Pantelleria becomes “Smart Island”: Renewables, energy efficiency and electric transport to protect the environment

An agreement has been signed between the Municipality of Pantelleria, S.Med.E. and Terna Plus for a project to integrate clean energy and storage systems
Greater efficiency, less pollution, lower costs and positive impacts on the environment, tourism and quality of life, thanks to the planned solutions
The project forms part of Terna's strategy for a modern, intelligent, innovative, and high-tech future for islands which are not connected to the national electricity grid

Renewable energy production plants, energy storage systems, a new electric transport system, and works to increase energy efficiency and reduce atmospheric CO2 emissions: these are the innovative solutions brought together by Terna Plus, the Terna Group company which develops and manages Non-Regulated Activities, with the support of the Municipality of Pantelleria and S.Med.E., conceived and designed to make the island an example of sustainability and cutting-edge technology capable of offering clear benefits for the economy and the environment.
The first step in the project 'Pantelleria Smart Island' was made today, with the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Municipality of Pantelleria, S.Med.E. Pantelleria - the company that produces and distributes electricity on the island, and Terna Plus. The aim of the agreement is to increase the spread of clean energy across the island, at the same time reducing use of fossil fuels, for the production of electricity. Thanks to integrated smart grid management, these actions will allow a reduction in pollution, improving environmental conditions and the quality of life of the citizens of Pantelleria. In addition, these aspects will have positive impacts on tourism, which is a precious component of the island's economy, as it is famous around the world for its outstanding natural beauty, largely of volcanic origin.
All of the solutions identified by Terna, the Municipality of Pantelleria and the company S.Med.E. - which has demonstrated its willingness to effect changes toward a more environmentally friendly business model - will be specially designed to combine the requirements of the electricity service with landscape considerations, therefore employing structures which cover the least area possible as well as minimising interference and impacts in areas of environmental, natural and archaeological importance.
More specifically, the terms of the agreement set out that Terna Plus shall work on the promotion, planning, design and implementation of a series of works, including:

construction of diffused photovoltaic plants, thermal solar plants for the production of hot water and mini wind-powered systems, giving priority to industrial and run-down areas and those needing regeneration;
increased energy efficiency, with works aimed at reducing CO2 emissions, also thanks to the use of gas and smoke recovery systems and changes to the existing production systems;
creation of energy storage systems able to stockpile excess energy and then reintroduce it into the grid when demand is high;
active management of electricity demand, controlling main loads on the island in order to reduce usage of energy from fossil fuels;
transformation of the transport system, from the current, traditional system to a new smart system with lower impacts and electric cars and charging points.

On the island of Pantelleria, in fact, as on other islands not connected to the national grid and managed by small electricity companies, the production of electricity is normally entrusted to diesel generators - which lose into the environment about three quarters of the energy in the form of waste heat - with a great impact from the point of view of noise and emissions of harmful fumes. As well as having particularly great impacts on the environment, the electricity thus produced has a cost on average six times higher than the continental price, which translates into bills more than € 60 million higher every year on a national basis. Currently, the Municipality of Pantelleria is self sufficient from the point of view of production and distribution of electricity, but it uses fossil fuels for nearly all of its electricity needs, with annual production of around 44 thousand MWh per year. Generation from renewables, on the other hand, is still very limited, despite the territory having significant development potential. This has prompted the approach to progressively integrate traditional production with renewable production with a target of 30% of total production from renewable sources.
Terna represents the perfect partner for the planning and implementation of this project thanks to the great experience and skills it has built up over the years in the field of renewable systems and storage systems, and application of highly specialised knowledge which has allowed the company to become an example of excellence at international level in the use of technological solutions and smart grids for the transmission and dispatching of electricity.
The plan to make Pantelleria, known as the 'daughter of the winds', a territory focused on renewable energy and energy efficiency, forms part of a wider Terna project which also extends to other Italian islands which are not connected to the national transmission grid: a similar agreement was signed last year to make Giglio Island the first smart island in Italy.