Introduction

The reduction of emission of greenhouse gases, the promotion of sustainable resources and energy efficiency were recognised as strategic challenges for the European Union and centred in its political program.
Among the first initiatives included in the “Parco dell’energia” has to be citated the realization biomass power plant (“cippato”, wood chips) which will start to function in autumn 2008 and which enable to serve all features of the Institute and some buildings owned by the municipality of San Michele all’Adige. Other works which are in planning, with technical support of Technological District of Trentino (DTT), are the planning and implementation according to the standards of the bio building and the energy saving of the “Palazzina Ambiente”, intended for hosting lab and office of the “Dip. Valorizzazione Risorse Naturali”.

Among the activities of research included in the project of anaerobic digestion of biomass with the purpose of energy production (electricity and heaving) hold a very important role, also in order to the possible applications to different realities and typologies of the biomass produced on the provincial territory.

Objectives and target audience

The task is that of reducing fossil fuels (gas oil and natural gas), contributing on that way to the reduction of greenhouse gases (estimated 800 ton of CO2 per year) and of constituting an example for others realities characterised by the concentration of buildings in a restricted kilometric radius (< 2 km).
In regard to the more strictly research aspects two are the objectives pursued: increasing the percentage presence of methane in the bio gas compared to that normally obtained (55% of CH4 in the bio gas) and orientating the microbial reactions to the production of more quantities of hydrogen.
The objectives for 2020 predict:
1)    The cutback of 20% of greenhouse gases emission;
2)    The reduction of the 20% of the energetic consumptions respect the projection for the 2020;
3)    A binding objective of the 20% of energy produced with sustainable resources on the total energetic consumptions of the European Union;
4)    A binding objective of 10% of biofuels on the total of consumptions of fuel and diesel fuel.

Financial Resources and Partners involved

Agricultural institute of San Michele all’Adige

Process

The farm Schelfi has been picked out as an example of zootechnical enterprise located in the alpine territory (altitude >900 meters above the sea level) which could become a model of “green island” because of the realisation, the implementation and the interactive coexistence in the existing structure of technical solutions and technological innovations hinge on the environmental and energetic sustainability.
The characteristic of originality of the business are the aggregation of more different productive and cheap sectors:
-    raising milk cattle (100 head UBA);
-    internal dairy for the production of typical cheeses (fresh and mature) directly commercialised;
-    fatting pigs (30 heads which will be augmented to 70 in the next months) for the production of sausages directly commercialised in the local and seasonal market ( in the province of Trento and in Veneto);
-    photovoltaic system on the surface, which extension is 372 squared meters and which is used to produce more than 250 different types of horseshoes exported all over the world;
Moreover , in the short term, other structures will be realised:
-    house and linked farm holidays, projected and built according to the standards of the bio building (energetic saving);
-    a system of anaerobic digestion fort eh production of energy form the zootechnical refluents (production of sustainable energy), which practicability study is co financed by the MIPAAF ;
-    a system of phytodepuration and of composting for a sustainable administration of digested material.
The original character of the proposal is the coexistence and integration in a unique business reality of more innovative technical solutions which consider as main characteristic the reduction of energetic consumptions, the valorisation of available residual biomass, the exploitation of the sustainable energetic resources (micro Aeolian) and in realisation of a house and a farm holidays, built and functioning according to the standard of bio building and energetic efficiency.
Other characteristics concern the chance to resolve some environmental problems with the valorisation of sub products and residual biomasses (sewages and manures, residues of the dairy and wastes of slaughter for the production of sausages).
Near to the traditional process for the production of heating, the attention move to technologies as gasification and pyrogasification which enable to transform the biomasses in synthesis gas with following production of energy using cycles of high energetic efficiency.

Results

The use of sustainable resources is one of the cornerstones of the energetic policy in Trentino Alto Adige.
In that region are actually in function biomass power plant able to provide to the citizens clean and extremely accessible energy.
These plants enable to save each year almost 43 million of litres of fuel, with guessable advantages on the environment level, without forgetting in addition the economic aspect (if during the last ten years the prize of fuel increased of 70%, that of wood stopped at a plus 25%).
The supplying of raw materials is mainly at a local level, from the residues of the industries of first production (sawmills) and from woods of Alto Adige , while an minor part is imported from Northern Europe (the first among all countries is Austria).

Critical Success Factors / Challenges

Among the sustainable resources of energy the biomasses represent an opportunity not yet fully harness and which gives wide margins of valorisation.
Among the finalities of the project ReXergy there is the creation of models of use of sustainable resources in agricultural field, which could constitute virtuous example and stimulate the spread of initiatives.
The biomass wooden cellulosic hold from always an high energetic interest. While for the wooden it registers an use very limited (only 10% of the real available quantity) because of the problems linked to the difficulty and cots of gathering, the residues pf wooden industry (wood chips) found an use in the biomass power plant for district heating, of which exist in Trentino Alto Adige several example.
The necessity of reducing the growing costs to cover the energetic requirements justifies the high interest at the national and European level in the sustainable energies. The biomass represents an alternative source until now underused and that promise wide possibilities of valorisation. The necessity to put together with the energetic and economic statement also the environmental statement, preliminary to the introduction of some operative solutions, don’t have to be undervaluated in the evaluation of innovative solutions proposed.