INTERVIEW - Italy Needs Solar Power Push - EU Expert Rubbia
Date: 08-Mar-07
Country: ITALY
Author: Gabriella Bruschi
"Our country is very behind in the debate on renewable energy sources and, sadly, in the last few years it has not taken on some important challenges in the fields of research and innovation," Rubbia told Reuters in an interview.
Rubbia, who was awarded his Nobel prize in 1984, has been asked to advise on research of new technologies to compete with fossil fuels by Environment Minister Alfonso Pecoraro Scanio.
He also belongs to a group created by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso to advise him on energy issues.
The aim is to increase Europe's use of renewable energy to 20 percent by 2020 from current levels below 7 percent.
European leaders meet to discuss a common energy policy and new goals to fight climate change on Thursday and Friday.
Rubbia said the Rome government had asked him to help lay out a strategy for developing renewable energy sources in Italy, with particular emphasis on solar thermodynamics.
"I was very happy to accept ... We're talking about a programme for research and industrial development for new technologies able to compete with fossil fuels," he said.
Rubbia said alternative technologies could take a long time to bear fruit, however.
"We have to be aware that fossil fuel energy sources have an expiry date. A timeframe of 30, 40 or 50 years can seem a long time to get rewards for economic policy, but it's only a short time for implementing a new energy policy," he added.
SUNSHINE BUT LESS SPACE
Rubbia said one possible route was to use thermodynamic plants that capture the sun's rays through mirrors, and using a special technology are able to accumulate energy so they do not have to rely on suitable weather.
These plants are different from photovoltaic ones with solar panels, which are already used in Italy and which can be quite expensive because they usually need a selenium semiconductor.
"In Spain, they are building around 10 plants and they hope to have 1,200-1,300 megawatts of capacity installed by 2010," said Rubbia, who has worked in Spain after disagreements with Italy's former government of Silvio Berlusconi in 2005.
"I hope that Italy can develop its own solar thermodynamic line and in the future not have to import these plants, as we do at the moment with photovoltaic and wind power."
"In Italy there's perhaps a little less space than in Spain, but there's certainly as much sunshine," he added.
Rubbia is also looking at new nuclear possibilities but said that there were still strong brakes on development in this area.
Italy has banned nuclear power following a referendum in the wake of the Chernobyl disaster in 1986.