As of June 30, 5,930 applications had been submitted to Terna to produce 341.33 gigawatts, of which 824 in Sardinia for 54.39 gigawatts: is it sustainable?
"I don't want to get into overly technical things. I'll start with a consideration: in Italy, and in particular in some areas where tourism and culture are fundamental, greater attention is needed. Installing solar panels in an ugly, secondary place - there are many - is different from "laying them down" on the hills of the Marche sung by Giacomo Leopardi. Think of the verse "always dear to me was this lonely hill..." and then you see the solar mirrors on the hills, it's not good. There are ways and ways, there are places and places where to place alternative systems to produce energy."
Unfortunately it happens in many areas.
"Many years ago, when Sergio Rizzo and I wrote La Deriva, the signs of what would happen were already evident. In an interview Alberto Asor Rosa – who unfortunately is no longer with us – told us: "In the face of certain devastations of the landscape committed in the name of clean, renewable energy, one almost feels the need to regret a well-made, modern and risk-free nuclear power plant."
Who should choose where and how many plants to build?
«The State, the Regions, the Municipalities and the citizens. Instead, it happens that the State, besieged by the problems of the nimby groups, not in my backyard, prefers that the Regions deal with them, which for the same reason hope that the choices are made by the Municipalities. Nobody wants to take the responsibility of going against this or that community, the result is that the choices are left to the multinationals who don't give a damn about the aesthetic or landscape aspect, they are only interested in where the wind blows the most or the sun shines the most and if the point coincides with the Basilica of Saccargia for them it's fine anyway. This is unacceptable. We cannot resign ourselves to the devastation of certain landscapes that are fundamental for the beauty of our country but also for tourism and the economy. On this point it is correct that the Sardinia Region has taken the time to re-examine the projects».
The Draghi decree allows us to overcome any objections from Municipalities, Regions and Superintendencies.
"It is intolerable. The decision cannot be made only by the State. I would ask Roman or Milanese officials how many of them know the Basilica of Saccargia. Do they know that to place one of the wind turbines planned in that area, you have to dig a hole and fill it with a quantity of concrete that occupies the same cubic meters as the basilica? Is it acceptable? No. We need to negotiate, find a compromise, perhaps a noble one, between the need for alternative energy and the protection of the landscape."
Sardinia hosts the largest military easements in Italy, now energy ones are looming: doesn't it seem excessive to you?
«I would avoid certain reasoning along the lines of “they have it in for us”. Sardinia has excellent reasons to say no, but – in my opinion – it is better to stay away from discussions that may seem victim-oriented».
