Robotics at the service of humankind Will the future belong to machines? That is the main question that arises when dealing with issues such as Robotics and Artificial Intelligence. Two disciplines that have literally revolutionized the way we do our business, radically changing its processes. Robotica.png Predicting the future is not up to us. However, we are certain of one thing: automation processes are the key to increasing the value of the people who work for the Hera Group. Robotics and Artificial Intelligence, in fact, have enabled us to automate all the repetitive and low value-added business processes. By doing so, we can let people have more time for more qualifying activities and enhance their intellectual capacity on processes that generate more value for the company. Thanks to the Robotic & Intelligent Process Automation platform, a project that is part of our Utilities 4.0 plan, we have obtained significant results, speeding up the process and making the operations more reliable in the 7 processes we have started in recent years: the management of the suppliers' DURC (Unified Certificate of Social Security Payments Compliance), the communications between seller and energy distributors, the seller's Order Entry process, the expense reports, the service notices related to waste management services, the work orders to replace meters in the networks and, lastly, the virtual assistant for planning meetings and booking meeting rooms. By introducing dashboards that monitor automated activities, we can act promptly on business processes, continually optimizing productivity and efficiency. The aim is to extend the scope of automated processes to new areas thanks to their continuous technological evolution, for example, with tools such as semantic text interpretation engines and optical character recognition (OCR) systems. The challenge to make our processes smarter and smarter is just beginning.

The Forlì remote control technology hub, the heart of Hera To run efficiently, cars need an engine that works optimally. Hera's engine is its Forlì Remote Control Technological Hub. This facility is unique in Italy and among the most advanced in Europe. It controls and monitors more than 6,600 plants and 67 thousand km of networks. telecontrollo_Forlì_FC.jpg Our sophisticated IT system enables us to remotely control the water, sewerage, gas, and district heating distribution networks in real-time, and covers Hera Group's entire service area. It enables us to continuously monitor malfunctions or failures and take direct action on the systems. In a control room of over 400 square meters, a team of 68 professionals controls the networks thanks to 130 monitors, 34 operating stations, and ten process engineering stations. Also, a giant 60 m2 screen enables operators to view networks and plants in real-time, monitoring them also using precise 3D representations, in addition to all the network operating parameters. The control room, the "heart" of Forlì's technological centre, receives over 9 million pieces of information daily through 360 thousand sensors installed throughout the local area. Every day, its operators handle about 8 thousand events or alarms coming from the field, with a broad range of criticality levels. The synergy between networks and the remote control centre is also ensured by the technical call centre, that supports the emergency response service, and handles around 340 thousand incoming calls per year, equal to an average of over 920 per day, and around 150 thousand outgoing calls. Thanks to the information received in real-time and the very detailed graphical representations, our technicians can immediately assess the extent of each report and activate the necessary actions, such as local emergency services. Remote control

The preventive maintenance of sewerage networks travels in space From up on a satellite, we can see if an aqueduct has leaks, and we can predict if our sewer networks need maintenance. Indeed, the most advanced technologies enable us to be even more efficient in managing the water cycle, transitioning from "fighting fires"' to taking "predictive" action, to prevent collector failure as much as possible. manutenzione reti fognarie.jpg The new pilot project uses data provided by satellites of the European Space Agency. By overlaying the satellite scan on the map of our sewerage networks, we can precisely assess the state of the land and infrastructure. If we find subsidence, we carry out an accurate video inspection to act pre-emptively. Modena, where we operate a total of 2,230 km of sewerage network, and Bologna, where we manage about 4,000, are leading the pilot project. The areas, where the plain is interspersed with hills and mountains, have similar characteristics. In total, the project covers more than 6,200 km of network, on a total area of almost 3,500 km2. We are implementing and refining this monitoring system. We plan to extend it to other infrastructures in the future. With the experimental use of satellite technologies, the Hera Group participates in EuroGEOSS, the European project that puts the most innovative IT systems for the observation of terrestrial phenomena at the service of the environment. The CNR, the Italian National Research Council also participates in the initiative. " We have been enthusiasts of innovation, the development of new technologies and their experimentation", says Franco Fogacci, Water Director of the Hera Group. "These systems, based on satellite tracking, the result of high-level international collaboration, are creating added value for the integrated water service that Hera operates in 239 Italian municipalities, for a catchment area of over 3.6 million inhabitants. no

Ferrara, the city of "green" heat ferrara citta verde.jpg A treasure is hiding under the soil of Ferrara. Not a chest full of gold coins nor a vault containing hidden works of art. It is a gift that nature gave this city. About two thousand metres under the Casaglia hamlet, there is a geothermal deposit from which water is drawn at around 100 °C. It is one of the world' s largest geothermal sources and a completely clean and renewable source of energy. This natural treasure makes Ferrara's district heating one of the most advanced geothermal plants in Europe. This reservoir, in fact, supplies 43% of the thermal energy to a 160 km long network that serves about 25 thousand housing units. Thanks to geothermal energy, combined with the recovery of the heat generated by the Via Diana waste-to-energy plant, 87% of the heat we distribute in Ferrara is "green". This result is confirmed by the recent Carbon Footprint certification validated by SGS, according to which Hera district heating helps the city of Ferrara to save 22 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions per year. The Hera Group, partnered with Enel Green Power in a specially created temporary grouping of companies, has been managing this treasure trove of clean energy since the end of 2019. We began this process in 2017, when we obtained the concession to exploit the geothermal reservoir in the Ferrara subsoil, and we recently completed it by acquiring the Casaglia geothermal power plant. Thanks to this operation, we expect to increase the Ferrara district heating system's use of geothermal energy by a further 23% by 2023, compared to the 2016-2019 average. In recent years, our strategy has had a single objective: to boost district heating in the city and create an advantage in both the residential and production markets. For example, under an agreement with the Municipality of Ferrara, customers who convert their systems, installing a district heating controller, already receive an 80% discount on the installation. District heatign no

Wastewater "gets beautiful" with ultrasound treatment Wastewater is all the water that, after having been used in domestic, agricultural, and industrial activities, must be treated before being returned to the environment. This water contains a solid part – sludge – which is removed during treatment. But, in addition to giving a new life to wastewater, can we also make the sludge life cycle circular, by reducing the amount to be disposed of? Back in 2017, we started research to answer these questions, and, once again, we decided to invest in new technologies to lighten the impact on the environment and be more virtuous. In November 2019, our efforts became a reality, thanks to the ultrasound sludge hydrolysis system, installed at the Forlì treatment plant. In this system, part of the sludge from the wastewater treatment process is subjected to sound waves. The waves, in contact with the liquid matrix to be treated, biodegrade more volatile solids, increasing biogas production, and reducing the final dry matter in the sludge. All this makes it possible to significantly reduce the volume of sludge to be disposed of and opens up new scenarios for the use of the biogas obtained thanks to the ultrasound system. During 2020 the initial results will be reported and we look forward to sharing the successes of this new adventure with you. 110_150_depurazione.1597408821.jpg no

Hergoambiente, waste bin speaking What would a waste bin say if it could talk? Probably incredible stories of extraordinary everyday life. But above all, it could tell us some practical information: where it is, if it has been damaged and if the time has come to be emptied. We thought it was impossible to make our waste bins talk. But nothing is impossible when you want to provide a useful service to your local area. hergoambiente.jpg Thanks to HergoAmbiente, the "intelligent" system designed and implemented by the Hera Group to support waste collection and street cleaning, we "tagged" each of the 300 thousand bins of our network, giving them a first name, a last name and a voice. By doing so, we can always be updated in real-time on any information concerning them, from where they are to how they are working, and when they were last emptied. With Hera, it's not just the waste bins talking. Thanks to HergoAmbiente's dedicated technologies and cutting-edge IT systems, we have also assigned a unique identity to all other assets, including vehicles, drop-off points, and plants, to locate them in space, organise their activities over time and evaluate the quality of the services we provide. It is an extraordinary opportunity at the service of local communities. HergoAmbiente thinks and works as a network, i.e. a network of people and devices interconnected with each other, able to govern all the processes through which its waste management services work: design, planning, operational planning, reporting management, field execution, reporting and... redesigning services, because the data analysis can always help to define and achieve new customized objectives. What's our objective? To improve the quality, effectiveness and efficiency of services for the local area, optimising resources and ensuring real-time traceability of the waste we collect. A project, in short, the initiatives of which are part of the Hera Group's Utilities 4.0 plan, which is being extended every year with new ideas: in 2019, as part of the cassONetto Smarty smart waste bin project, we developed the innovative functionality that enables citizens to open the electronic waste disposal device using the "The Wasteologist" app, with NFC (Near Field Communication), without using their card. In its waste management services, HergoAmbiente exponentially increases the value of available information by blending the contexts they are located in, geo-referencing them, connecting them together, and transforming them into a treasure trove of knowledge which can be promptly used to continuously improve the service provided to citizens. With a drastic reduction in data entry and data transmission errors. Thanks to HergoAmbiente, in fact, it is possible to: know and keep up to date on the number and position of waste containers in the service area and their condition (for example, to know if they have already been emptied and when); seek continuous improvement in the design and operational scheduling of services; track waste collection and street-sweeping in a timely manner; quickly and flexibly organise the workforce; ensure the timely collection of information from the field sent at the end of the shift by Hera operators and subcontractors that are carrying out part of the services; exactly determine the current "productivity" of a collection centre, a drop-off point or even of a single bin; increase the efficiency of the service for the collection of bulky waste; complement the flow of information from call centres and apps such as The Wasteologist, translating it into corresponding services to be performed; produce reports aimed at carrying out precise analyses of our services, with a view to transparency towards citizens and institutions. With HergoAmbiente it is now possible to know the real position of the bins in the local area, to know if they have already been emptied and when. The benefits of HERGOAMBIENTE

Hera and General Electric together for energy recovery An experimental and innovative project with an ambitious goal: energy recovery and lower consumption of fossil fuels by decompressing the methane gas distributed in urban networks. general electric (1).jpg The exclusive agreement between Hera Group and General Electric specifically involves installing a turbo expander at the R&M stations (gas delivery points) of the Ducati factory in Bologna. It is a medium-small turbo expander (330 kW electric), which can be installed in medium-sized R&M stations, that in combination with a heat pump that uses CO2 as a thermal carrier fluid, recovers part of the electric energy to preheat the gas used in the process. In 2019, we completed all the production start-up activities and started the provisional running phase, in order to carry out all the performance and endurance tests. It is scheduled to start operating at full capacity in the second half of 2020. Once the testing is completed, if the expected performance is confirmed, this technology can be installed in other methane gas decompression stations of the Hera Group. The project, moreover, contributes to achieving target 7.3 of the UN’s 2030 Agenda.

Innovation takes flight and offers a variety of perspectives Cameras on. Three, two, one... take one! Or maybe it would be better to say... Go! Our drones are off. Yes, you got that right. To ensure high quality services, we have invested in the most modern technologies, such as drones, which have become alternative and complementary investigative tools for the Hera Group. innovazione spicca il volo (1).jpeg Drones offer us countless opportunities in the management of essential services, such as checking the status of power lines, which can present problems that are difficult for ground-based operators to identify. We use helicopters to inspect the nearly 1,500 km of overhead power lines under our responsibility. Drones also enable us to protect our service areas by checking for possible illegal discharges and observing the filling status of landfills, and offer increasingly timely services by monitoring the upgrades of public lighting, observing tanks and roofs. Not only that: specially designed drones support us in sewer inspection, providing accurate data to help optimise our work. Our drones soar through the sky but also dive under water. Indeed, to offer higher and higher quality standards, special aquatic drones enable us to analyse the state of drinking water tanks, and of reservoirs without emptying them, giving us information about the collectors even if they are filled with murky water. For us, leveraging innovation to contribute to the development of the local area and promoting efficient use of resources are the pillars of a broader project: creating Shared Value. For some time, we have been using cutting-edge technology that goes beyond drones, like satellite scanning. With this system, we can remotely assess the stability of the sewer collectors, pre-locate leaks in the water networks, and monitor landslides in our Apennine service area, to prevent problems in the gas networks.