Panel - Research & Industry for the Energy Transition

Massimo La Scala

Politecnico di Bari, IEEE IHTC 2024 General Chair

Professor of Electrical Energy Systems and Director of Lab ZERO, a Laboratory for the development of renewables, energy efficiency and smart grids, at Politecnico di Bari, Italy.
He is IEEE Power Engineering Society Fellow-Class 2007 with the citation: “Contributions to the development of computationally efficient power system dynamic performance simulation and control methodologies”.
He has coauthored more than 280 scientific publications and has been Principal Investigator in 32 research projects on Electrical Transmission systems, Power system dynamics, Smart grids, Smart cities, Critical Infrastructures, High performance computing.
He has been consultant for major companies, public bodies and European agencies operating in the energy field.
In 2010 Prof. La Scala is appointed by the Italian Energy Regulation Authority (now ARERA) as Member of the Panel of Experts for projects on active networks and smart grids.
Since 2018 he is Member of the Panel of independent experts in cost-benefit analysis for the development planning of the Italian Electrical Transmission Grid by ARERA.
He has been in the panel of experts of the Italian Ministry of the University and Research in charge of issuing the Program of the Scientific Research for the period 2021-2027
Since 2021, he is in the Consultative Group to support the joint IEA-Italy Project: Smarter digital power infrastructure to enhance energy efficiency, resilient systems and energy transition.
Since 2021, he is Member of the Scientific Committee of RSE S.p.A. (Ricerca Sistema Energetico).

Marcello Capra

SETPLAN – Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security

Marcello Capra is Senior Advisor of the Department of Energy of the Italian Ministry of Environment and Energy Security. He is graduated in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Rome La Sapienza, started his career in the power generation sector in F.B.M.-HUDSON ITALIANA S.p.A. (Milan, Italy). In 1983 he entered ENEA, the National Agency for R&D in Energy and Environment, where he took on many responsibilities, as Experimental Areas manager and director for Energy-Demand Technologies. In 2002 he has been appointed, by the Minister of Economic Development, Member of the Secretariat of the Department of Energy of the Italian Ministry of Economic Development. He represented the Ministry in many international organisations such as the International Energy Agency, the World Energy Council (WEC), the European Strategic Energy Technology (SET) Plan. He served also as member of the Board of RSE Spa, Milan. He actively contributed to the Italian participation to the international partnership Mission Innovation. He is also member of the Italian Delegation of the Cluster “Energy, Mobility and Climate” of the Horizon Europe Programme for R&D funding.

Gianmaria Sannino

ENEA – Division Models, Observations, and Scenarios for Climate Change and Air Quality

Dr. Gianmaria Sannino is a climate scientist with a Ph.D. in Marine Science and Engineering from the University of Naples Federico II. Since 2022, he has been the Director of the ENEA Division for “Models, Observations, and Scenarios for Climate Change and Air Quality.” From 2015 to 2022, he led the ENEA Climate Modeling and Impacts Laboratory, focusing on climate science and environmental impacts.
He has coordinated national and international projects on climate change and marine energy production. His expertise is regularly called upon for research evaluations by organizations such as the Italian National Agency for the Evaluation of Universities and Research Institutes (ANVUR), the French National Research Agency (ANR), the Dutch Research Council (NWO), and the European Commission.
Since 2010, he has been a member of the Scientific Committee for Marine Renewable Energy within the European Energy Research Alliance (EERA). In 2017, he began representing Italy in the Strategic Energy Technology Plan’s Working Group on Ocean Energy, becoming the European Coordinator in 2021. Dr. Sannino is also a member of the Technical Scientific Committee for the BIG-Blue Italian Growth Cluster (since 2018), represents ENEA within the European Global Ocean Observing System (EuroGOOS), and participates in the Italian Oceanographic Commission (COI). Additionally, he is a Scientific Committee member for both the European Climate Research Alliance (ECRA) and the Mediterranean Coordinated Regional Downscaling Experiment (Med-CORDEX). From 2015 to 2022, he coordinated the ECRA program “Sea Level and Climate Change.”

Vincenzo Ranieri

CEO e-distribuzione

Vincenzo Ranieri is the CEO of E-Distribuzione and the President of the EU DSO Entity, the association of European DSO. Since joining Enel in 2000, he has held the position of Head of Planning and Control for the Global Infrastructure & Networks Division and subsequently for the Enel Group. Prior to that, he held several key roles, including Chief Financial Officer for the Group’s subsidiaries in Romania and Slovakia. He holds a degree in Corporate Finance from LUISS Guido Carli University in Rome.

Giuseppe Santino

e-distribuzione

GIUSEPPE SANTINO was born in Palermo, Italy, 1969. Graduated in Electrotechnical Engineer, University of Palermo, 1993. Since March 2024, Head of “Network Development” – E-Distribuzione, a unit that, in the company organization, has an important role in planning and developing the distribution network to meet the challenges of energy transition. Previously, he held the role of Territorial Manager in various Regions of central and southern Italy.

Francesco Del Pizzo

Executive Vice President for Grid Development Strategies and Dispatching of Terna S.p.A.

Francesco Del Pizzo is the Executive Vice President for Grid Development Strategies and Dispatching at the Terna Group, where he was hired in June 2020. From 2018 to 2020, he managed Acea S.p.A.’s Industrial Energy Infrastructure Area and was Executive Chairman of Areti, the energy distribution company for the metropolitan area of Rome. From 2005 to 2013, he was already working for the Terna Group, taking on roles of increasing responsibility: CIO, Dispatching and Energy Operations Director, President at Suntergrid, Chairman of Terna Plus and Terna Storage. Previously, he held various notable positions at international energy, technology and consulting companies: VP at IGT, a leading commercial operator and technology provider for regulated gaming markets worldwide; Renewable and Smartgrid Director at DEWA, a public water and power company based in Dubai. Associate Principal at McKinsey & Company, a global strategic consulting firm. Francesco Del Pizzo holds a degree in Information Sciences (Computer Science) from the University of Salerno and a master’s degree in telecommunications from the Polytechnic University of Turin. During academic year 2022-2023, he served as a lecturer on the “Smart Energy Management & Technologies for Sustainability” course at the University of Salerno.

Francesca Portincasa

General Manager of Acquedotto Pugliese

Francesca Portincasa serves as the General Manager of Acquedotto Pugliese, a leading Italian water utility and a key player in the European water and wastewater management sector. She is the first woman to hold the top position in the company’s century-long history.
A biologist by training, Mrs. Portincasa joined Acquedotto Pugliese in 1989 and has taken on progressively greater responsibilities throughout her career. Her previous roles include Industrial Coordinator and Director of Operations, positions through which she has driven the company’s commitment to sustainable development and technological innovation.
Her leadership has been instrumental in advancing Acquedotto Pugliese’s ecological transition, championing increased investments in a sustainable growth model that integrates innovative technologies. As a dedicated advocate for the well-being and prosperity of Apulian communities, she oversees both the efficient management of drinking water supply and the reuse of wastewater for irrigation, initiatives that not only improve seawater quality but also support local fisheries and boost tourism.

Franco Cotana

CEO RSE (Ricerca Sistema Energetico)

Franco Cotana is an Italian engineer, scientist, and a member of the board of directors of the University of Perugia from 2014 to 2019. He was formerly president from March until October 2014 of the National Commission’s IPPC-AIA at the Ministry of the Environment. He graduated cum laude in electrical engineering from the University of Rome La Sapienza. In 2001, he became a full professor of industrial and technical physics in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Perugia to coordinate technical physics section of the Department. Author of over 300 scientific publications in highly interdisciplinary journals and holder of 20 patents, he is an expert evaluator of national and international projects MIUR with over 20 years of experience. From 2009, he has been the Italian representative in Brussels for the SET-Plan EIBI (strategic energy technology plan – European industrial bioenergy Initiative). In 2014, after several experiences in various boards of public companies-private, Franco Cotana became member of the board of directors of the University of Perugia as one of the 5 members elected by the University Senate representing the Engineering, Veterinary and Agricultural sciences. Since July 2023 he is the CEO of RSE.