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• Electricity and electrification is a viable solution for the energy transition. • Electricity triangle assures a consistent framework for the energy transition. • Multifaceted benefits: energetic, environmental and socio-economic. • Conceptualization of a set of metrics for impact assessment. • A real case study (Italy) considering its evolution up to 2050. Greenhouse gases along with pollution generated by the present energy paradigm widely based on fossil fuels are providing large impacts in terms of climate change and the health of human and biological systems at large. A shift in the energy paradigm, from fossil fuels to renewable energy, is urgently needed for nature and society. This is what we refer to as the energy transition. An old commodity – electricity – can play a new key role in the energy transition. That can happen through what we call the electricity triangle involving electricity generation from Renewable Energy Sources, exploitation of electricity as the main energy vector, and electrification of the final energy uses in all sectors. The possible deployment of the electricity triangle must be carefully assessed in all its possible implications, from technological, economic, societal and environmental perspectives. In this paper, we conceptualize the electricity triangle as a viable approach to the energy transition, and we propose a set of holistic metrics to assess its possible impacts. We apply the electricity triangle framework to the case of Italy based on sectorial studies on RES generation and electrification in building, industry and transport sectors. Our results indicate that Italy in 2050 has the potential to achieve 85.6% penetration of RES in its electricity supply, while 41%, 53% and 42% of the energy consumptions in transport, residential, and industry sectors will be electrified. Ultimately, this would lead to a 68% reduction in CO 2 emissions compared to current levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper studies the relationship between energy saving behaviour, monetary drivers and non-monetary motivations in Italy, in a period, the end of the 1990s, when the energy industry was not yet liberalized, there were no energy saving incentive schemes, and the environmental sensitivity and information were lower. We consider as dependent variable the frequency with which individuals switch the light off when leaving a room; as monetary drivers, income and perceived energy costs; while non-monetary motives in our model are measured by proxies of pro-environmental attitudes, environmental information, social pressure, and pro-social behaviours. The analysis is based on probit and logit models estimated on a sample from the Multipurpose Household Survey dataset, conducted by the Italian Statistical Office. We find that individuals who were less concerned about environmental issues were also more attentive in energy saving behaviour, suggesting, together with results about income and perceived energy costs, that monetary motivations were primary in driving this energy saving behaviour. Such findings are robust to the inclusion of variables accounting for pro-social behaviours. Altruism by individuals who claim to be more concerned about broad environmental externalities may have adversely affected their propensity to optimize energy consumption. • We study the link among energy saving, monetary drivers and non-monetary motivations in Italy. • In the end of the 1990s, the energy industry was not yet liberalized and environmental sensitivity was lower. • We use probit and logit models and a representative sample from the Multipurpose Household Survey (ISTAT). • We find that monetary motivations were primary in driving energy saving behaviour. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]