This work is part of the activities for the assessment of the potential of energy from the sea, in particular offshore wind and wave energy, which in Italy could contribute to the 2050 decarbonisation goals. The European Commission’s very recent Offshore Energy Strategy also calls for support to the development of these technologies. Furthermore, using offshore areas for producing energy from renewable sources is necessary as onshore areas are reaching saturation. As regards wave motion, the methodology developed to identify the best Wave Energy Converters (WEC) for the deep waters of the Italian seas is reported. The devices developed and under development exploit different technologies; their design scale refers to the energetic wave climates of the oceans, and is therefore oversized for the milder conditions of the Mediterranean Sea. For this reason, eight devices were selected, whose power matrix is available, and the optimal scale reduction factor was calculated as well as the relative nominal power, which maximises the capacity factor, along the entire Italian coast (391 points). Also considering the bathymetry map, the depth and distance from the coast from which these devices could be installed were calculated.

For installations in the maritime space, in addition to the energy performance of the devices, their possible impacts on the environment and landscape must be also be considered, as well as any foreseeable conflict with other existing or planned uses. A selection is reported of technical-economic criteria, environmental criteria and criteria linked to the uses that will be considered in the mapping of areas potentially suitable for the installation of offshore wind and wave power plants; this also with reference to the instruction contained in the EU Directive on MPS ( Maritime Spatial Planning ) which call for a multi-use/multi-purpose approach to marine spaces.