ITALY

RESEARCH & DEVELOPMENT

KEY R&D INSTITUTIONS AND RELEVANT R&D PROJECTS

Key players involved in research regarding the exploitation of marine energy to produce energy are universities. Among these, the University of Naples “Federico II” is distinguished for its GEM project started in 2003. In fact, the public/private consortium SEAPOWER Scarl (www.seapowerscrl.com), formed by a private company and the University of Naples, thanks to the collaboration between ADAG applied research group of the Department of Industrial Engineering - Aerospace Division, University of Naples “Federico II” and Eng. Nicola Giorgio Morrone, developed one of the most attractive project of the last period in the field of renewable energy production using marine sources, GEM, The Ocean’s Kite (http://www.seapowerscrl.com/ocean-and-river-system/gem). The SEAPOWER public/private consortium is waiting for the final permit to set up and manage a real test field laboratory in the Strait of Messina opened to Italian and to foreign companies for testing their tidal current devices in the Strait of Messina. The laboratory will provide assistance in deploying the devices, data handling and certification for the prototypes installed and tested in the area available to the consortium. The consortium is waiting for the final permit to build the laboratory.

Wave tank test on 1:5 model scale of the Seapower system

In the field of wave energy, SEAPOWER has also started a cooperation with Umbra Group (www.umbragroup.it), world leader company in ball screws and linear actuators, to develop a system aimed to harvest energy from wave motion. The system has been designed keeping it as simple as possible with reliability and survivability as main driving criteria.

Numerical and experimental tests on 1:5 scaled model have already been performed in the towing tank of the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Naples “Federico II”. Set up and validation of numerical codes have already been done as well as shape optimization procedure in order to maximize the power output given the sea state. A 60 kW prototype is being designed to be deployed on the Italian coast in order to verify its performance in real field.

R&D PROJECTS
A list of the projects that Politecnico di Torino (POLITO) managed/currently manages along with a brief description regarding the objectives of each project is given below:

• National project “Evaluation of Effective Productivity of Floating System for Energy Generation from Mediterranean Saw Wave” (2011-2012): In the frame of the Italian national agreement between ENEA and the Ministry of Economic Development on the National Energy Research Set Plan, a special contract was signed (2011-2012). The partnership is formed by POLITO and ENEA aiming at the evaluation of the effective productivity of floating system for sea wave energy conversion.
   
• Regional project S.PO.S.DE.T. “Self Powered Floating Device for Sea Traffic Detection and Transmission” - Regione Piemonte (2009-2011): In the frame of the regional research plan (Regione Piemonte), a project was financed regarding the development of ISWEC, an innovative device (scale 1:8 with respect to the Pantelleria typical wave) for energy generation and sea wave energy conversion. The complex system is currently under testing at the Pantelleria premises and further development is foreseen.
   
• Regional project PROMO - Produzione di Energia da Moto Ondoso - Regione Piemonte (2012-2014): In the frame of regional research plan (Regione Piemonte) Politecnico di Torino has received a grant for design, development and testing of a full scale device for sea wave energy conversion. Politecnico di Torino, in cooperation with Wave for Energy, is currently working for the device integration on the energy power grid, in order to evaluate the quality of energy produced from renewable sources.
   
• Regional project REMOTO - Produzione di Energia da Moto Ondoso - Regione Siciliana (2013-2015): In the frame of regional research plan (Regione Sicilia), Wave for Energy and other partners have received a grant for deployment and grid connection of a full scale device for sea wave energy conversion.

PARTICIPATION IN COLLABORATIVE INTERNATIONAL PROJECTS
FP7-ENERGY-2012 SINGULAR: Smart and Sustainable Insular Electricity Grids Under Large-Scale Renewable Integration. A large share of the recent renewable energy sources (RES) installed capacity has already taken place in insular electricity grids, since these regions are preferable due to their high RES potential. However, the increasing share of RES in the generation mix of insular power systems presents a big challenge in the efficient management of the insular distribution networks, mainly due to the limited predictability and the high variability of renewable generation, features that make RES plants non-dispatchable, in conjunction with the relevant small size of these networks. The Smart Grid Initiative, integrating advanced sensing technologies, intelligent control methods and bi-directional communications into the contemporary electricity grid, provides excellent opportunities for energy efficiency improvements and better integration of distributed generation, including RES, such as wind and photovoltaic systems, coexisting with centralized generation units within an active network. POLITO is studying the possible integration of wave energy production in various applications to grid connected renewable energy generation.