ITALY’S WATER POWER

Evening Star, Issue 19637, 17 August 1927, Page 12

ITALY’S WATER POWER

PfIAKES UP FOR LACK OF GOAL One ol' the greatest- difficulties with which Italy lias to contend is her want of coal and the tact, that she lias to import practically all the fuel needed tor industry and locomotion. In 19L3 nearly 11,000,000 tons of coal were imported from foreign countries, Italy, however, is fortunate in having a rciidy-niade substitute in the form of water power for the generation of electricity, but it is only in recent years that any real progress has been made in tliis direction.

Before the war the output of electricity in Italy was only 2,000,000,000 kilowatt hours, whereas to-day the consumption of electricity in Italy has reached ‘ the remarkable' figure 'of 1,000,000,000 kilowatt hours, while the water used to produce the power is also employed for irrigation purposes. YIELD OE \VINTEL* SNOWS. The iila ids arc mostly hvdrcwtcotrie, Jieimic; plants being merely subsidiary. Those ol North Italy are situated in the Alps, where the winter snows form a great- reservoir yielding a vast volume of- power in summer and comparatively little in winter• while those of Central and South Italy are found’ in lower mountains, ’where -tho water ilow is great in winter and small in summer. In order to counteract these irregularities great artificial lakes are formed, and by linking up seasonal power houses much is done to distribute tho forces of Nature. Wliein one looks at the thin copper wires connecting up these vast sources of energy it is difficult to icali.se the enormous part they are playing in the industry, transport, and agriculture of the country. The Italians refer to water power as “white coal,’’ and- if they experience a want of “ black coal ” they certainly hemeUt from the complete absence of dirt' in their luck The Italian power houses are acquisilions to the countryside, which can scarcely lie said of the English or American eon* mine; and the conditions of work on tho slopes of the Alps or the Apennines are somewhat more congenial tham those of a mining district in (treat Britain or the United States. What is ' more, there are no stniiOs, and the workeis look happy. , INEQUALITY OF USAGE.

The consumption of electricity is by no means equal throughout the country. The south of Italy and the various islands are, in fact, only now beginning to uso.it on a large scale, and, while in the northern regions the specific consumption per head is about 400 to 500 kilowatt hours, the average at present reached in the south docs nut exceed 50 kilowatt, hours per inhabitant. lint the outstanding fact remains that the general consumption oi electricity, as compared with the year 11U4. has boon more than doubled in all the regions, and that the general

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average of consumption I'or Italy now stands at 185 kilowatt hours per inhabitant, as compared with 70 kilowatt hours per head ten years ago. Tins electric power is hem" generated by over 2,000 electric power stations, of which, however, only about 400 aro of recognised importance. The electricity is almost entirely generated from water. STORING IN RESERVOIRS. Resides supplying an immense volume of electrical energy, the water Irom the Alps greatly facilitates the works of irrigation in Northern Italy, while in the south the connecting up ol the various electric plants makes it, possible to use the water from those with storage reservoirs at the time ol year when it is needed for irrigation purposes. In Sicily, where irrigation is very important, the water is stored up in winter, and the electric plants with storage reservoirs worked almost exclusively in summer, tho water being afterward conveyed to the fields. The winter supply of electric power is then obtained by the linking up of the Sicilian plants with those ol the vSila, in Calabria, which have enormous potentialities. In this nav the necessary power is obtained at the same time as the water needed for irrigation.

ELECTRIFICATION OF RAILWAYS

In industry, while the textile factories arc still the largest consumers of energy, a considerable amount ol power has recently been absorbed by tho chemical, metallurgical, ami mining industries. The electrification of tho railways is making slow but steady progress. and it is hoped eventually to electrify the greater part of the railway system, thereby reducing still lurther the need lor imported coal.

Tho various electric concerns arc now nearly all linked up with each 'other, so that if the supply gives out in one place, power is provided irom other sources. The whole country is being covered with a network of power lines; tho streams of tho Abruzzi supply light to and run the trams ami factories of Naples, the falls of Terni provide for most of Central Italy, the great alpine generating stations supply all North Italy, and these various plants are connected with each other. The annexation of the Trcntino and Alto Adige has added considerably to this Italian water supply.

Grandpa (awakening from a gland operation): “Oh, goodness gracious, I know I'm going to he late for school this morning.” ‘ “ I had my tail bobbed. Don’t you think it improves my carriage ? ” “ Yeah—but it certainly interferes with your waggin’.”