91 I quaderni di Energheia
clinging to an outdated model. Moderator. Within this vision, what role do you, who are used to dealing with small mountain towns, assign to the Trentino region?
chain which will offer added value to the consumer, who is able to recognize when buying a chair, a table or a wooden house the potential of the area in which it has been produced.
Enrico Borghi. We recently celebrated the 15th National Congress which has transformed the Uncem from a union body to territorial union. We organized it here because we believe that in this area there is an integration of systems and entities from public and private sectors which can ensure that these resources are governed from the bottom up. Italy must, within the next 9 years, ensure that 20% of its budget is spent on renewable energy. Today hydro provides 12.5%, geothermal and wind power provide 15%. This means that in terms of efficiency and capacity of hydropower new economies (forestry, biomass and renewables) a special new market has opened up where the major players both private and public are already positioned. We are watching with interest what is happening in Trentino as the positive work done here could well spread to the Alpine region in such a way that this area which is percieved as a reservoir rather than a place with which to interface and agree on a new pact of collaboration and balance between mountain producers and city consumers.
Moderator. Paolo Gurisatti, the chain is completed with wooden housing. Here too, Trentino is under a leadership with important news.
Moderator. Marino Simoni, there is a strong demand for sustainable energy. An important case is timber housing for which the Trentino region is a leader. You're working a lot in the timber sector starting with certification...
Gianni Lazzari. Habitech has among his members a large number of companies from the Trentino region, but also many Veneto companies and from the Northeast in general. Our consortium is constantly evolving.
Marino Simoni. Wood is one of the important resources in this territory. It has always been one of the great veins of the local economy that has supported this mountain area, since when we started trading with the Republic of Venice who used our wood for its vessels and for the foundations of its city. Later wood, as with many agricultural sectors, became unproductive sector. The first thing the consortium set out to acheive was the certification of sustainable forest starting with the analysis of the actual state of our forests, in order to acheive a sustainable
Moderator. Being a cosortium is something complicated from an organizational point of view. You also provide services. An example of a move in only this direction are ESCOs, Energy Service Companies.
Paolo Gurisatti. The rediscovery of wooden buildings exists at all levels. Like we have done two things: offered the market more ways to assess the performance of these buildings, and invested in the Green Building Council, the LEED certification system. After sensibilizing the market we have created the conditions for an aggregation of producers in the Trentino area who were able to meet emerging needs, supplying not only the wooden buildings, but also the accesories, installations, in line with the high quality buildings which maintain their value. Increasingly our operators find opportunities for innovation paid for by the market. Moderator. When we talk about 300 companies involved in Habitech, are we only talking about Trentino businesses?
Gianni Lazzari. We must assume that if we want to redevelop the existing buildings, our offices and our homes, we mustn’t think that the burden of this investment is not only to be born by the developer. An interesting solution that was developed after the first oil crisis in
the United States, is to find companies that, when faced with guaranteed savings, make investments (change windows, heating systems, etc.) Whilst the consumer-supplier continues to pay the bill, the ESCO develops all necessary actions and finds funding. We are trying to build the various parts of the market so that this becomes a reality. It is necessary to have proper contracts that guarantee savings to the customer and the ESCO. You need to have chains of skilled workers, people who are able to carry out energy audits effectively and ensure that the banks offer investments. We are committed to this and believe that in different localities ESCOs can be set up which will have the opportunity to come into direct contact with people, who will be recognised and valued by artisans and also by the local banks. Moderator. It is also a way to link the local banks to their local areas. Gianni Lazzari. Absolutely. If we can get the market started there will be employment opportunities for the next 10-15 years. The Province has already started to consider this. Moderator. In a moment of crisis in employment, the green economy is perhaps the only sector that promotes employment. Mr. Gurisatti, Chairman of Habitech, let’s talk about urban redevelopment, housing and environment. Do we stop and upgrade the existing one? Paolo Gurisatti. Yes, throughout the Northeast there is a move from a model based on a small town factory to another model that provides the ability to change the landscape, to compete with metropolitan areas that attract investment and citizens because they offer services and quality environment. In Veneto and in the Northeast it’s a huge challenge because it means rethinking the territorial system. In three areas it is necessary to reduce consumption where buildings and warehouses consume too much, solve environmental problems in one’s own back yard (preferring small-scale technological solutions), and find a way to