The analysts of Standard And Poor’s, famous for the ratings, are monitoring the situation linked to the increase in gas prices. But from their analysis, among the many criticalities, a positive element seems to emerge for the growth of renewables and for speeding up the energy transaction.
As reported by the engineers Massimo Gemelli and Massimo Marrocchi of the Technological Infrastructure, Plants, Energy Unit of Anas, expensive energy could therefore be an ally of the energy transition. The increase in gas prices coincided with the general increase in energy demand, thanks to the gradual recovery of the markets due to a drop in health pressure due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Costs have risen due to raw materials, including natural gas, and purely geopolitical issues, such as competition from the united Asian markets. The progressive reduction of CO2 emissions has also caused the market prices of carbon dioxide quotas to go from 20 € / ton a year ago to 60 € / ton today, causing a surge in energy prices.
“Standard And Poor’s (S&P) has made a price prediction over a period of time up to 2026 and has estimated that prices in Italy will continue to be on average higher than in other continental markets. In Italy, however, the impact of the price increases caused by gas, again according to S&P, is mitigated by a growth forecast in the renewable energy sector, thanks to the streamlining of the authorization processes which, in the past, had hindered the development of green energy in our country more. With regard to electricity, the average price listed on the Italian Power Exchange (PUN), which is the reference for energy purchase and sale contracts, went from the average value of 50 € / MWh in September 2020 to almost 160 € / MWh of September 2021. This increase weighs heavily on the energy costs of Public Administrations, including Anas, as the current energy supply contracts of Consip, which is one of the main central purchasing bodies for the PA, are indexed to the PUN“, We read on the site lestradedellinformazione.it, managed by Anas.
To mitigate the increase in the energy component linked to the PUN, the Government has introduced temporary measures to reduce the system costs for consumers; even if they are unlikely to become structural if energy costs do not go down. What can happen? the increase in prices could give stimuli and incentives to forms of renewable energy, which are the only ones capable of making electric cars perfectly ecological, for example. Furthermore, with renewables, it would be possible to free companies from fluctuations in the price of energy from fossil fuels. It could be a chance to make the climate fight convenient, even at an economic level.