andrea battaglini federico pavesi carlo salandi veronica toppetta

Andrea Battaglini

Federico Pavesi

Carlo Salandi

Veronica Toppetta

Thanks to: Wind Power:

Italian Technologies China’s Development & Future Perspectives

Linz Electric: an interesting story!

• Interview to engineer Biondani

• Free Tree innovation

• Competition with the Giants

• Wind power future in Italy

• Worldwide situation of energy business

• Wind power in Italy : history and development

• The Italian answer to the future : Linz Electric - The Free Tree technology

• The case of Sicily

• Interview to engineer Biondani

Agenda

Is Italy ready to meet the giants?

World Wind Energy Associationhttp://www.wwindea.org/home/index.php

Worldwide situation

World market for wind turbines: 16 GW of new capacity added

China: largest market• 7,800 MW within 6 months• total installation of 34 GW

USA: still number one• total capacity of 36 GW• only 1,200 MW in new installations

With an expected total increase of 15 GW this year, China will most likely become # 1 in terms of total capacity

A Comparison of Wind Power Industry Development Strategies in Spain, India and ChinaSource: BTM, 2007; Wiser and Bolinger, 2007; company financial reports, and author’s calculations

Worldwide situation 2007

Blown away: China and America added most wind capacity in 2009The Economist, February 2010

“[…] installed wind capacity in the United States grew by 9.9 gigawatts (GW) to reach 35.2GW by the end of last year, according to a new report from the Global Wind Energy Council. But America's reign could be short-lived as China continues its enormous rate of increase. For the fifth year running China nearly doubled its capacity, adding 13GW of installed power and overtaking Spain in the process. […]”

Worldwide situation 2009


Worldwide situation 2010 (1st half)

Il Report Eolico 2008/2009 published by Associazione Produttori di Energia da Fonti Rinnovabili http://www.giann.net/?p=420

Government commitments

Investments Technology

Policies to support and boost the local wind turbine manufacturers

Government provides support for R&D under the CIEMAT

Vertically integrated firms, JV with Vestas

MNES; National Guidelines for Clearance of Wind

Long term contract with producers at a fixed tariff price

Headquarters in Aarhus,collaboration with Sudwind

Provisions for Grid-Connected Wind Farm Management

government and strategic investors to raise capital

Policies encourage joint-venture and mandate locally-made wind turbines

The Renewable Energy Sources Act

system service bonus was introduced for new turbines

Developed on its own

GAMESA

SUZLON

JINFENG

ENERCON

General analysis of top players

• The lack of national law or a regulatory act on the wind is considered one of the causes of the slow diffusion of technology

…however…

• Huge potential in the south (especially the islands with the offshore)

Il Report Eolico 2008/2009 published by Associazione Produttori di Energia da Fonti Rinnovabili http://www.giann.net/?p=420

Italian position in wind energy industry

http://www.up2maps.net/maps/ferragio66/Italy/italia_-_energia_eolica_al_2008_-mw-.html

Wind power in Italy: history and

development

Wind power in Italy: the genesis

Beginning of the 20th century

The Vivarelli Company installed numerous multi-blade windmills in Tuscany, most of them were used to run water pumps.

In the 19th century, the Industrial Revolution forced coal-poor countries like Italy to pay greater attention to local energy sources: hydro and wind

Wind power in Italy from the late 1970s to the present, Luciano Pirazzi from ENEA & Cesare Silvi from GSES

During the first part of the 20th century new constructions were born.The main example is the wind engine built in Capracotta (1936)

Rome, August 1961The UN Conference on New Sources of Energy and Energy Development helped to increase the interest in wind energy in our country

A leader in those first steps is Arnaldo Maria Angelini who reviewed the advantages and drawbacks of implementing the wind energy for electricity generation


Wind power in Italy: the genesis(cont’d)

Wind power in Italy: the crises

1973: The first oil’s crisisItaly reconsiders its energy policies with a strong bias in favor of nuclear energy

In 1975 a National Energy Plan was approved, that suddenly faced difficulties of implementation mainly due to the second oil’s crisis. In the same years, the accident at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant occurred

Disappointment was common at that time.A review of the country’s nuclear power development plan was needed, with a closer focus on the alternative energy-procurement solution


Wind power in Italy: the rebirth

In 1979 (Three Mile Island, USA): CNR, the National Committee for Nuclear Energy, Enel, AERITALIA, Fiat Group jointed the common resources in order to build new R&D programs aimed at promoting the wind power to generate electricity.

Law 308/1982 “Regulation regarding the limitation of energy consumption, the development of renewable energy sources and power plants operating with non-hydrocarbon fuels”

INTRODUCTION OF GOVERNMENT FUNDING FOR PROJECTS AIMED AT GENERATING ELECTRICITY FROM RENEWABLES


After The Chernobyl disaster (1986), Italy decided through a referendum (1987) to discontinue to the nuclear power

Wind power in Italy: the rebirth(cont’d)

2001 the aggregate capacity of Italian wind power

700 MW

In 1995 was only 25 MW


In 1991 CNR conducted an investigation about the wind resources in Italy : the highest ranked were the two islands.

In 1988 the National Energy Plan was rewritten this time specifying the target capacity of wind-powered generators to be installed in the country: 300MW or 600 MW if large-sized became available

Italian Vento Power Corporation founded in 1993

Source: Data from Terna IS24

The trend shows a continuous growth in the production of wind energy.


Wind power in Italy: the rebirth(cont’d)

The industry’s commercial success began in 1996, thanks to the company

Wind power in Italy: the last years

New incentive system adopted after the Kyoto Protocol - Italy felt the influence of international agreements and started to apply EU Measures significantly in the late 1990s.

Deregulation of the electricity market

National White Book on the Use of Renewable Sources approved by CIPE, 1999


Wind power in Italy: the last years(cont’d)

Two reasons:

1. The birth of “green certificates”2. The opposition from local movements worried for the environment and the landscape’s impact of the wind turbines


Wind power is growing in Italy, but still the numbers are small with reference to those of other European countries like Spain or Denmark…

WHY?

Despite all the efforts to develop new models, Italy in the first years of 2000s had not come up with a model of its own that could compete with those offered by the competitors.

But things are positively changing…


Problems

Wind Italian Players

Wikipediahttp://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Eolico2008.jpg

The Italian answer:Linz Electric

The Free Tree technology

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gbTfxVkVeeQ

Linz Electric is an industrial company working in the energy field, specialized in the planning, production and sale of alternators and rotating welders

Linz Electric

TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE

• Height 1.95m blades• Diameter 1.77m• Aesthetic Plastic Cover• Speed Cut-in 3.4m / s• Power 1.2kW at 14m / s• RPM 400rpm to 14m / s• System Weight 65kg• Electromechanical brake• Start self-Generat hours:• Type three-phase permanent magnet• 450V maximum generator output at 140Hz• AC-DC converter• Output 1.2kW 230V-4.3 Amps

It is small, light, and customizable to reduce as more as possible the

environmental impactIt is affordable, and easy to implantIT IS AN INNOVATON THAT SOLVES

THE PROBLEM!

Free Tree

The case of Sicily

The use of windmills in Sicily dates back to 12th century

Many of them were built at the salt works on the Trapani coast

Large salt-grinding windmills began to appear around the 16th century

The Ettore Infersa Saltworks was recently restored similarlyto a Tuscan design attributed to Leonardo Da Vinci

Offshore wind farm in Italy : The Sicily case by Cecilia Camporeale, Enea Owemes 2006

Sicily

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wmsB1t7LlM

How does an offshore turbine work?(cont’d)

Source : Project NOSTRUM http://www.areasicilia.com/eco08/immagini/energia/Gaudiosi.pdf

http://www.areasicilia.com/eco08/immagini/energia/Gaudiosi.pdf

There is a connection between the offshore turbines and the mainland

Steps are:

1) Founding2) Rotor3) Nacelle4) Electric Cable5) Transformer6) Power Station

Land

The offshore wind energy model

Source : Project NOSTRUM http://www.areasicilia.com/eco08/immagini/energia/Gaudiosi.pdf


In the last years Sicily has improved the quality of its energy released

This region has become a net exporter of energy

Sicily is geo-morphological and climate favored

Offshore Wind Farm seem to be profitable, but…

Offshore wind farm in Italy : The Sicily case by Cecilia Camporeale, Enea Owemes 2006Is there a future for Offshore Wind Energy Plants in Sicily? Sesto Avolio Camillo Ferrara Eolica s.r.l.

Why Sicily?

Other things should be taken into consideration:

WHERE? : The choice of the site it is fundamental

After the calculations about the wind’s speed a classification is decided

HOW MUCH? : Considering initial investment and return rate

Then an economic valuation is drafted..

And the result is….


Why Sicily?(cont’d)

Sicily has many perfect sites to implant offshore farms but problems are all always around ..

Mindset of inhabitants worried to destroy the landscape

Fishing problems Solved by a Danish study

Benefits?Low cost energy

Reduction of the unemployment

Create a common sensibility


Why Sicily?(cont’d)

Interview to engineer Dora Biondani project manager of Free Tree

Interview to engineer Dora Biondani, project manager of Free Tree

How would you define nowadays the situation on wind power in Italy?“This market is a strange one. We should consider that the main wind sources of Italy are concentrated in the south and in the islands. There is another thing to point out: sometimes local factors are not monitored, if considered too small or not so relevant.”

Can you describe the innovation behind the Free Tree?“The real innovation is not simply the outward, that is surely appealing and responding to the common problems of wind turbines, but the technical characteristic. Free Tree responds to certification that are still not required by law in Italy , and it is also a precursor in the European landscape. Free Tree has a double braking system, also with a mechanical braking. Moreover it has only one tie beam that allows it to have better performance.”

Where are you going to distribute it?“We have one rule in Linz: do not install a Free Tree with a wind power below 5-6 m/s. After the expositions we have received requests from America, both USA and South America, Australia. Regarding Europe we are interested in the most windy countries like Spain, Portugal and Northern countries. Despite that, our first interest is to develop a culture for Free Tree in our country.” Do you consider China more a competitor or still a huge potential market?“China is developing new technologies in this field but this market is a complex one. They create technologies that are cheaper, but less resistant than the European ones.”

Are you worried that exporting high technology will increase the risk of faking?“Of course this possibility exists, but it is not the first time that we export in this country and we have learned how to deal with this kind of situations.”

Interview to engineer Dora Biondani, project manager of Free Tree (cont’d)

Do you protect your product with patents, also in China?“Yes we do. We do start the procedures with Italian patents, then European and at last International ones.”

Is the firm vertically integrated?“We produce the main components of Free Tree, some of them are smaller such as the blades and they are in glass fiber and always produced in Italy ,in Murano.”

Does the Free Tree technology have received any prize?“Yes, Free Tree won the Energy For Life competition, and was allowed to be showed in the Italian Pavilion at the Expo 2010 in Shanghai.”


In your opinion, will Italian firms be able to survive the Dragon’s Era?“If you consider this type of technology it is important to underline that professionalism is fundamental. When you buy a Free Tree you do not buy only the object but above all you buy experience and the service before and after sale. Sometimes to be good and well appreciated in this field you have to say no, if in your opinion there are not the base conditions to install wind turbine.”


18.3

5%

17.0

9%

13.9

2%

9.49

%

9.26

%

6.95

%

5.06

%

3.79

%

13.2

9%

3.16

%

Questions&

Answers

http://www.free-tree.com/

References


Is there a future for Offshore Wind Energy Plants in Sicily? Sesto Avolio Camillo Ferrara Eolica s.r.l.



The Economist, February 2010

A Comparison of Wind Power Industry Development Strategies in Spain, India and ChinaSource: BTM, 2007; Wiser and Bolinger, 2007; company financial reports, and author’s calculations

http://www.wwindea.org/home/index.php/




1) Will the Italian technology be able to support the comparison with the giant

Chinese one? Yes, certainly. In terms of technology the Chinese are growing but are not

yet at optimal levels.

2) Do you think that exporting new technologies in emerging markets exposes us to the risk of plagiarism?

The risk is real and it is constant, because of the "modus operandi" that some developing countries and global deregulation.

Interview to engineer Francesco Mollame, Project manager at Protecna s.r.l. Appendix

Interview to engineer Francesco Mollame, Project manager at Protecna s.r.l.

3) Are the offshore wind farms in Sicily a successful project? Yes, however, should be found solutions that take account of choices and lower environmental impact especially areas that should be banned for their natural value are to be protected. Thus on the port areas, industrial areas near the coast (Milazzo, Augusta, Termini Imerese, Gela) should be fine.

4) What do you think about the development of the wind industry? In this wind (that of megawatts) is growing and I think it will in the future. But I think new developments in "small wind". The Italy in general, the production of energy from renewable sources (including photovoltaics) has been developed by several large investors who have carried out and are making mega-facilities. The intention of the legislature was, however, and is also designed to promote small crafts, industry and in general the private construction of small facilities spread throughout the country. The small wind turbines in many areas may find it useful development.

Appendix

6) China has been doubling for more than a few years its ability to use wind power, this makes this country a more viable market or a competitor?China is a "problem" if we want to define it as a matter of scale: in China, when it comes to labor, output, etc. .. etc. .. the numbers of which we are used must We add some zero then it may be a potential market and a competitor at the same time, in either case we must be prepared to deal with numbers higher than ours. So it is better to focus on quality, ideas and technological readiness.

Interview to engineer Francesco Mollame, Project manager at Protecna s.r.l.

5) Sicily poses itself as a protagonist in the Italian wind energy scenario, which roles will it play in future developments? In Sicily, the wind parks at least one of several megawatts have already been some progress, now is the brakes for several reasons: first the issue landscape, too many people think that this huge blade scar the landscape. Then the bureaucracy that hampers the natural, the operating arm of an atavistic cultural resistance to the development and innovations. Personally I think it is the cleanest form of energy production and therefore should also be encouraged in the acceleration of authorization procedures.

Appendix

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