In the province of Cuneo, the Alpine village of Vernante switched to local, renewable heat. Vernante is proving how the energy transition becomes truly meaningful when it starts at community level. For decades, the municipality owned nearly 700 hectares of forest, yet most of it remained unmanaged, a situation common across rural Italy. Households depended on fossil fuels, with all the cost volatility and dependency this brings.

In 2015, the municipality decided to rethink its approach. Supported by regional development funds, Vernante launched a project to turn local resources into sustainable heat. 

The switch to renewable heat

Partnering with Edison Next and the forestry cooperative Alpiforest, Vernante created a district heating network powered by kilometro zero woodchips. An old municipal building was converted into the system’s hub, now home to four Herz Firematic 499 biomass boilers equipped with automated feeding and advanced combustion control. This modern infrastructure demonstrates that bioenergy, when done right, is efficient, clean, and perfectly suited to small mountain communities.

The network supplies heat to schools, the town hall, municipal buildings, homes, care facilities, restaurants, and hotels.

A switch for forest management 

But Vernante’s achievement goes beyond renewable heating. Active forest management can strengthen the forest and made woodlands more resilient to storms, pests, and wildfires, challenges intensified by climate change. The use of local wood has generated stable jobs, keeping value in the valley instead of being lost to imported fossil fuels. Most importantly, the community has gained true energy independence, enhancing stability in an area where alternatives are limited.

When the Alpine village of Vernante switched to local, renewable heat, it showed how local bioenergy can be a game changer for small communities: sustainable, affordable, rooted in local resources, and able to support both people and forests. It is a powerful example of how rural Italy can lead the energy transition from the ground up.