Hydroelectric energy, in addition to being the most mature among renewable technologies, is also the leading one in quantitative terms: globally, it has an installed capacity and production far exceeding those of any other renewable source. It is also the only sustainable source that can be regulated according to demand, through hydraulic storage systems such as dams and reservoirs.

In Europe, the advantages of hydroelectric energy are increasingly recognized, as they ensure a secure, affordable, and sustainable energy supply.

The CVA Group owns and directly manages (through the parent company CVA S.p.A. and the subsidiary Valdigne Energie S.r.l.) one of the most important hydroelectric fleets in Italy, consisting of 6 dams, 61 intakes (33 of which are classified as dams under regional jurisdiction), over 210 km of channels, approximately 50 km of penstocks, and 33 power plants with 74 hydroelectric units. The plant fleet, with a total capacity of 938 MW, produces around 2,900,000 MWh of clean energy every year: the company ranks among the leading national producers in the sector and positions the Aosta Valley among the top regions in Italy in terms of energy generation from renewable sources. Hydroelectric plants, with their dams, reservoirs, and water conveyance channels, are widely distributed throughout the side valleys and the central valley of the region.

Hydroelectric energy is obtained from the force of water, a 100% renewable source.

It is produced by using the gravitational potential energy of a mass of water available in a basin at a certain elevation, which can be transformed into:

• pressure energy, whose value increases in the penstock connecting the reservoir to the turbine, depending on the height difference;

• kinetic energy, or velocity, possessed by the water particle when it exits freely at the bottom of the pressurized penstock;

• mechanical rotational energy, resulting from the work performed by the pressure and/or velocity of the water on the turbine runner;

• electrical energy, resulting from the rotation of the electromagnetic component driven by the turbine inside the generator.

Hydroelectric energy is harnessed from rivers and lakes through the construction of barriers or dams, from which it is then conveyed to power plants via channels and penstocks.

Plants powered by water taken directly from rivers, known as “run-of-river” plants, transform the energy of water into electrical energy, which is immediately fed into the transmission and distribution grid since it cannot be stored.

To overcome the impossibility of storing and transferring it over time, the potential energy of water is accumulated in lakes or artificial reservoirs. From there, through penstocks, it is conveyed downstream to turbines, where it is converted into electrical energy only when needed, in plants known as “reservoir” or “storage” plants.

CVA Eos S.r.l. is the Group company that owns and manages wind and photovoltaic plants.

Wind energy plays a fundamental role in the decarbonization process undertaken at the European level. General forecasts indicate that wind fleets will be expanded across Europe to meet ambitious targets aimed at making renewable energy the undisputed leader in energy production, overtaking fossil fuels.

The CVA Group produces on average around 300,000 MWh. Wind generation is developed through wind farms located in various regions of Italy.

From the force of the wind, we obtain wind energy, a completely sustainable alternative source.

Between an area of high atmospheric pressure and an area of low atmospheric pressure, the mass of moving air possesses kinetic energy (or velocity energy) that can be transformed into:

• mechanical rotational energy, resulting from the work performed by the force of the wind on the turbine blades;
• electrical energy, resulting from the rotation of the electromagnetic component driven by the turbine inside the generator.

The intensity or speed of the wind for wind power use depends on numerous factors, such as the different pressure levels of the areas between which it moves and the shape of the Earth's surface.

Wind is one of the first natural energy sources used by humans and, after years of decline due to the rise of fossil fuels, it has once again become important because it is clean and renewable.

Today, photovoltaics is the most popular energy source among EU citizens, as well as the most versatile, and represents a fairly accessible technological option for achieving decarbonization in the energy sector.

Each year, the CVA Group produces on average around 160,000 MWh from its photovoltaic plants.

This technology makes it possible to use solar energy for various purposes (thermal, electrical, etc.); its conversion is influenced by atmospheric conditions, variability, and the intermittency of exposure cycles (day–night).

Solar energy can be harnessed through photovoltaic conversion, physically achieved thanks to a series of crystalline silicon modules (solar panels), oriented to optimize solar irradiation and arranged in spaced rows to allow efficient agricultural and livestock use of the land on which they are installed.