ENERGY 2021. A SECTOR IN TRANSITION
Excerpt from the “PREMISE”
It is difficult to try to take stock of the past year without mentioning the COVID-19 pandemic and its impacts on our lives, even today with an effective vaccine available. From a work perspective, for example, home working has altered what seemed to be the immutable daily alternation between home and office.
Looking from the point of view of the energy sector, it was a year of recovery in consumption after the sharp decline resulting from the severe lockdown of the first part of 2020, but also of an increase in energy prices and, consequently, bills. This happened both globally and in Italy.
Even more than the previous one, there has been talk of Energy Transition as a mandatory path to mitigate the effects of climate change and reach a decarbonized society. Renewables are now a reality in terms of generation and price per kWh, but not only that. Green finance (also thanks to the European Taxonomy) is increasingly strong and widespread, as is the bankability of environmentally sustainable projects. And the in-depth reflections made on "green" hydrogen (produced with electricity from RES) as an energy vector of the near future demonstrate that solutions are being sought that can profoundly change the picture.
However, many lights also correspond to shadows. First of all, fossil fuels are not in decline, given that several nations in full industrial growth (India and China) are struggling to imagine completely sustainable ways of development. At least in the terms set by the European Union and its ambitious programs. Natural gas itself, today overshadowed by the hypothesis of hydrogen, cannot be considered an outdated option.
In our country, there are additional difficulties represented by long and cumbersome administrative procedures that hinder the full development of wind and photovoltaic energy, as demonstrated by the failed auctions of the summer.
Looking at the end-consumer market, Italy is still waiting for the completion of the liberalization of electricity (this will happen in January 2023). Yet, data in hand, abandoning the protected market is convenient both in terms of monetary savings on the bill and in terms of eco-sustainability thanks to the numerous offers of electricity generated from carbon-free and renewable sources (as we at Audax Renewables propose).
Finally, a theme close to our sensitivity as retailers is that of customer acquisition and loyalty methods, today unfortunately subject to many, too many, variables. Offering additional services and products becomes a winning solution, now that energy has turned into a commodity devoid of any appeal in the user-consumer purchasing dynamics.
Finally, a fact that concerns Audax closely. With the middle of 2021 there was a change in the name: from Audax Energia we became Audax Renewables. This has happened both in Italy and in other markets, with the sole exception of Spain, where the name Audax Renovables has been maintained. Different idioms that mean, however, the same commitment. Not just a simple and superficial rebranding action, but an important sign that aligns brand-mission-values. Or if you prefer, that finally makes “what we call ourselves”, what “we are” and what “we believe in” coincide. With renewable and sustainable energy as the common denominator.
These thoughts of mine, collected today in this ebook, had – over the course of the last 12 months – originally found space on the Audax Renewables website and on the LinkedIn platform.
Happy reading!
Francis Calabretta
Cluster Leader Italy and Hungary Audax Renewables
