The Italian energy system sees progress as Terna advances in innovation with new submarine technologies.

Terna has reaffirmed its commitment to adopting the most advanced technologies to ensure increasingly efficient and sustainable management of electrical infrastructure, with a particular focus on underwater environments.

Under the leadership of Giuseppina Di Foggia, the company is taking a new step in its innovation journey by testing the Internet of Underwater Things (IoUT) technology in collaboration with Wsense, a leader in deep tech specializing in underwater monitoring and communication systems.

Italian Energy System: The Electric Future Will Depend on Submarine Cable Backbones

The energy future will increasingly depend on strategic backbones consisting of submarine electrical cables, the construction of which will require innovative solutions to ensure the safety of infrastructure and the monitoring of surrounding environmental conditions.

The Internet of Underwater Things represents a new technological frontier that enables smarter and more sustainable management of submarine connections, thanks to advanced monitoring and real-time communication of underwater environmental parameters, essential for analyzing human impact on the sea.

The IoUT technology was tested in the waters of the Tyrrhenian Sea, in the Piombino Channel, where Wsense implemented a system of underwater probes interconnected via an underwater Wi-Fi network for data transmission. This network was used to acquire real-time and continuous data for monitoring various marine ecosystem parameters, including underwater noise, currents, chlorophyll, temperature, and water turbidity.

Giacomo Donnini, Director of Major Projects and International Development at Terna, stated: "The Internet of Underwater Things holds great promise for monitoring underwater environmental conditions, perfectly integrating with the Twin Transition of energy and digital that Terna is pursuing in seeking integrated solutions for the development and management of submarine networks. This technology tested with Wsense could introduce innovative approaches to mitigate environmental impacts and protect the marine ecosystem."

Italian Energy System: Collaboration Between Wsense and Terna's Innovation and Major Projects Team

Massimiliano Garri, Director of Innovation & Market Solutions at Terna, added: "For many years, we have been using IoT sensors to monitor the electrical grid, improving its reliability and resilience. Now, with Wsense, we are exploring the potential of an underwater data transmission network to monitor the marine ecosystem. This technology offers new possibilities to optimize the transmission of electrical energy under the sea."

The collaboration between Wsense and Terna's Innovation and Major Projects teams has demonstrated the promising potential of IoUT technology to meet the Group's specific needs, improving the reliability of the network.

Innovation is crucial to achieving Terna's energy transition goals. The Twin Transition of energy and digital is a pillar of Terna's 2024-2028 Industrial Plan, which has allocated approximately 2 billion euros for digitalization and innovation.

The Group is currently involved in about 70 innovation projects in five technological areas: digital solutions for energy management, innovative energy technologies, advanced network infrastructure management, research on eco-compatible materials, and process automation through robotics.