Achieved - 100% of renewable electricity supply in 2001.
  • RES: 4 wind turbines, and solar thermal systems.
  • Implementation: In the 1980s, Varese Ligure and its surroundings suffered from unemployment and de-population. The number of inhabitants had significantly dropped from 6,000 inhabitants to 2,155 (2010). In response, Maurizio Caranza, the mayor at the time, established a plan to transform the town into a destination for green and sustainable tourism through increasing the share of renewable energy and organic food products to 100%. Today, there are four wind turbines surrounding Varese Ligure producing about 8 GWh annually, which is more than three times of the town’s total electricity demand. The surplus electricity is fed into the national grid generating around 25,000 euros per year. Varese Ligure also uses solar power to heat the local swimming pool and to cover the energy demand of the town hall building to 98% and the secondary school building by 62%. Additional 8 kW is generated through hydropower and the municipality is exploring the use of wood pellets for heating. Since the shift to renewable energy supply, the number of inhabitants have stabilised at around 2400. Unemployment decreased with the creation of 140 new jobs in the renewable energy sector. The municipality is benefiting from 350,000 euros tax revenues each year from the private operator of the renewable energy network, while the number of tourists have substantially increased. Besides renewable energy, Varese Ligure is supplying 98% of its food demand with organic products from 108 organic farms, applying environmental friendly technology for water purification and achieving significant reductions in waste and pollution.
  • Population: 2,059 (2015)
  • Area: 136.3 km2 (52.6 sq mi)
  • Link: https://www.greenbiz.com/blog/2014/01/06/how-small-town-italy-became-model-sustainability
Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Varese Ligure, Italy
  • Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, Varese Ligure © Cyril Doussin CC BY-SA 2.0