Overview of ENEA role and activitiesTechnical Unit Models, Methods and Technologies for the

Environmental Assessment

Dr. Rovena PrekaItalian National Agency of New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA)

Belgrade, 25° June 2012Workshop: Serbia – Italia, Status and Perspectives of the Scientific and Technological Bilateral Cooperation

ENEA’s History• ENEA was founded in 1952, as the National Committee for Nuclear Research

(CNRN), with the specific objective of studying the multiple applications of nuclear energy for civil purposes, e.g. biological and agricultural sciences, physics and electronics

• In 1982, CNEN becomes ENEA and deals from now on with Renewable Energy Sources (RES), energy efficiency and environmental impact

• After the Chernobyl disaster, in 1987 through a referendum Italy decides to quit nuclear technology for power generation purposes: in 1991, ENEA’s research activities are partially re-directed towards RES, Environment and New Technologies, including research on nuclear fission and fusion

• In 2009, ENEA becomes an Agency of the Ministry of Economic Development, with the aim of pursuing, according to Law 99 (art. 37):

Facts and FiguresHuman Resources:

2640 permanent staffMaster and PhD students

International Fellows

Infrastructures

Headquarters located in Rome9 Research Centres

5 Research Laboratories43 pilot plants and research

facilities11 Local Offices

Brussels Liason Office

ENEA’s R&D activities

• Energy Efficiency• Renewable Energy Sources:

• Concentrated Solar Power, Biomass and Biofuels, Solar Thermal, Hydrogen and Fuel Cells, Energy Storage Systems

• Nuclear Energy• Fission and Fusion

• Environment and Climate Change: • environmental technologies,

modelling, prevention, conservation and reclamation activities

• Health and Safety:• Seismic protection, biological

effects of ionising radiations, radioprotection, metrology of ionising radiations

• New Technologies: • material sciences, applications

of ionising radiations, Agro-industrial innovation & technologies, ICT

• Power System Research

UT VALAMBMission

ENEA Technical Unit Models, Methods and Technologies for the Environmental Assessment (UT VALAMB) is to develop and implement tools for the analysis and evaluation of environmental policies in order to couple environmental and socio-economic sustainability.

Research on

Atmospheric modelling and pollutants measurements

(AIR Laboratory)

Water Resources Management

and Protection, water cycle

(IDR Laboratory)Life Cycle Assessment ed Eco-Design

(LCA Laboratory)

Air Quality Laboratory

MINNIIntegrated National Model in support to the International Negotiation on Air

PollutionOn behalf of the Italian Ministry of the Environment, in collaboration with Arianet and IIASA, MINNI aims at providing Italy with a tool in support to the polycies for emissions reduction

GAINS - Italy(Greenhouse Gas Air Pollution Interactions and Synergies)is an integrated model which combines information on current and future level of emission generating activities (e.g., energy use, industrial production, agricultural activities, etc.), allowing the assessment of measures aimed to reduce emissions from all or specific sources in terms of alternative emission scenarios, alternative air quality scenarios and abatement costs.

Ozone mean annualconcentration(μg/m3)

PM10 mean annualconcentration (μg/m3)

Water Resources Management and Protection Laboratory

•Research studies for of new methodologies and technologies development for the treatment and management of waters and wastewaters in urban areas, buildings and industry.

•Studies for the removal, from the treated wastewaters, of macro, micro and emerging pollutants using biological or chemical physical technologies for the reduction of the environmental impact.

•Recovery of bioenergy, as biogas hydrogen or

bioelectricity, from wastes and wastewaters.

•Development of new ICT technologies

for the management and automatic control

of wastewater treatment plants using

artificial intelligence approaches.

•Studies for the biological population

• dynamics in wastewater treatment plants

•and in natural waters by FISH and

•techniques of molecular biology.

UASB bioreactor treating agro wastewater

Life Cycle assessment and Eco-design Laboratory

Sustainibility assessment through life cycle approachLife Cycle Sustainability Analysis LCSA

Research and methodological development applied to:• energy systems• technologies • protoypes and innovations

• simplified LCA software and databases, basic software for product eco-innovation, web portal for eco-innovation in SMEs : www.ecosmes.net• Support to Public administration concerning GPP• Partecipation to national networks (coord. Rete Italiana LCA) and international committee (SETAC,…)• Technological transfer, tutoring and training.

LECOP ENEA – High Tech Network of Emilia Romagna Region

It includes industrial research laboratories and technology transfer and innovation centres, with the aim to create a qualified industrial research offer and provide practical solutions to meet business development needs (innovative products, more efficient processes, new technologies and skills)

The research aims at developing and transferring innovative technologies and methods to enterprises through the

LECOP ENEA Laboratory in the framework of the Emilia-Romagna Technopole network distributed in Platforms that define the research offer in the region

Air quality: models and characterization of pollutants - MIA

Integrated technologies for water resources management - TIGRI

Life Cycle Assessment ed Ecodesign - LEI

Air quality: models and characterization of pollutants - MIA

Integrated technologies for water resources management - TIGRI

Life Cycle Assessment ed Ecodesign - LEI

Technology Transfer

The TT Unit deals with • Property Rights and Patents• Networking • Engagement with SMEs• Dissemination and E-learning

ENEA has produced 709 patents in Italy, which yielded over 1200 patents abroad, and 9 spin-offs

International Scientific Cooperation

• Until March 2012, about 145 projects have been financed under the FP7, for a total contribution to ENEA of €33 mn

• Main themes: EURATOM fission, Energy, Environment and Research Infrastructures

• more than 1100 partners from 60 countries all over the world

Overview of ENEA’s participation to FP5, FP6 and FP7 ENEA’s participation to FP7 in 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011

International Scientific Cooperation• Besides taking part to co-funded research

programmes, ENEA takes part to:• European Technology Platforms• Several European Associations and networks, e.g.

• Cofounder of the EERA (European Energy Research Alliance)• Cofounder of ECRA (European Climate Research Alliance)• European Energy Network• Europe Enterprise Network• Mediterranean Association of the National Agencies for Energy

Conservation (MEDENER)• TAFTIE - the Association For Technology Implementation In Europe

• International initiatives, e.g.• EUREKA, ITER, ITPA, CSLF, GIF, IPHE, VAMAS…

Thank you for your attention

Rovena.preka@enea.it