Ecological and digital transition are focal themes: by combining them it is possible to create added value in many sectors, in the public and private sectors. Here are some examples.
Sustainability and digitization must go hand in hand. They already do: “digital and new technologies have become enabling factors in sustainable development and it is essential to comply with the terms of the 2015 Paris Agreement». He remembered it Minister of the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Picetto Fratin – spoke remotely at IBM’s DigiGreen Day event – signaling that they are right the new development models that will allow us to reduce emissions by 55% in 2030 and achieve climate neutrality in 2050. There is a need for everyone’s contribution, from institutions and businesses, from public bodies and research centres, but also from citizens’ cooperation.
Companies can seize an important element of competitiveness from the achievement of environmental, social and economic sustainability objectives which are a central part of ESG issues and the objectives of the 2030 Agenda.
Digital speeds up processes and makes everything more efficient. AND the investments of the PNRR will be the lever to encourage the green and digital transition. Just think of the smart grids, in which 3.6 billion euros will be invested for 22 projects dedicated to carrying out interventions to adapt and upgrade the electricity distribution networks. These interventions will be aimed at receiving 9.8 GW of energy produced from renewable sources and at allowing greater electrification of consumption, recalls the Ministry itself.
It passes from the desire to share the benefits of IT for sustainability, the digitization of national parks and marine protected areas, for which the National Recovery and Resilience Plan plans to allocate 100 million euros, finalizing actions to improve services for visitors to national parks and marine protected areas and raise awareness of biodiversity.
Takeaway
Energy transition, global growth supported by digital
The link between sustainability and digitization is now taking on global contours. Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF) noted this month that 2022 investments in new energy technologies – mostly wind, solar, electric vehicles, batteries – passed the trillion mark for the first time in a year. Wind and photovoltaic, sources of sustainable energy (their production does not cause CO emissions2) draw lifeblood from digital: ICT solutions control, manage and optimize the production of electricity from the sun and wind. Likewise, it is an integral part of emobility, whose growth is now known and international (Italy is against the trend in this).
But even more significant is the growth of wind and solar: when taken together, it is already outpacing global oil and gas spending for the first time, and at a dizzying pace.
As visionary entrepreneur Azeem Azhar, founder of Exponential Viewciting the work of BNEF, wind and sun combined created between 600 and 700 TWH of new generation last year, a volume boost gas has never achieved in a year and double what nuclear has added at its more than 40-year peak does.
In Europe, remember the think tank Ember, in 2022 wind and photovoltaics generated a record fifth of EU electricity (22%), overtaking fossil gas for the first time (20%) and representing one item higher than coal-generated energy (16% ).
The role of cities on sustainability and digitization: the example of Milan
Cities, central elements in the energy, digital and ecological transition, will benefit from these important reflections. They are destined to become veritable laboratories of this union, as he pointed out Giuseppe Sala, mayor of Milanduring the same IBM event attended (virtually) by Minister Picetto Fratin.
The housing crisis and the environmental issue are the two most important issues on which the mayor has emphasized. On the second issue, which is linked to the transport and mobility sector, Milan has long since implemented policies that link sustainability and digitization. We should mention, for example, the aerial and land survey campaign of the approximately 2,500 kilometers that make up the urban area of the metropolitan city of Milan, to optimize the infrastructures and services intended for citizens. The goal is create 22 geo-databases to implement smart urban planning and enhance public spaces. This is why a company specialized in the digitization of outdoor spaces was called, which collected and processed the data thanks to technologies based on advanced artificial intelligence algorithms.
Thanks to world-leading technology and instrumentation, Milan has laid the foundations for the construction of a real digital twin.
From waste to energy communities: the role of digital
The primary role of Milan in waste management should also be remembered, which places it in the spotlight worldwide (in 2016 it was at the top global level together with Vienna) in terms of percentage of separate waste collection. An important challenge is played out precisely on waste management that combines sustainability and digitization. He remembered her Lucia Leonessi, founder and general manager of Confindustria Cisambiente: «waste can and must be considered raw material for energy production as a renewable resource» and digitally traceable. In this regard, he recalled the RENTRI system (National Electronic Waste Tracking Register) which introduces “a digital management model for the fulfillment of obligations such as the issue of transport identification forms, and the keeping of chronological loading and unloading records”. Soon to be approved, it could provide a clear tracing system of waste, from its origin to its destination and purpose.
The ARERA authority regulates waste, such as electricity, water and gas at national level, which recalled the importance of arriving at the punctual tariff, «a system that at a technological level is already feasible today and would be a positive revolution. But for its implementation, the active involvement of the population is needed», he underlined Stefano Saglia, member of the ARERA boardwho also recalled the importance of energy saving «possible through the use of data». Saglia recalled that Italy has the most advanced distribution networks in Europe, relying on the widespread presence of second generation smart metering systems. At the end of December, the same Authority published the resolution that regulates energy communities and widespread self-consumption, measures that link sustainability and digitalisation: in fact, it is the data that will make it possible to understand production, consumption and regulate the dedicated incentives.
Businesses and the virtuous combination of sustainability and digitalisation: Leonardo teaches
Alongside institutional bodies and public administrations, companies play a fundamental role in reconciling sustainability and digitization. An example of what potential they can provide is revealed by the Italian Leonardo, among the top ten global operators in the aerospace, defense and security sectors. For some time now, the company has made digital its own cornerstone. It should be remembered, for example, his davinci-1 supercomputer, one of the world‘s most powerful aerospace and defense HPCs, used to transform space big data into targeted applications and services. Sustainability has been placed as a priority in the business plan. The company has created a dedicated unit for the topic senior vice president is Renata Mele. It was she who highlighted the various ways in which digital technologies relate to sustainability. An example: “we are working to create a digital twin of a helicopter that will allow modeling the operation of the aircraft, optimizing it and carrying out predictive maintenance. It is a very important element of sustainability, in terms of eco-design, thus trying to limit the impacts already in the design phase, by carrying out virtual tests that allow to obtain other types of savings».
Sustainability applies throughout the corporate supply chain, but also on the customer side. One way to enable this concept is virtual training: «the virtual training cycles of our customers’ pilots make it possible to reduce the hours of training on the vehicle, thanks to very sophisticated simulation systems». Making sustainability is also a lever of competitiveness, underlines Mele. This can also be seen in the use of satellite data for services: the civil purposes are varied and allow for prevention in the case of hydrogeological instability, but also for precision agriculture.