"The Energies of the Territory" Museum

The "Energie del Territorio" Museum in Radicondoli aims to introduce visitors to renewable energy and to an area with particular environmental traits. Guided visits are not limited to the museum, therefore, but venture outside, taking visitors to discover the local environment and its energy (especially the Le Pinacce power station).

Through information panels and practical models, the museum helps visitors to understand how a natural phenomenon can be converted into energy, whether mechanical or electrical; how to measure that energy and understand its applications. The space is set up like a laboratory, where the renewable energy theme is presented through various working models which visitors can operate: through interaction, they achieve a better understanding of the phenomena described in the text panels. The aim of the museum is to make younger generations more aware of sustainable development and its related fields, and how they can make better use of natural resources.

Geothermal energy is a particular focus, and there is no shortage of it in Radicondoli, where it is used directly to power domestic central heating and greenhouses. The electricity that it produces is enough to fulfil the needs of around 50,000 families.

The process of exploiting geothermal energy is illustrated in part by a short documentary, explanatory text and by the tools used to locate warm fluids present in the subsoil. The stratigraphy of this soil is made up of layers of rock which go down beyond 4,000 metres deep.

Visitors are also taken to the geothermal power station, to certain displays of natural phenomena, and to the nearby greenhouses, which make use of district heating.

Accessibility information: regione.toscana.it