by Alessio Sartore
It does not happen every day to find a hyper technological wind turbine in wood and carbon, nine meters high in a domed ceiling room in a Palladio building. This has happened in Vicenza, in the Palazzo Da Porto, in the ENESSERE showroom, a start-up founded in 2011 that utilises the technological know-how of artisans in the Vicenza area and open source software to produce Hercules, a wind turbine for green energy sold to the emerging market of sustainable luxury.
The CEO Alberto Tessaro, 36, tells us that it all began with “The Hydrogen Economy”; a book by Jeremy Rifkin published in 2002, when the green economy was merely a prospect more than a real market. Having a Degree in Economics from the university of Trento, Mr. Tessaro has always been intrigued by the wind as a form of renewable energy. “The use of heat as an energy source – he says – was optimized two hundred years ago, the wind instead has a more ancient history. Take the windmills or the use that was made in the Navy. Why has such a primitive energy always been underestimated?” The answer lies in technology. To capture and manage the wind requires a highly technological expertise and open source software of today unimaginable just ten years ago.
The whole production process of the Hercules wind turbine is from Vicenza and is almost Kilometers Zero. “We are lucky – continues Mr. Tessaro – from micro mechanics to precision electronics to woodworking we found skilled craftsmen who create an environment of healthy competition to find creative production solutions.” As for instance the carbon structure of the blades, entrusted to a company specialized in Formula 3 chassis or the bolts for securing the tower to the base of the turbine created by a goldsmith. This great wealth of manufacturing stems from a radius of just 70 kilometers from Vicenza and where it is possible to offer clients a bespoke product.
The product is not for everyone. The customer is an individual with a high spending power. But according Mr. Tessaro, the ecological revolution will start from the top. “We have to stop thinking that every green technology that is successful is cheap. The green revolution is technology. We need to start from an élite that chooses a lifestyle without oil and fossil fuels. “
The choice of ENESSERE in fact was that of placing itself on the top of the consumer pyramid with a product of excellence and aesthetic value because the engine of the new green technological economy of Made in Italy is precisely: beauty. “The Renaissance – concludes Mr. Tessaro – is an asset that only we Italians have.”
Enessere is a technology start-up from Vicenza which knows how to combine the know-how of craftsmanship of the geographical area in which it works and lives and to create a high quality product for the emerging market of sustainable luxury. A new world market, desiring technology, but also attention to detail and aesthetics. To see the wood and carbon blades beneath a dome by Andrea Palladio is a great start!
da “veneziepost”- “monitor” settimanale di economia e politica
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