In northern Italy, the Alps are changing face. Glaciers are retreating, winters are becoming less snowy, and water, long considered a given in Trentino-Alto Adige, is also starting to become a monitored resource. In this region that has built part of its prosperity on hydroelectricity, the climate crisis is not only challenging an energy model. It is transforming the landscape, uses, and the relationship of inhabitants to their territory. In the face of this change, companies, researchers, and citizens are already seeking how to adapt this "white coal" to a world that has become more unstable.
AI Index: Library of Mediterranean Knowledge In the Italian Alps, hydroelectricity faces the climate 22-med - May 2026 • In Trentino-Alto Adige, the melting glaciers and decreasing snowfall weaken a hydroelectric model built over more than a century. • Between technological innovations, water management, and citizen mobilization, the alpine region is seeking to adapt its "white coal" to climate change. #italy #alps #hydroelectricity #climate #water #drought #energy #mountain #glacier #adaptation
What is probably the most successful story of the Italian energy industry is located far from gas or oil fields, and close to some of the most spectacular mountain landscapes in Europe. More specifically, in Trentino-Alto Adige, the region with the highest per capita income in Italy, and a sought-after tourist destination for its peaks, spa resorts, and forests. Today bordering Austria, the region was still part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire at the end of the 19th century. It was in this context that the epic of hydroelectricity began, this "white coal" that fascinated engineers and industrialists across Europe. The French engineer Aristide Bergès saw in this energy a revolution capable of sustainably transforming the continent. More than a century later, American historian Marc Landry would describe the Alps, in his essay Mountain Battery, as "the battery of Europe," an immense hydraulic storage system designed to compensate for the limitations of renewable energy. In 1890, the hydroelectric plant of Ponte Cornicchio, in Trentino, began producing electricity. Eight years later, the large hydroelectric plant of Tel, in the province of Bolzano, was generating energy by utilizing the gradient of the Adige River. These infrastructures impressed as much with their technical performance as with their aesthetics. Some plants, like those in Cogolo or Ponale, even attracted artists and writers. Poet Gabriele D'Annunzio or painter Fortunato Depero saw in these works a spectacular meeting between industrial modernity and alpine landscape.
The Threat of the Climate Crisis
Even today, hydroelectricity remains at the heart of the regional economy. With nearly seventy plants, Trentino-Alto Adige is the second Italian region for hydroelectric production behind Lombardy, which is much larger in size. A large portion of its electricity comes from this energy, which has significantly contributed to local development and employment in the alpine valleys. However, this model is now facing a rapid transformation of the climate. The year 2022 marked a turning point. While Italy experienced its hottest year since 1961, hydroelectric production in Trentino-Alto Adige fell by more than 30% compared to the previous year.
The effects of warming are visible far beyond just the energy sector. For decades, this region has been a paradise for skiers. But today, it is clear that it faces a historic challenge: there is less and less snow in the mountains. According to local media, one of Italy's most famous glaciers, the Presena in Trentino, at 3,000 meters above sea level, is "dying": its surface shrank from 82 hectares in 1961 to 25 in 2011. As Giovanna, a retiree in Trento, recalls, "Once, winters here were powerful, and a lot of snow would fall. Today, I look up and some mountains are unrecognizable." In several valleys, residents now speak of seasons that have become unpredictable, with longer dry spells and increasingly irregular snowfall.
Looking for Solutions
In the face of this situation, the hydroelectric sector is attempting to adapt. Investments remain significant, and companies in the region are seeking to modernize their infrastructures. They are particularly focusing on the development of pumping, a system that allows the use of surplus electricity to pump water back up to reservoirs located at high altitudes to subsequently increase the production capacity of the plants. And since Trentino-Alto Adige has one of the highest densities of innovative startups in Italy, the sector can also rely on cutting-edge solutions. This includes those developed by WaterJade, a company established in 2014 that specializes in monitoring water resources, particularly water stored in snow. For hydroelectric operators, knowing precisely the snow reserves located upstream of the dams has become strategic. A decrease in winter precipitation or too rapid a melting in spring can now directly impact electricity production in the following months. "Our solution is purely software-based," explains Matteo Dall'Amico, director of WaterJade and a doctor in environmental engineering. "We use data from weather stations already present in the territory and the plants themselves to conduct analyses and forecasts." The goal is to help operators anticipate anomalies and critical periods. "We provide a better understanding of the available water resource and any anomalies or situations requiring particular attention, such as drought," he continues. Behind these monitoring tools lies a new reality for this alpine region that has long been considered rich in water. The year 2022 brutally highlighted this. The level of large hydroelectric reservoirs decreased alarmingly due to the combined effects of drought and water discharge demands intended for the plains, which also faced significant challenges. Regional authorities then had to limit certain uses, including garden watering and filling private pools.
Involving Residents in Environmental Monitoring
In Trentino-Alto Adige, this awareness now extends beyond just the energy sector. Many residents still view hydroelectricity as a collective heritage and an essential resource for the alpine valleys' activities. This local culture of territory and mountain is reflected in several civic initiatives. In Trento, it is notably embodied by the MUSE, the natural sciences museum designed by the famous architect Renzo Piano, which has become one of the main places for raising awareness about environmental issues in the region. Among the projects developed in recent years is MAP-TN, a participatory environmental monitoring initiative coordinated by the Circolo di Trento of Legambiente, the main Italian environmental association, which also involves MUSE, research centers, universities, and associations. The goal is to promote collaboration between experts and residents in essential activities for protecting the environment. For Andrea Pugliese, president of Legambiente Trento, this citizen participation plays a crucial role. "Participatory monitoring can be seen as an example of citizen science. On one hand, it allows for a broader view of environmental conditions, beyond just the measurements taken by the Provincial Agency for the Environment. On the other hand, it directly involves residents, who thus deepen their understanding of the territory and become actors in its protection."
The project also foresees the training of volunteers tasked with participating in the analysis of the water from streams, rivers, and lakes. This strengthens environmental monitoring, but also serves to remind that in this region shaped for more than a century by water and hydroelectricity, the climate crisis is no longer solely the concern of scientists or industrialists. It is gradually transforming daily life, landscapes, and the balances that have made the wealth of the Italian Alps.
Front page photo: Sella Massif, Dolomites, Trentino-Alto Adige © DR