Inspiring energy education for children in Sardinia
First OffshoreWind4Kids workshop in Italy thanks to Renantis and BlueFloat Energy
Quartu Sant’Elena – Cagliari (Italy), 9 June 2023 – Sardinia is the setting for the first Italian OffshoreWind4Kids (OW4K) workshop, an initiative for children to learn about marine wind energy and understand its importance for a sustainable future.
Italy with its more than 8,000 kilometres of coastline is the perfect candidate to meet the growing demand for renewable energy through marine wind technology. From 2021 Renantis (formerly Falck Renewables) and BlueFloat Energy are working in this direction in an equal partnership for the development of floating marine wind farms off the Italian coast.
Calabria, Puglia and Sardinia – the regions in which the partnership is developing projects – has an abundance of natural wind resource and deep seabeds, which makes them ideal locations for floating wind technology. The development of the projects will produce direct and indirect long-term benefits for the entire region.
The OffshoreWind4Kids workshop is the brainchild of the Belgian non-profit organisation of the same name, already present across Europe, with activities in Belgium, Portugal, France, Spain, Germany, Poland, the United Kingdom and Denmark. The organisation aims to raise awareness of the potential of engineering, new technologies and renewable energy, with a particular focus on offshore wind innovation through activities that stimulate the curiosity of children.
Inspiring future generations and the creation of meaningful connection with local communities are central values of the partnership, which is also focused on adopting advanced practices to minimise the environmental impact of activities on the territory.
The decision to host the first Italian edition of OffshoreWind4Kids is based on these values.
“Bringing the OffshoreWind4Kids project to Italy stems from Renantis and BlueFloat Energy’s desire to inspire children to learn about the floating offshore wind technology that will be the protagonist of our energy future,” explains Ksenia Balanda, Director offshore wind Italy of the Renantis BlueFloat Energy partnership.
“The children’s enthusiasm and involvement throughout this workshop was a tangible sign of the curiosity and hunger for learning that we see in young people. Thanks to the success of this inaugural workshop, we want to expand this initiative to all the regions where we are developing our projects.”
Sixty pupils from the Istituto Comprensivo ‘Maria Lai’ of Quartu Sant’Elena, a municipality in the metropolitan city of Cagliari, Sardinia, took part in the activities organised, under the patronage of the municipal administration led by Mayor Graziano Milia, on the Poetto beach.
The children closely observed the operation of an offshore wind turbine with integrated measuring instruments, building a real and working prototype with their own hands. In a playful atmosphere, it was explained with simplicity how clean energy is produced thanks to the power of the wind and cutting-edge technology, all through engaging and entertaining simulations.
Under the watchful eyes of the children, the three project proposals in Sardinia (Nora Energia 1, Nora Energia 2 and Tibula Energia), located on the island’s southern and north-eastern coast, were also presented.
Nora Energia 1 is a floating offshore wind project planned off the Sardinia Channel, south-west of the Gulf of Cagliari, with an expected installed capacity of 795 MW and annual production of 2.6 TWh (Terawatt-hours), equivalent to the consumption of about 700,000 Italian households, with about 1.5 million tonnes of carbon dioxide avoided in the atmosphere per year.
Nora Energia 2 has an expected installed capacity of 600 MW, an expected annual production of 1.9 TWh (Terawatt-hours), equivalent to the consumption of about 500,000 Italian households, with about 1 million tonnes of carbon dioxide avoided in the atmosphere per year.
Tibula Energia is a floating offshore wind project off the north-east coast of Sardinia, in the stretch of sea roughly between the municipality of Olbia and the municipality of Siniscola. The planned installed capacity of the park is 975 MW, with an estimated annual production of about 3.4 TWh (Terawatt-hours), equivalent to the consumption of 900,000 households, and the avoidance of 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere per year.
In addition to Sardinia, Renantis and BlueFloat Energy are developing a floating marine wind project in Calabria and two projects in Puglia. The total investment of the partnership’s six Italian projects is EUR 16 billion, with a total installed capacity of 5.5 GW and an expected production of 18 TWh/year, equivalent to 5% of Italy’s gross inland consumption by 2030.
For further info:
Jo Clarkson M: +44 7514 734 135| E: [email protected]
Elena Roda M: +39 02 2433 2297 | E: [email protected]
Nailia Dindarova M: +34 610533141 | E: [email protected]