Guest Lecture - SIOI

Filippo Verre - April 6, 2024

AB AQUA's President dr. Filippo Verre gave a Guest Lecture at SIOI (Italian Society for International Organization) as part of the course organized by the Italian Navy, entitled Italy: a Maritime Country: Challenges and Opportunities. Dr. Verre's lecture, entitled "Italian Desalination. An Economic-Industrial Analysis and Future Perspectives", explored a topic of crucial importance for the future of Italy, as a country surrounded by the sea and increasingly exposed to challenges related to water scarcity.

The Role of Desalination in Italy

During his speech, Filippo Verre examined the growing role of desalination as a solution to address the growing demand for drinking water, especially in Italy's coastal and island regions. He highlighted how, despite the abundance of seawater, Italy is still only minimally exploiting the potential of this technology. Desalination, according to the President of AB AQUA, represents one of the most promising responses to water management in the face of challenges such as climate change, population growth and increasing pressure on inland watersheds.

Economic-Industrial Analysis

One of the key aspects of the lecture was the economic-industrial analysis of desalination in Italy. Dr. Verre illustrated how the sector is rapidly growing, but still requires significant investments in infrastructure and technological innovation. Italy, with its long coastline and strong industrial tradition, has a unique potential to become a leader in the field of desalination, but must overcome economic and regulatory barriers to fully exploit this opportunity. Dr. Verre also explored the energy cost associated with desalination processes, discussing currently available technologies and emerging ones, such as the use of renewable energy to power plants, thus reducing environmental impact.

Challenges and Future Prospects

Looking to the future, Filippo Verre outlined the prospects of desalination in Italy, highlighting the importance of public policies that favor the development of modern and sustainable plants. Among the main challenges, he mentioned the need to balance the initial costs of the plants with the long-term benefits, as well as the importance of cooperation between the public and private sectors to make these projects financially sustainable.

Furthermore, Dr. Verre spoke about international cooperation in the field of desalination, highlighting how Italy can draw inspiration from the experiences of other Mediterranean countries, such as Israel and Spain, which have invested significantly in this technology and are now at the forefront worldwide.

The lecture concluded with a passionate discussion on the potential of Italy to become a technological hub in the field of desalination, taking advantage of its natural resources and its strategic position in the Mediterranean. Filippo Verre highlighted how desalination is not only a necessity for the country's water future, but also a great economic and industrial opportunity that could lead to job creation and technological innovation.

The audience, composed of Navy officers, maritime sector experts and representatives of the academic world, followed the arguments discussed with great interest, actively participating in the question and answer session that closed the lesson.

At this link it is possible to have more details about the course: https://www.sioi.org/spring-school-2024-italia-paese-marittimo-sfide-opportunita-marina-militare/.

At this link it is possible to consult the slides presented during the lecture: https://drive.google.com/file/d/11JVG6CfrYr7NWa-2vYVHNZ4Cf5nlH5z0/view?usp=sharing.