NETWORKS CONVERGENCE

​ CESI is attending Aspenia Talks, the event organized by the Aspen Institute to launch the latest issue of Aspenia. CESI CEO Matteo Codazzi has written one of the magazine’s articles, exploring the topic of networks convergence as one of the main players for innovation and the future of the planet. There will be about 8.5 billion people in the world in 2030; 9.7 billion in 2050 and 10.9 billion in 2100, then more energy will be needed to feed everyone, amplifying the demand for good environmental stewards. And CO2 emissions are another important factor: they mainly come from burning of fossil fuels and the conversion of forests to pastures and crops. The technological and economic convergence of an integrated electric network with water, natural gas and transportation sys­tems can contribute to guaranteeing a more sustainable, effi­cient and “circular” future economy. From the energy sector point of view, another mantra for energy innovation is grid modernization, with two watchwords: decentralization and digitization. In fact, innovation will re­quire the convergence of physical and hard assets: generators, conductors, switches, regulators, transformers, meters and more to produce, conduct, con­trol, manage and consume electrons. We might call this the Grid of Things. Ultimately, the power grid should be con­ceived as an open platform that achieves greater value through the conver­gence of an integrated electric network with other networks (such as water, natural gas and transportation) to create more livable and efficient  smart-cities.