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"History teaches us that men and nations behave wisely once they have exhausted all other alternatives"

Abba Eban

Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs."

The Report of the U.N. Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, 1987

"Then I say the Earth belongs to each generation during its course, fully and in its right no generation can contract debts greater than may be paid during the course of its existence"

Thomas Jefferson, September 6, 1789

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Panel

The role of offshore wind for the energy transition: prospectives and challenges from key industrial and academic players

Moderator: Prof. Davide Astiaso Garcia

Offshore wind (OW) will play a crucial role in the energy transition of our society in the following years, increasing at the same time the energy independence of many countries by the use of their renewable energy sources. In particular, it represents a strategic asset for achieving the European Union's decarbonization and energy transition objectives, as well as a great growth opportunity for the implementation of a European industrial supply chain.

The panel will discuss what are the potentialities of this sector considering the prospectives of the floating OW that is opening new interesting potentialities that were not feasible for bottom fixed technologies, as in many Mediterranean areas, analyzing, on the other hand, the main challenges and barriers that need to be overcome for a successful development of this industrial sector.

The panel includes both academics and key industrial players in the OW sector  in order to provide a real and detailed overview of technological, regulatory and economic aspects that affect the development of OW energy at short and long term.



Prof. Alessandro Bianchini
University of Florence, Florence, Italy
Alessandro Bianchini is Associate Professor at the Department of Industrial Engineering of the University of Florence (Italy), where he holds the courses on “Wind and marine engineering” and “Advanced Renewable Energy Conversion”. Prof. Bianchini currently serves as the vice-president of the European Academy of Wind energy (EAWE) and Associated Editor of the prestigious Wind Energy Science Journal. In the field of wind energy, he has authored so far more than 150 publications in peer-reviewed journals and conferences, including the authorship of two of the ten studies in the “Grand Challenges Paper Series” promoted by the International Energy Agency. His main research fields are wind turbine aerodynamics and design/simulation of wind turbines and farms with multi-fidelity approaches, from engineering methods to high-computing Computational Fluid Dynamics.
Key Challenges in Developing the Next Generation of Floating Offshore Wind Turbines
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Floating offshore wind turbines (FOWTs) will undoubtedly play a key role in the future EU energy mix, as they are able to tap into the huge wind energy potential in deep waters. Floating offshore wind is anyhow a relatively new technology, with only few commercial wind farms are currently in operation, and many concepts still in the stage of demonstration projects. This results in several unknowns regarding the actual performance, the final LCOE, and the entire value chain of the technology. The panel discussion will explore some of the main challenges in developing the next generation of FOWTs, with particular reference to their design and simulation. The multi-physics interaction of stochastic loading of wind and waves with the aero-hydro-servo-elastic response, and the unprecedented inflow condition seen at the top of the giant machines of 15+ MW will be related to the design of the new rotors, hopefully tailored to the sea basins in which they will be installed. The resulting design solutions will be then related to the problems of manufacturability and installation, where a discussion will be established with the industrial partners involved in the discussion.

Dr. Gbemi Oluleye
Imperial College London, London, United Kingdom
The Role of Offshore Wind in the Energy Transition: Opportunities for Green Hydrogen for Industrial Decarbonisation
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As the global industrial sector strives for decarbonisation, green hydrogen, particularly produced via dedicated and curtailed offshore wind (OSW)-powered electrolysis, emerges as a promising solution. I will delve into the critical role of offshore wind in supporting industrial decarbonisation, and discuss how green hydrogen can achieve cost parity with traditional fuels, using internal interventions, such as waste heat utilization, and external interventions such as market-based policies and private finance (sustainability linked bonds). I applied a novel market penetration assessment model to quantitatively assesses how these interventions can narrow the cost disparity between green hydrogen and its alternatives, sustain economic competitiveness, and stimulate widespread adoption from 2025 through 2050. My findings for the UK show that by leveraging curtailed OSW energy, green hydrogen has the potential to achieve substantial cost reductions, with internal interventions such as waste heat utilization leading to a 17.5% decrease in costs. External market-based policies can further reduce costs by up to 39%, with a combined approach yielding a 63.8% reduction in the levelized cost of hydrogen (LCOH), bringing it closer to cost parity with natural gas. I will discuss the broader implications of these findings, discussing the necessary policy frameworks, technological innovations, and market dynamics needed to scale green hydrogen adoption globally. 

Mr. Riccardo Mollo
Renext Solutions (Renexia), N/A, Italy
He graduated in Mechanical Engineering in 1985 and is a Registered Professional Engineer in both Italy and South Carolina. He is an officer of the Italian Navy. He comes from Engineering & Contracting and has worked mainly in the international field: as Resident Project Director - until the end of the 1990s - he has built industrial and refinery plants in Iran, China, USA and Sweden. In the early 2000s, he was Chief Executive Officer of the Alliances Sector of the French multinational Technip and was responsible for all Technip's projects for British Petroleum worldwide. In 2004 - 2005, as General Manager and Board Member of Technip Brazil, he built the world's largest deepwater offshore platform in Rio de Janeiro. Riccardo Mollo also has decades of experience in Concessions and in 2014 he was General Manager of Autostrade per l'Italia. Subsequently, until 2019, he led as Group Chief Executive Officer the multinational Permasteelisa, world leader in curtain walling for skyscrapers, operating with 7,000 people and 52 companies in 29 different countries, with an annual turnover of EUR 1,500 million. Permasteelisa has realised the main and most iconic structures designed by international archistars. In October 2019, Riccardo Mollo joined the Toto Group and was Chief Executive Officer and General Manager of Strada dei Parchi from June 2020 to May 2024. Since 2023 he has been Managing Director of ReNEXT Solutions, a company active as a contractor for the construction and maintenance of offshore wind farms.
Mr. Saverio Ventrelli
Siemens Energy, Oslo, Norway
Mr.Ventrelli is Global Sales Manager for the BlueVault battery energy storage in Siemens Energy. He has held several managing positions like Global Portfolio Head for Marine and Offshore Vessels, Global Sales Head for BESS in the Offshore Drilling, and Global Business Development for Offshore Wind & Floating Solar.
BESS to Grids: How BlueVault and QStore battery systems can support the FOW
Mr. Andrea Santopaolo
Hitachi Energy, Rome, Italy
Andrea Santopaolo holds a Master’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Sapienza University, earned in 2013. Since September 2021, he has been serving as an Account Manager at Hitachi Energy, where he is responsible for developing the Renewable energy market in Italy. He is currently based in Rome and is actively involved in creating new business opportunities in emerging sectors, such as Offshore Wind. Andrea has accumulated extensive experience in the energy sector through his previous roles at ABB, Terna, and Iberdrola.
Grid Connection Challenges for Offshore Wind
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Offshore wind has been a reality in the North Sea for years. Hitachi Energy is one of the leaders in this sector when it comes to high-voltage substations for connecting these large wind farm to the power grid. However, the Mediterranean Sea presents an additional complication because it will require the use of floating high voltage substations (currently, there are no such installations in the world). Hitachi Energy has been working for years on developing products for floating applications.                                                           The state of development of Hitachi’s products for such applications will be summarized, and the approach suggested by Hitachi Energy to address the challenges arising from the supply chain will be presented.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       

Mr. Leopoldo Versace
Vestas, Rome, Italy
Leopoldo Versace is an international professional with 17 years’ experience in the wind energy industry and 3 years’ experience previously gained in Oil&Gas and Biomedical fields. Leopoldo, as Senior Director is leading the Development of green field projects at Vestas Development Unit for Vestas Wind Systems, with focus on EMEA&LATAM Region, to secure assets, profitable commercialization and exclusivity for WTGs/O&M Sales. Within 2007-2019 Leopoldo was in the Sales Unit of Vestas MED-MENA Region, initially contributing to the negotiations and signature of WTGs TSA/O&M contracts with clients in the Italian market and later leading in the Middle East&North Africa the the origination of new sales opportunity and the selling of large EPC /O&M contracts, working closely with Multilaterals, ECAs, Banks, technical advisors, IPPs, Gov Bodies; consolidating Vestas’ presence into the Region. Leopoldo holds a Degree in Mechanical Energy Engineering from the Università della Calabria (Italy) where he also conducted research to improve the performance of PV plant
The role of offshore wind for the energy transition: ​Lesson learned, Opportunities, Policy and Technical challenges.
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In 2024, authorities plan to auction nearly 50GW of offshore wind projects globally. This marks a record in the history of offshore wind energy and shows that government plans for wind power are becoming increasingly ambitious. 
But today, the gap between these plans and what is actually done to accelerate them into real wind projects, is widening. At present, offshore auctions are designed with a focus on generating revenue, and not on realising projects. This approach is placing many offshore plans at risk of being delayed or even called off and without a reform, we risk being left with just plans. For a successful energy transition, we have to close this gap between ‘say’ and ‘do’. Vestas is calling for politicians to close the gap between talk and action, by reforming offshore auctions and prioritising the delivery of real offshore projects.  

Powering Progress for All: Bridging the Gender Gap in the Energy Field

Moderator: Prof. Carla Montagud Montalvá

The global energy sector faces immense challenges in achieving sustainable and equitable energy access.  

The European Green New Deal and the European Gender Equality Strategy are clear messages that both environmental protection and gender equality are priorities for the European Commission. Nevertheless, these strategies lack coordination, and in most cases, the objectives are not addressed together. Policies must address the complexities of gender roles and identities and the root causes of inequality in the climate change context if they aim to be effective and redistributive. Gender studies have highlighted how policies and actions not drafted and planned with a gender perspective tend to produce a gender bias.

The root causes to why women are under-represented in the energy sector must be seen from different perspectives and the reasons for the under-representation are not solely individual preferences. Overall, there are rather social, institutional, and structural barriers related to this. Social barriers for women limit their access to some types of education, training, and employment. Institutional and structural barriers relate to both social constructions including different perceptions about what women should or should not work with, and structures such as hinderance in participation in decision making bodies etc. 

Despite the crucial role women can play in developing and implementing innovative energy solutions, gender bias persists also in the energy research field. Women bring unique perspectives to energy challenges. They often have a strong focus on social equity and the needs of vulnerable communities, which are crucial considerations when developing sustainable energy solutions.

While transitioning away from fossil fuels to clean energy sources is crucial to combat climate change, it is not enough. We must also ensure that this transition is just and equitable, leaving no one behind and addressing the specific needs of marginalized communities. This includes gender equality, as women are disproportionately affected by energy poverty and lack of access to clean energy.

This panel discussion will explore the current landscape of gender representation and bias in the Energy field. It will also discuss how to overcome structural barriers to women inclusión in the sector.

Panelists will discuss:

  • The specific ways in which gender bias manifests in research funding, project design, and dissemination of findings.
  • The impact of gender bias on the effectiveness of energy solutions for diverse communities.
  • Strategies for promoting gender equity in energy research, including fostering mentorship programs, diversifying research teams, and developing research agendas that address the energy needs of women and girls.
  • Strategies for overcoming structural barriers.

By fostering a more inclusive research environment, we can tap into the full potential of talent and innovation to achieve a more just and sustainable energy future for all.



Dr. Monica Garcia-Melon
Universitat Politècnica de València, Valencia, Spain
I am a senior researcher at the INGENIO research institute (CSIC-UPV). My main line of research focuses on the application of the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) and Analytic Network Process (ANP) methodologies to create indicators that help evaluation and decision-making in participatory processes. Within this field of research, my two main lines of work are: (i) Participatory Decision Making, (ii) Application of Multi-Criteria Models to assess social responsibility and environmental sustainability of policies and organisations. I lead a research group, I have promoted a consolidated line of work that has generated an important scientific production in high quality journals, obtained several research and knowledge transfer projects with public and private funding and consolidated the scientific career of several researchers. I have been the Principal Investigator of 4 R&D projects funded by the Ministry of Science, 1 European project (PI of the Spanish group), 2 projects of the Generalitat Valenciana (GV) and 3 of the UPV. 3 of them dedicated to obtaining indicators to monitor science policies from the socio-environmental (RRI) perspective at European level (Super-MoRRI, 2018-2022), at national level (INPERRI, 2016-2020) and at regional level (RRICVAL, 2017-2019), and the fourth (INVISIBLES 2021-2024) dedicated to obtaining indicators to analyse the visibility of women in scientific events. Others have been used to help decision-makers at different levels of public administrations to make strategic decisions involving multiple stakeholders: planning of activities for the development of a city (4), for the development of tourism in a region (3), for the shipbuilding industry (1), for the food industry (1), for the strategic planning of a university (3) and very closely related to this project for the analysis of capital-risk investors’ preferences on biomass power plants projects. As a result of the research carried out, I have published more than 50 scientific publications in indexed journals to date. Four of them occupy the first, third, fifth and fifth position in their field respectively, with a total of 710 accumulated citations (WoS). I have an H=18 index.
The specific ways in which gender bias manifests in research funding, project design and dissemination of findings
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Gender bias in research manifests in several critical ways, impacting the entire lifecycle of scientific inquiry. Women researchers frequently receive less funding than men, which limits their ability to undertake large-scale or long-term projects. This funding gap often leads to a disparity in research opportunities and career advancement. In project design, there is a tendency to overlook gender-specific issues, resulting in studies that may not fully account for differences between genders or the unique challenges faced by women. This bias extends to the dissemination of findings, where research led by women or focusing on women's issues is less likely to be published in high-impact journals, further marginalizing these contributions. Such biases not only affect the careers of individual researchers but also skew the broader knowledge base, leading to a less comprehensive understanding of important scientific and social issues. Addressing these biases requires systemic changes in funding practices, project evaluation criteria, and publication standards to ensure a more equitable research environment.

Prof. Caroline Hachem-Vermette
Concordia University, Montreal, Canada
Powering Progress for All: Bridging the Gender Gap in the Energy Field
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Gender bias poses significant challenges to the effectiveness and sustainability of energy solutions. This panel discussion highlights the numerous issues that arise from neglecting gender-specific needs and roles, such as inefficiencies, lower adoption rates, and reduced community support. When energy initiatives fail to consider the diverse energy usage patterns and decision-making roles of different genders, they often result in suboptimal outcomes. For example, women, who frequently manage household energy consumption, may have different priorities and usage patterns than men, which are often overlooked in project planning and implementation.

By neglecting these critical aspects, energy projects can inadvertently exacerbate existing social and economic inequalities, further marginalizing certain groups and missing opportunities for greater social and environmental impact. Gender bias in energy projects can lead to the development and deployment of technologies and solutions that do not fully meet the needs of all community members, resulting in reduced effectiveness and sustainability.

This discussion underscores the importance of addressing gender bias in energy projects to avoid these pitfalls. It emphasizes the need for inclusive planning and implementation processes that recognize and integrate the unique perspectives and needs of all genders. By doing so, energy solutions can become more equitable, effective, and widely supported, leading to enhanced community resilience and sustainability. This approach not only promotes social justice but also maximizes the overall impact of energy initiatives on society and the environment.

Dr. Eva Schito
University of Pisa, Pisa, Italy
Senior researcher at University of Pisa. Main research fields: energy efficiency in buildings, in particular historic buildings and museums; design and optimal management of HVAC systems; renewable energy sources
Strategies for Promoting Gender Equity in STEM
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Women have been underrepresented in university STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) fields for many years. According to the most recent international reports, about 30% of STEM students are women; more specifically, in the engineering field, this percentage is even lower.

Ensuring that women are equally represented in STEM fields is crucial for several reasons, such as promoting innovation and creativity, driving economic growth and personal independence, breaking down stereotypes, and fostering a more inclusive and equitable society.

Currently, there is a high need for initiatives aimed at inspiring girls and raising awareness of girls' and women's potential. This contribution aims to discuss strategies developed to promote gender equality in STEM courses. Some of them are: mentorship programs (to provide support, guidance, and role models); networking opportunities for female students and researchers (to foster sense of community); awareness campaigns (to encourage more girls and women to consider these carriers); and inclusive educational and research environment (to create a more welcoming atmosphere).

Some ongoing activities at the University of Pisa will be also presented and discussed.

Dr. Pia Ulvenblad
Halmstad University, Halmstad, Sweden
Pia Ulvenblad is Associate Professor in Business Administration at Halmstad University. She is the program leader of the program ProActS - Promoting resource efficiency, co-creative Actions and innovation for Sustainable transition at the university which includes about 50 researchers in different research areas such as business administration, energy engineering, environmental science, humanities, information technology, innovation sciences and social sciences. Her research focus is mainly on sustainable business models, circular economy, leadership, occupational health safety strategies and gender inclusion.
Women are underrepresented in the energy field that is related to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) but why?
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There are different kinds of barriers. For example, women have experienced barriers such as barriers related to limit access to some types of education, training, and employment. There are also lack of role models in leadership. In some countries there is still limited access for women to own land and/or inherit property.

Barriers can be related to individual preferences. However, it is shown that many times the barriers have a structural character such as social constructions including different perceptions about what women should or should not work with, and structures such as hinderance in participation in decision making bodies etc. Internal barriers for gender mainstreaming are for example related to (i) when several perspectives are competing, gender equality is often the loser and (ii) gender issues are sometimes interpreted as “women issues”.

Some promising strategies to be able to take advantage of a variety of competencies and knowledge in our educations, workplaces and in research is to work with gender mainstreaming and equality plans. This includes to create awareness about structural barriers for women inclusion. Further, to plan, implement and monitor activities.


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