The company as a stakeholder

AWARDS IN THE FIELD OF INNOVATION

In 2022, Acea won the SMAU 2022 Innovation Award, with the project 3Ws – Women, Welfare and Work/Life Balance – Startups for a better life, an initiative carried out in collaboration with the Welfare Unit of Acea SpA and La Carica delle 101, an association of female professionals who provide pro-bono mentorship to new businesses. It involved an open call dedicated to start-ups with a high percentage of women committed to the development of solutions to improve work/life balance and define corporate welfare services (also see the chapter Staff).

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION AT ACEA SPA

In 2022, the Innovation unit of Acea SpA's Technology & Solutions Function with the involvement of all the company's entities and ex- ternal start-ups, launched and/or realised numerous experiments and initiatives for the innovation and digitalisation of services, including:

• the MeGA project, led by Acea SpA and Areti in collaboration with M2D Technologies, made it possible to create a platform that could analyse medium and low voltage SCADA protocols (the computer system for the supervision and management of an electrical power station) and extract indicators on the func- tioning of new automation solutions;
• VR Training, an initiative developed with Areti and the start-up Start Smart involving the use of virtual reality to prepare col- leagues to work in hostile environments like confined spaces;
• MIDA, a project developed in collaboration with the start-up Wesii to monitor photovoltaic plants, with an ultra-technologi- cal model of self-flying drones equipped with a thermal camera, which can fly over plants at a height of 25 metres, monitoring the integrity of the panels in real time and optimising mainte- nance interventions and costs;
• Machine Learning – Elabori, the activation of a machine learning infrastructure that enhances all of Acea Elabori’s logs and data, making it possible to carry out forecasts and predictive analyses in the cloud to improve the planning of dispatching and the per- formance of analyses and work sites;
• Up2You (Waidy – Water), a solution developed with the innova- tive start-up Up2You, which makes it possible to very precisely calculate the sustainability benefits associated with using the Waidy app;
• Al for Contact Centres (Acea Energia), a platform based on artificial intelligence that allows for an improvement in Acea Energia’s outbound lists, with a consequent improvement in the conversio

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE COMMERCIAL AREA

In 2022, the company Acea Innovation continued the develop- ment of electric mobility functions. It upgraded the Charging Point Operator platform, in interoperability with e-Mobility Service Providers, with two new interoperability options with Be-Charge and Hubject and launched Acea Energia’s EMSP platform (Electric Mobility Service Provider), in which new functions were made available, including FLAT tariffs and profiling for Business clients. The company also developed and launched a private network model to create B2B private networks in which integrated electric charging stations are installed with a dedicated portal that allows customers to monitor the charging sessions carried out, and implemented a new system for managing energy communities.
As part of its activities in the sale of electricity and gas commodities and non-commodity services, Acea Energia has launched and/or completed the following innovative projects:

• the E2CRM digital transformation programme which involved adopting the Salesforce CRM platform, enabling all processes to be implemented digitally, with a consequent reduction in con- tacts through traditional channels and paper-based flows, and new functions to be developed on the portal reserved for cus- tomers in the Large & Business segment;
• the change to the digital channels with the creation of projects to revisit and increase the features of certain digital touchpoints, including revising the website, the design of a new sales funnel, the launch of the new app with features intended to reduce telephone contact, a renewed routing model for the management of the telephone channel and the launch of two agile rooms to improve processes from a client-centric perspective (close the loop, predictive call management, ), and the monitoring of the KPIs of the individual processes.

RESEARCH ANDINNOVATION IN THE NETWORKS (ENERGY INFRASTRUCTURE) AREA

In 2022, Areti implemented several innovative projects as part of its electricity distribution activities, including:

• the PlatOne project, financed by the European programme Horizon 2020, intended to develop and test technological solutions and new market schemes capable of enabling the flexibility of the utilities connected to the distribution network, with the aim of promoting transparent and inclusive participation of end customers in the electrical flexibility The project involves public and private organisations operating in Italy, Greece, Belgium, and Germany, under the coordination of RWTH Aachen University in Germany and Areti coordinates the Italian trial implemented in the Rome area. The pilot is based on a multi-platform architecture which, using blockchain technology, simulates a local flexibility market, enabling the users connected to the distribution network to provide services to the local and global electricity system. Acea Energia is an aggregator of the project, gathering availability of end customers and offering them to the market, before then distributing the revenues with those customers;
• the European project BeFlexible, launched in September 2022 with the involvement of other organisations, including Enel Group, Terna and RSE, is intended to test the use of flexibility services as well as the synergy between the electricity system and other sectors for the stability and security of the grid. The project aims to define and standardise a catalogue of flexibility services, shared with the stakeholders involved in the project (grid operators, dispatching users, aggregators, prosumers, technology providers) and to trial, through the use of technological solutions developed in other European projects, a common market model for the supply of such services, promoting the involvement of end customers and synergy across sectors (gas, water, heat, mobility, etc.). Areti participates in the initiative by enhancing the architecture developed in the PlatOne project;
• the Flow project, financed by the Directorate-General for Energy of the European Commission, intended to identify technological solutions and coordination methods with all actors involved which allow for a management of electric mobility with respect for grid security and quality of service. The project, launched in July 2022, involves various organisations, coordinated by Spain’s IREC, including Enel Group, Terna, Engineering SpA and RSE. Again in this case, Areti participates in the project by enhancing the architecture developed as part of the PlatOne project;
• the RomeFlex pilot project, financed by ARERA and aimed at creating a flexibility market for the electricity grid across the Rome area, expanding the trial already in place with the PlatOne In December, Areti launched a public consultation to allow stakeholders to make comments about the regulations required for application of the trial;
• the POLEDRIC project, for the construction, in Rome, of a type of intelligent public lighting pole, able to improve the service, through sensors and advanced technologies, and enable additional environmental, security and communication services, from a smart city perspective (environmental sensors, traffic and parking monitoring sensors, video surveillance and video analysis, etc.);
• The I.M.M.I. project (Massive and Targeted Infrastructure Inspection Management), to reduce undiscovered faults on overhead lines and asset monitoring, through periodic analysis of satellite images and targeted drone inspections;
• the BVLOS experiment which involved the inspection of an overhead line conducted using a remotely piloted drone, with 4G connectivity and completely autonomous flight;
• the AUTONOMOUS project, to reduce the incidence of faults in the primary substation, by means of preventive inspections either autonomously or remotely guided by a UGV (Unmanned Ground Vehicle) drone. In 2022, the testing of the solution was completed with the setting up of a recharging box in which the drone, at the end of the mission, can recover and recharge itself, and the data collection and management platform was created, which is necessary for the integration of the new solution in the current inspection processes;
• the Automa per selezione guasto in TLC [Automated Fault Selection in TLC] experiment, aimed at supporting and automating human operations by means of Robotic Process Automation techniques for remote fault selection on the network. In early 2022, the demonstrator implementation experiment was completed, which made it possible to perform fault selection on a portion of a real network, using logic developed in matlab which, thanks to innovative Robotic Process Automation techniques, interacted with the SCADA system. The demonstrator project made it possible to verify the validity of the approach and to define the integration solution when fully operational;
• the project Automation of Low Voltage Lines, aimed at enabling remote control and automating the reclosure of low voltage lines from the secondary substation on disconnection for excess power; Mass installations of the solution began in 2022;
• the Bilateral LTE Automation project, which involves the implementation of a field automation solution to select the fault line and uses the 4G network to make the switches along the line communicate. In 2022, the mass installations of the solution and the evolution of central device management platform were launched for the remote management of peripheral Industrial IoT devices that support other remote and service monitoring solutions in secondary substations;
• the transition to an operating environment of the pilot project for the application of Internet of Things – IoT technologies to secondary substations, with the aim of collecting and analysing measurements of environmental parameters and electrical quantities from the low-voltage network, to improve plant maintenance and energy loss control. In 2022, the engineering of the solution in the field was completed with the installation of the technology in 50 secondary substations, and an IoT Monitoring platform was implemented;
• the IA-TEXT-MEANING trial, which enabled the creation of a platform that could analyse, interpret semantically and classify the text notes related to field interventions made by WFM

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE WATER AREA

With the aim of improving its operational performance, in collaboration with Acea Elabori, Acea Ato 2 implemented research activities and technological-digital innovation on:

• the satellite radar technique Intasar Monitoring required to monitor the stability of elevated structures on the ground (e.g. tanks) with specially designed reflectors to improve accuracy and resolution;
• monitoring of emerging organic micropollutants (EOM) and endocrine disruptors in the wastewater of medium- to large-sized plants, selected according to process scheme and territorial location; in 2022 monitoring activities continued at the CoBIS and Roma Sud plants and those of the Tiber River relating to environmental risk assessment and analysis;
• the combined use of the two disinfectants, sodium hypochlorite and chlorine dioxide, in different proportions at the Grottarossa drinking water plant, with the aim of finding an effective composition of the mixture of the two disinfectants that prevents the proliferation of algae in the clariflocculators and minimises the use of chemicals while continuing to guarantee full microbiological compliance of the outgoing water;
• the trial, at the Grottarossa drinking water plant, on the use of coadjuvant polyelectrolytes of PAC in the clariflocculation process with the aim of improving the performance of the plant under serious operating conditions following heavy rainfall;
• the creation of a model to estimate the load capacity of the filter material at the Pescarella drinking water plant, based on the chemical composition of the incoming water and the flow rates processed by each filter, for the purpose of prolonging the lifetime of the filter material and creating uniform wear and tear of the filters;
• the monitoring of the trichloroethylene and tetrachloroethylene parameters and the study of the abatement capacity of the filter media (GAC) at the Laurentino drinking water plant, for the purpose of upgrading its performance and optimising resources thanks to the reduction of the supply/regeneration cycles of adsorbent material and disposal of spent material, guaranteeing the compliance of the water distributed;

In terms of drinking water processing and purification, the following activities were carried out:

• the adoption of an automatic coagulant dosage system on the basis of the turbidity recorded at input and the optimisation of such dosage according to a feedback logic, on the basis of the turbidity detected at output of the clariflocculation treatment, for the purpose of upgrading the efficacy of the process while reducing product consumption;
• the optimisation of the disinfection treatment through the reduction of the dosage of sodium hypochlorite and product quality control with the aim of intercepting non-compliant discharges and reducing the level of chlorates in the water distributed to protect the health of consumers;
• the extension of backwashing times with water of the sand filters to improve the filtration process with a reduction in the levels of dissolved aluminium present at output of treatment;
• the creation of an innovative trial treatment plant for water intended for human consumption capable of removing arsenic.
• the characterisation of the floating residue from the desanding/ de-oiling process of urban wastewater and assessment of the best treatment technologies;
• conclusion of the full-scale experimentation of Taron technology at the Santa Fumia wastewater treatment plant, which uses a dynamic rotating disc filtration system that combines secondary sedimentation and tertiary filtration in a single step, optimising the wastewater treatment process;
• conclusion of the study on lysis technologies for optimising biogas/biomethane production from anaerobic digestion plants at some purification plants.

With regard to innovation applied to the management of water distribution networks new generation techniques - satellite, noise recorder and fibre optics were tested for hidden leak detection (Noise Logger and Satellite Radar Interferometry):

• the calculation on an experimental basis of GHG (greenhouse gases) of the purification sector, including in collaboration with the Politecnico delle Marche.

In addition, with reference to forecasting the availability of water resources, Acea Ato 2 has implemented a machine-learning algorithm based on the random forest techniqueto identify meteorological proxies (temperature and/or precipitation) or management proxies (volumes drawn) correlated to the variability of the state of preservation of the resource, with reference to the different collection sources (springs, well fields, etc.)
In 2022, with external support, Acea Ato 5 conducted a pump audit to analyse the efficiency of the pumping systems of one of the main well fields managed (site in Posta Fibreno) and implemented a corrective measure to significantly reduce the plant’s energy consumption.

AdF has carried out:

• a Proof of Concept (PoC) pilot to test a Smart Chatbot, based on artificial intelligence and conversational AI agent technology to improve navigation experience on the website;
• mass remote reading of meters across the territory through drive-by and walk-by reading, covering over 50% of the installed base of meters, and developing further implementations of the NEXTex platform, using predictive analysis tools on the information collected via the meters;
• the completion of a PoC aimed at defining a platform for managing and integrating data from smart meters, both drive-by and nbIOT, and no-meter sensors, with the aim of creating a data hub, performing advanced management of events and alarms and feeding analytics systems;

Within the framework of internal projects implemented in agile mode, it has developed two dashboards integrated with SCADA systems and analytics tools, for monitoring water requirements, planning water production, creating consumption forecast scenarios using predictive algorithms, and for monitoring the electricity budget and the energy performance of the main plants.
Lastly, in the context of the development of the Water Safety Plans (WSP), AdF systematised the implementation methodology by developing a PosgreSQL database dedicated to storage of the data, the calculation and logging of risks and measures identified to contain priority risks, and, in collaboration with the company SIMAM, conducted an experiment at the Sant’Angelo plant in the municipality of Senigallia aimed at the production of biomethane with zero CO₂ emissions from EER waste (sludge produced from the treatment of urban wastewater) with ASAC patented technology.

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN ENGINEERING AND SERVICES

In 2022, in collaboration with the Technology & Solutions Function of Acea SpA and the start-up BeamDigital, Acea Elabori continued experimentation on the Safety Check project, for the remote monitoring of the safety conditions of the personnel working at the sites, carrying out analyses on personal data protection.
Implementation continued of the Master Reclamation project, a data retrieval system able to retrieve customer master data, using machine learning and artificial intelligence, and automate internal data quality processes.
With reference to the innovation of business processes, it should be noted that Acea Elabori has BIM (Building Information Modelling) certification for engineering design, which employs intelligent digital models throughout a project’s entire life cycle and works on seven dimensions, visualising not only progress and costs, but also the sustainability of the project and encouraging the implementation of choices oriented towards a positive impact on the environment. Acea Elabori carried out numerous other projects for the Group companies. In particular, in 2022, in collaboration with the SAGEN association and Tor Vergata University, “VOLATOLOMICS” was launched, a social innovation project intended to define a method for assessing the volatile fraction of the metabolome through breath analysis, implemented using an advanced examination technology developed by Acea Elabori. The purpose of the initiative is to validate, using research on a sample of the population, a non-invasive and low-cost diagnostic screening technique that can also be used for genome analyses. The project won a sustainability award for protection and social development in an internal contest, as part of the Acea Green Cup 2022.
Focusing once more on the social aspect, Acea Elabori launched a collaboration with the Department of Translational and Precision Medicine at La Sapienza University in Rome, for the development of advanced analysis and diagnostic methods to evaluate the weight of exposure to persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in the progression of metabolic-associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD).

RESEARCH AND INNOVATION IN THE ENVIRONMENT AREA

In 2022, the following research and innovation activities carried out by the Environment business are worth mentioning:

• completion of the design activity for the recovery of sodium bicarbonate and calcium chloride dihydrate in combination with the treatment of fly ash for the reduction of hazardous characteristics of the matrix and of the recovery;
• execution of the first phase of the on-site pilot project for the treatment of bottom ash for the recovery of the inert fraction present;
• obtaining the experimental authorisation for the plasmix treatment pilot plant, which is part of a wider project for the sustainable recovery of mixed plastics (plasmix) and their transformation, through the GASIFORMING^TM process, into pure marketable methanol. The project implements circularity recovering material from waste destined for landfill or waste-to-energy, vertically integrating the plastics chain, and producing methanol from a renewable source.
• execution of the first phase of testing related to the characterisation in terms of concentration of pollutants in the areas.