Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) has published a paper on the current state of ocean energy research and development in Italy.
The position paper has originated from the need to gain visibility for the work and experience of an already existing network of ocean energy research and technology organizations, ENEA said.
It highlights possibilities for cooperation with small and medium enterprises (SMEs), large enterprises in the energy sector and other key players across the whole innovation chain, from product and process development to prototyping and demonstration, and finally to full-scale implementation.
The paper describes the expected positive impacts of the further growth of Italy’s ocean energy R&D on a wider range of connected economic sectors, and highlights the export opportunities for the most mature technologies and devices.
According to the paper, the main actors involved in R&D in the field are universities, spin-offs, SMEs and large enterprises, including CNR-INSEAN, the Polytechnic University of Turin, The University of Florence, the University of Tuscia, Waveenergy.it, 40South Energy, Enel Green Power, Wave For Energy, and RSE – Energy System Research.
The goal of the publication is to provide guidelines to policy makers in order to improve marine energy sector’s ability to attract both domestic and international investments and to unlock cost-reduction mechanisms.
ENEA said that this would in turn boost the sector’s growth, strengthen the expertise of the national industry and its role in the global market, and accelerate the deployment of marine renewable energy devices.