Press Releases

The Group introduces innovative and green solutions: from self-driving drones for monitoring photovoltaic systems to 4.0 training based on virtual reality, up to mini systems for widespread on-site composting.

For the ninth year in a row, Acea joins and supports “Maker Faire Rome – The European Edition”, the event that promotes and talks about technological innovation, bringing together companies, schools, universities, research centres and innovators, allowing them to share knowledge and showcase their projects. The event, which aims at spreading the culture of Open Innovation, has become an important moment for Acea and an opportunity to reaffirm the Group's commitment to these issues every year. During the three days of the 10th edition, which will take place in Rome from 7 to 9 October at the Gazometro Ostiense, Acea will showcase the technological solutions that, applied to its infrastructures and industrial areas, support the development of the circular economy.

With a view to the green society, the Acea Smart Comp will be present. It is a composting mini system equipped with a revolutionary sensor technology that transforms wet waste into compost directly on site through an aerobic process that produces fertiliser ready for use in about 90 days. In line with the challenging goals set by the European Commission in terms of material recovery in the process of closing the waste cycle ("closing the loop"), the widespread on-site composting that the mini-system favours, allows to eliminate the greenhouse gas emissions due to the transport of waste, with a consequent reduction in environmental impact.

Acea also presents the MIDA project, developed in collaboration with the Italian start-up Wesii for the monitoring of photovoltaic systems. It is an ultra-technological model of self-driving drones which, equipped with a thermal camera, can fly over the systems at a height of 25 metres, monitoring the integrity of the panels in real time and optimising interventions and maintenance costs.

At the Acea stand, visitors will also find the autonomous mobile robot of Pixies, a start-up that participated in the first edition of Zero, the Cleantech accelerator of CDP that Acea supports as a Corporate Partner. The robot is able to navigate autonomously within large indoor and outdoor spaces, avoiding obstacles and collecting waste at the same time. The technology uses Deep Learning algorithms to recognise the different categories of waste and collect them separately. After cleaning, the robot is able to autonomously return to a smart bench that acts as a recharging point. If installed outdoors, the system has no impact on the environment, thanks to the use of solar panels.

Finally, there is also space for virtual reality, thanks to which it will be possible to involve children and schools with games concerning the Group's sectors of activity. Moreover, Acea will bring to the event an innovative application developed with Areti, a Group company that deals with the distribution of electricity in Rome, which reproduces with virtual reality techniques some of the operations carried out daily by the company's technicians, with a view to extended training for the new 4.0 technicians.