From yesterday 28 February until Friday, the spotlights of the entire renewable energy world will be on Rimini Expo Centre. The second edition of KEY – The Energy Transition Expo, the Italian Exhibition Group (IEG) event on energy transition, raised the curtain this morning on innovative technologies, services and integrated solutions for energy efficiency and sustainable sources.
About 800 exhibiting brands are attending (over 30% more than in 2023), of which about 35% from abroad, with numerous companies of international relevance, leaders in their markets of reference.
The Opening Ceremony was held under the Lorenzo Cagnoni Dome – Innovation Square with Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. It was attended by Maurizio Renzo Ermeti, President of Italian Exhibition Group, Anna Montini, Rimini City Councillor for Ecological Transition, Stefano Locatelli, Vice-President of ANCI and Paolo Arrigoni, President of GSE. Moderating was the Global Exhibition Director of IEG’s Green&Technology division, Alessandra Astolfi.
Statements
Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said: “The future of humanity will depend on how we are able to manage the energy that an increasingly crowded world has and will need: events such as KEY are an important opportunity for learning about the technologies that are driving the energy transition.
We need to build a new model that focuses on the environmental, economic and social sustainability of production processes, lifestyles, methods of movement, and housing characteristics.
In this scenario, all the unprecedented avenues that innovation will propose for producing clean energy will have to be explored, just as new methods of energy production and distribution will also have to be tried and tested, something that we are already doing.
I believe that the next great little energy revolution in Italy will be the Renewable Energy Communities we have launched. RECs can now fully deploy the potential of joint-production, distributed throughout the territory, open even to the smallest villages, with a clear advantage for the environment and significant savings for citizens, businesses, institutions and all the associations that “make up a community”.”
IEG president, Maurizio Ermeti, recalled that “KEY does not focus on a single technological area; it regards every aspect of the energy transition theme. And it is precisely this transversality that is the differentiating element and what makes it unique compared to other renewable energy trade shows. Here we speak the language of sun, wind, hydrogen, E-mobility and sustainable cities. Our goal for the second edition is to consolidate KEY’s leadership in Europe and the Mediterranean basin in terms of energy transition.”
Anna Montini, Rimini City Councillor for Ecological Transition: “The city is investing a great deal in energy transition and in regeneratng the urban, coastal and historic centre areas. From an investment point of view, since 2012 we have been renovating one school per year by installing photovoltaic systems. We are carrying out renewable energy community projects and also favouring the installation of photovoltaic systems where it was not previously allowed, such as in the historic centre. Another important investment in the city is the continuation of the Metro mare, which will be extended from the city’s central station to Rimini Expo Centre by 2026.”
Stefano Locatelli, Vice President of ANCI: “Why are we here? Because municipalities have a lot to do with it, especially when it comes to the future. At the government’s presentation of the Italian proposal on Recover at the European Commission, ANCI promoted a number of indications, shared with the municipalities, with the aim of supporting and increasing the possibility of achieving the goals set on energy transition and independence and decarbonisation. These indications are still valid and ANCI is also partly re-proposing them at the Energy and Climate Plan discussion table in close collaboration with the Ministry of the Environment.”
GSE President Paolo Arrigoni: “This event is an important opportunity for the GSE to consolidate dialogue with companies and associations. In particular, at this edition, GSE colleagues will be supporting users and operators with seminars and one-to-one appointments to learn more about the new mechanism to support the development of RECs.”
Between data and new ideas
According to data released by Terna, in 2023, renewable sources covered a total of 36.8% of demand (compared to 31% in 2022). Furthermore, last year saw a significant growth in renewable energy production (+15.4%), reaching a record 43.8%. Hydro-electricity (+36.1), wind power (+15.1%) and photovoltaics (+10.6%) all increased.
An extremely active world, therefore, which will be presenting many interesting and high-tech innovations at the show: from systems for installing photovoltaic systems without having to drill holes in roofs, to columns and storage systems by well-known designers; from hail-resistant solar panels to fixing systems formulated on tree roots. And again: domestic assistants based on artificial intelligence, large electric cars to test drive, recharging stations for every need, models of green homes with every device for sustainable consumption.
 event on energy transition, raised the curtain this morning on innovative technologies, services and integrated solutions for energy efficiency and sustainable sources.){kind=link}