Energy efficiency improvement
Energy efficiency is one of the most critical global challenges, and countries around the world are setting several goals to address it.
In 2018, with the update of the Energy Efficiency Directive, part of the Clean Energy for all Europeans package, the European Union raised its energy efficiency targets from +30% to +32.5%, relative to a "business as usual" scenario. However, it will be necessary to increase them further to adapt them to the new and challenging objectives of the European Commission's Green Deal. In January 2020, Italy sent the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (Piano Nazionale Integrato per l’Energia e il Clima – PNIEC) to Brussels, in which it set out the country's contribution to achieving these goals. With regard to energy efficiency, the PNIEC intends to exceed the objectives set by the SEN (National Energy Strategy of 2017) and of the Italian national energy efficiency plan (Piano Nazionale di Efficienza Energetica of 2017) by establishing a reduction in primary energy consumption by 2030 equal to 125 Mtoe, which is -43% compared to the reference scenario of the European Union's PRIMES (a partial equilibrium modelling energy system, used for developing forecasts, scenarios and impact analysis of policies and measures in the energy sector to 2030).
In 2018, the White Certificates mechanism, the world's first experience in promoting energy efficiency in use, registered a 34% decrease in certificates issues compared to 2017. Alongside this, the Conto Termico incentive, which promotes the efficiency improvement of small plants by producing thermal energy from renewable sources, was very successful in 2018 with a 122% increase in the volume of requests compared to the 2013-2017 period.
NZEB (Nearly Zero Energy Buildings) are buildings designed to use passive energy sources, such as the sun, for heating. Sustainable architecture, however, is only a starting point: in existing buildings, home automation enables an integrated management of the various systems of a house, but the habits of individuals significantly affect energy consumption.
Hera for energy efficiency
The Group’s focus on energy efficiency is reflected by its ISO 50001 certification for the energy management systems of eight of its member companies: AcegasApsAmga Spa, AcegasApsAmga Servizi Energetici, Aresgas, Hera Spa, Hera Luce, Hera Servizi Energia, Inrete Distribuzione Energia, and Marche Multiservizi. Also, Herambiente achieved ISO 50001 certification for some of its plants.
By the end of 2019, the Energy Improvement Plan had completed about 300 measures, since 2014. The measures saved over 11,700 toe (more than 491 thousand GJ), amounting to 5.1% of the 2013 consumption, achieving in advance the target set for 2020. The more than 340 measures identified and that at 31 December 2019 are included in the improvement plans of Hera Spa, InRete, AcegasApsAmga and Marche Multiservizi will reduce energy consumption by over 13,000 toe, 5.9% of 2013 consumption.
HERA Group's energy consumption (371 thousand toe in 2019)
Renewable Energy
The 2019 PNIEC defined the target of renewable energy penetration in final energy consumption as 30% by 2030. The Italian target is slightly lower than the European target (32%) set by the 2018 Renewable Energy Directive update. Compared to the 2020 target, Italy has already reached the target but there is still great variability among the different EU countries.
In 2017, the spread of renewable energy for domestic power generation accounted for just over a third of total generation (34.1%), ranking Italy as one of Europe's leading countries in photovoltaics and wind power. Thanks to heat pumps and biomass, by 2017, 20% of energy in the heat sector came from renewable sources.
Hera for renewable energy
58% of the energy produced by the Group comes from renewable sources and cogeneration. In addition, 74% of the Group's consumption is covered by electricity from renewable sources. Hera's attention is also focused on customers: in 2019, Hera Comm once again ensured that all households in the free market would be supplied with electricity from renewable sources. Lastly, in 2019, about 6.5 million cubic metres of biomethane were fed into the network by the Sant'Agata Bolognese plant, used to power four city buses, about twenty taxis and four petrol stations for private individuals in Bologna.
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