The Energy Transition as a Cultural Process
The Interview with Paolo D’Ermo
Who is Paolo D’Ermo?
Paolo D’Ermo is Director of Studies and European Affairs at Elettricità Futura, the main association of the national electricity industry supply chain. Member of the Scientific Committee of the Italian Observatory on Critical Raw Materials for Energy – OIMCE and of the Italian Forum of Energy Communities – IFEC. He developed his professional career at the Italian chapter of the World Energy Council – WEC, holding positions of increasing responsibility until assuming the role of Secretary General from 2016 to 2024.
Dr. D’Ermo, what impressions do you take away from the discussion with our Green Social Impact Manager students?
It was a very participatory discussion. I had an excellent impression regarding the curiosity and willingness to take action of the students I met. We did not limit ourselves to a lecture, but rather engaged in discussion and challenged ourselves with advocacy exercises at the European institutional level.
Public debate focuses heavily on renewables, yet you also addressed the issue of infrastructure, storage, and system flexibility. How important is it to help young people understand that the transition is not only an environmental goal, but also a major question of design capacity and systemic thinking?
This aspect is fundamental in the energy transition that involves the development of renewable technologies, because we have moved from an approach at the energy system level, including a highly centralized electrical system that we had in the past, to an approach that is instead widely distributed across the territory. An approach that requires the construction of hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of installations in addition to the infrastructure to connect them to the grid, as well as the infrastructure that enables these non-programmable installations (renewable energy installations) to provide the greatest possible benefit in terms of returning production to the consumer. In our country, we therefore have an electrical grid that is already highly advanced and developed but that must be continuously modernized, digitalized, and also expanded, from domestic installations to utility-scale installations. Therefore, major infrastructure investments that require social acceptance. Any type of activity concerning the energy sector has an impact on territories; the task during the transition is to limit the impact as much as possible and return the greatest benefits. Renewables do this in various ways, starting with production that is local, therefore endogenous, which enables us to also become more autonomous and competitive, because the technologies have become increasingly competitive over time. The final piece to consider in bringing even greater competitiveness and benefit from renewable sources to the electrical system in general is storage. The latter can be of various types, but particularly electrochemical storage, which enables energy to be shifted from production hours to evening hours, ensuring that a large portion of the installation’s production reaches the consumer.
Fondazione Augurusa, through the SIM (Social Impact Manager) Advanced Training Program, works to transform young people into agents of social change; from your perspective, how important is it that the energy transition not remain merely a technical matter, but also become a cultural and social process capable of engaging communities and new generations?
Looking at the social and cultural aspect, in the collective imagination it is much more immediate to communicate goals and ambitions for the energy transition. Much less immediate, however, is explaining to populations and conveying what it means to achieve the goals. Territories are protagonists of the energy transition, because they must evolve by welcoming new infrastructure; but they must also evolve from a sociocultural perspective. Renewable sources enable the activation of production that is local and therefore close to the consumer. It is essential that the aspect of cultural change regarding the acceptance and welcoming of interventions necessary for the energy transition also be developed by qualified and competent individuals who understand the issue and can engage with communities. Professionals capable of connecting two needs: on one hand, making territories increasingly competitive and less vulnerable to international dynamics; on the other, raising awareness among those who inhabit the territories where infrastructure must be built.
Energy communities are one of the most interesting tools for linking energy, participation, and local development: do you see in this area possible points of contact with the work of Fondazione Augurusa, which aims to strengthen the role of territories?
Yes, energy communities were designed precisely to enable territories. Young people trained on these issues who can provide support at the territorial level are a great help, especially for smaller and medium-sized municipalities. Envisioning young activists for social change who can assist in designing mechanisms such as energy communities is certainly a great help to the transition of territories.
