Economic and environmental analisys of hydropower plants in Sicily

Renewable energy sources are a central issue in people’s daily life. These sources of energy are called “renewable” as they do not run out like traditional ones, such as oil, entailing lower emission levels and better environmental conditions. In recent years’ governments have taken care of issues such as “sustainable development”: a development which is possible thanks to the satisfaction of both present and future generation’s needs. As renewable energy sources are infinite, they can be exploited in different ways, with an approach that respects the main features of circular economy. It has been shown that global shares of energy sources changed in the last 20 years, with an increasing influence of REs. Hydroelectric power is one of the elder renewable energy sources: hydropower technologies are used for both storage and production of energy, using the potential energy of water to create electricity. The aim of this work is to contemplate the main financial and environmental advantages and disadvantages and to analyze costs and revenues coming from the implementation of hydropower plants in Sicily, which is an infinite source of environmentally-friendly resources. Sicilian potential is certainly underestimated: it contributes to the total amount of Italian energy production with very few quantities of energy, but it could be one of the leading Italian regions as far as it concerns electricity. The presence of hydropower plants in Sicily would lead to the increase of energy production, the increase of Sicilian independence in terms of energy needs, better environmental conditions (reduction of CO2, NOx and particulate matters emissions together with other environmental benefits), better healthy standards and the reduction of the current very high levels of deaths due to pollution