Rome, November 26 (Adnkronos) – Green Deal or Green Meltdown? The assessment regarding the energy transition, reducing the use of fossil fuels, the use of renewable energies and the promotion of sustainable industrial models emerged from discussions this morning at the European Annual Report ‘Green Deal or Green Crash’, an event organized by Istud Business School, together with the Cottino Social Impact Campus of Turin (AdnKronos among media partners).
The European Green Deal should have been the goal, but instead it has become a means. “This is not a path that can guarantee a sustainable future – begins Danilo Bonato, director of Strategic Development and Institutional Relations at Erion Compliance Organization – but an obstacle to growth disguised as a green revolution. If this is the prospect of an ecological transition, we risk handing industrial dominance to China, thereby paying a very high price in terms of competitiveness and autonomy.
The Green Deal of course determines the economic impact “mainly due to the use of low-emission raw materials – comments Alessandro Bottarelli, Sustainability Leader, Abb Electrification Smart Power Division – and the decarbonization of production sites, as well as environmental reporting activities. This means increased costs but also competitiveness, considering that sustainability is also a discriminating element in the industrial sector, which unfortunately cannot yet be monetized”. “Management – explains Marella Caramazza, general director of Istud Business School and Member of the Council of the Cottino Social Impact Campus – for us is a scientific discipline with a strong social orientation, which can play an important role in generating positive impacts starting from the definition of new business models, evaluation of investments, definition of new metrics and expected behavior”.
Also pay attention to circular economy issues and recycling plastic waste. “We need to start with other forms of recycling – explains Roberto Sancinelli, president of Montello Spa – which can not only recycle ‘plastic into plastic’ but can also become ‘plastic into fuel’, ‘plastic into solid fuel or gas’ for use in place of primary fossil fuels, recycling into energy for self-consumption plastic that can no longer be recycled”.
What is the solution to high energy costs for businesses and families? According to Valentino Piana, Director of the Economics Web Institute and Senior Climate Strategist at the European Network of Living Labs, professor at Yonsei University and member of the United Nations mobility task force, “to consumers who want to save money, the green economy offers cars that cost less than they spend today, removable panels (therefore suitable for those who rent and live in apartments) that have a payback period of only one year, insulation and heating systems that cost less when we retire. Workers who want to have a stable residence and secure employment it would be crazy to choose to work in a sector with outdated technology, temporarily protected by unsustainable tariffs.”
For Paolo Peroni of Rödl&Partner, “business and society feel the need to reduce electricity costs and achieve the highest levels of autonomy and energy independence. The closest, most concrete and realistic solution today is renewable energy, the deployment of which will find a new driving force in storage systems (BESS), in renewable energy communities and in PPAs between companies and green energy producers, for the much sought-after benefits of sustainability and competitiveness”.
In the energy sector, Italy has experienced significant developments in renewable resources in recent years, with increasing investment in photovoltaics, wind power and storage. That is the analysis of Professor Alessandro Marangoni, Althesys Strategic Consultant, scientific director of Irex, the main think tank in Italy on renewable energy and energy efficiency. “By 2024, the Irex Althesys Annual Report has mapped out 121 billion euros and 86.6 GW of renewable energy projects, with growth of 60% compared to the previous year – he added – However, only some will be built, with authorization procedures and the Nimby phenomenon still hampering large projects. Many are still dependent on fuel and the bill costs are not falling.”
The penetration of non-emission renewable energy – explains Riccardo Bani, president of Teon – in the thermal sector which accounts for 55% of final energy consumption, in Italy it is only 5%. The evolution of heat pump technology (which is an important production chain in Italy) today allows its efficient and widespread use even in existing buildings equipped with traditional radiators without having to incur invasive costs in residential units but by replacing old boilers and in many industrial processes (food, paper, textile, pharmaceutical, healthcare) with cost savings of between 40 and 70%”.
Green Deal works when it is easy to use. Massimiliano Braghin, president and Co-Founder of Infinityhub Spa Benefits, thinks so. “When everyone truly wins and when knowledge becomes common and information and awareness are widespread – he said – Technology already exists, but there is still a lack of awareness and deep exchange of information between those who produce it, design it, those who finance it and those who use it. Capital and finance follow and multiply with trust, and shared experience and trust are a great accelerator so that open governance and replicable models are also born.
This rationale introduces the topic of Artificial Intelligence (AI) which can contribute to the green transition in many ways. Andrea Farinet, professor of Economics and Business Management at Liuc-Università Cattaneo and president of the Socialing Institute explains: “AI can intervene in the management of energy networks, in the optimization of consumption in buildings, industry and transport, it can reduce waste and increase efficiency in environmental monitoring, making it possible to reduce errors and extend the life of factories and infrastructure, reducing costs and impact on the environment. However, AI is not without limits: the most complex models require large amounts of energy and construction is very energy-consuming. This means that artificial intelligence can become a strong supporter of sustainability only if engineering more efficient designs, more energy efficient algorithms, and infrastructure powered by renewable resources are implemented.”
So, Green Deal or Green Meltdown? At a time when a severe industrial and technological identity crisis is occurring, Europe risks giving up a very important part of its identity by “taking refuge in the false illusion – starting from Mario Calderini, Milan Polytechnic School of Management, Scientific Advisor Cottino Social Impact Campus, member of the European Commission’s expert committee on the Social Economy – that excessive attention to climate and society is the main problem of the loss of its financial and industrial competitiveness. This is a question of reconciling the two trajectories represented by sustainability and technological innovation, which have historically been separate. Companies are focusing on achieving sustainability goals which are easier to achieve. implemented, while riskier goals, more affected by trade-offs, but with higher potential, have been neglected.”
“Among citizens – concludes columnist and essayist Maurizio Guandalini, chairman of the event, one of the most qualified independent analysts of the global financial system – there is, on the one hand, the awareness of carrying the burden of sacrifice for the sake of benefits that will be enjoyed by others, by future generations and, on the other hand, that the climate change we are experiencing will be irreversible. The challenge is to be able to combine economic growth and environmental protection.”
