The University of Trento has launched its new 5x1000 campaign and is asking the community to once again support a high impact research project. The first to respond, a leader in the energy sector, is Dolomiti Energia, that will support the communication programme and provide information on how to donate, giving a real boost to the campaign.
This year's research project will be developed by the Department of Industrial Engineering of UniTrento with a focus on clean energy and the environment. The goal is to optimize a particularly robust and efficient device capable of converting the waves' energy into electricity. The research group coordinated by Elisabetta Tedeschi at the Department of Industrial Engineering has been working on these technologies for some time and studying components that have already been used in aerospace industry.
Clean, abundant, sustainable energy from waves: about the project
The project aims to optimize a particularly promising electromechanical device - a Power Take-Off - which can generate energy with high yields and high robustness. Using sea waves to generate power could really make a difference in the area of clean, renewable, sustainable energy sources. A clean and abundant energy supply is a key problem that we must address quickly, because the deadlines to meet the European green deal objectives are approaching fast. Challenges must be addressed quickly to meet sustainable development goals and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 55% compared with 1990 levels by 2030, and reach carbon neutrality by 2050.
Sea waves could therefore provide a solution to the problem: because this energy is widely available across the oceans, which cover more than 70% of the Earth, and because this constant wave motion is highly predictable and power density is high: 5 times greater than that of wind and 10 times greater than that of solar. Yet, despite these advantages, wave energy is not widely used because the technologies we have to generate that power are not enough advanced.
"The European Commission aims to increase the installed power obtained from sea waves energy converters by almost a hundred times in ten years. However, in a 2018 report, it also recognized that to achieve this goal, wave energy converters must be optimized because the amount of electricity produced so far is too limited - explained Elisabetta Tedeschi, head of the research project. Efforts must focus, in particular, on the "Power Take-Off" element which is necessary to convert the wave motion energy into electrical energy, and to validate it. Our goal at the Department of Industrial Engineering is to work precisely on this component. We want to make it more efficient and applicable on a large scale by working on its modularity and fault management".
"A modular system is more flexible and can adapt more easily to different sea states, to the changing wave mode, ensuring a more constant, more efficient and more flexible operation – Tedeschi continued. We want to refine new control techniques that we have set in previous studies. Because our systematic work on the rapid management of faults and on the minimization of the impact increases the reliability of the device and consequently its energy productivity. This can lead to greater availability of energy with a reduction of production costs. Only in this way can we truly consider wave energy an effective alternative for the production of clean energy".
The donations made to the 5x1000 campaign of the University of Trento will be used to hire a young graduate who will work on the project, which will also provide the opportunity to create and strengthen national and international collaborations.
The collaboration between UniTrento and Dolomiti Energia
Dolomiti Energia has been the first to support the University's research project as a partner, combining its commitment to sustainability, which is highly visible in the group's policies, with attention for research and innovation projects developed in Trentino.
"Our commitment to innovation and clean energy, and the idea of a sustainable growth that considers the community we are part of, has always been part of the DNA of Dolomiti Energia" declared Marco Merler, CEO of the company. "That is why we are happy to collaborate with the University of Trento to give visibility to this project, which allows us to give our customers the opportunity to participate with their donations to create a better future for all".
"The support of Dolomiti Energia gives us confidence. It is a sign of the quality of relations with our partners in the area and it demonstrates that we have the same important objectives in terms of environmental protection, support for our economy from a sustainable perspective and the enhancement of innovations developed by our laboratories", commented Flavio Deflorian, Rector of UniTrento. "The importance of research to our lives has never been clearer. We know that science protects our health and we know that it can also help our planet, supporting productive activities that bring wealth and well-being while respecting the environment. Research at the University of Trento can have a global impact on the way we live and interact with nature. The research project selected by the Academic Senate for the 2021 5x1000 campaign goes precisely in the direction of sustainable and environmentally friendly progress. In Trentino we have long learned to use water from rivers and lakes to generate energy. Now it is time to think big and harness sea waves".
How to donate
Just tell it to your tax filing service (CAF) or accountant when it’s time.
To make your donation to the University of Trento, you have to:
1. sign the appropriate box in the form that the Revenue Agency (Agenzia delle Entrate) uses for tax returns:
Form CU 2021 – "Scheda per la scelta della destinazione dell’8x1000, del 5x1000 e del 2x1000 dell'IRPEF"; Form 730/2020 - 2020 tax return; Form Unico for natural persons 2021 – 2020 tax return.
You can choose only one recipient for your donation.
2. State the University of Trento tax identification number: 00340520220 nel riquadro "Finanziamento della Ricerca Scientifica e della Università".
Please note that writing the tax identification number is essential to make sure that the University of Trento will receive your donation.