Small-Scale Compressed Air Energy Storage Application for Renewable Energy Integration in a Listed Building

In the European Union (EU), where architectural heritage is significant, enhancing the energy performance of historical buildings is of great interest. Constraints such as the lack of space, especially within the historical centers and architectural peculiarities, make the application of technologies for renewable energy production and storage a challenging issue. This study presents a prototype system consisting of using the renewable energy from a photovoltaic (PV) array to compress air for a later expansion to produce electricity when needed. The PV-integrated small-scale compressed air energy storage system is designed to address the architectural constraints. It is located in the unoccupied basement of the building. An energy analysis was carried out for assessing the performance of the proposed system. The novelty of this study is to introduce experimental data of a CAES (compressed air energy storage) prototype that is suitable for dwelling applications as well as integration accounting for architectural constraints. The simulation, which was carried out for an average summer day, shows that the compression phase absorbs 32% of the PV energy excess in a vessel of 1.7 m(3), and the expansion phase covers 21.9% of the dwelling energy demand. The electrical efficiency of a daily cycle is equal to 11.6%. If air is compressed at 225 bar instead of 30 bar, 96.0% of PV energy excess is stored in a volume of 0.25 m3, with a production of 1.273 kWh, which is 26.0% of the demand

Experimental investigation on CO2methanation process for solar energy storage compared to CO2-based methanol synthesis

The utilization of the captured CO2 as a carbon source for the production of energy storage media offers a technological solution for overcoming crucial issues in current energy systems. Solar energy production generally does not match with energy demand because of its intermittent and non-programmable nature, entailing the adoption of storage technologies. Hydrogen constitutes a chemical storage for renewable electricity if it is produced by water electrolysis and is also the key reactant for CO2 methanation (Sabatier reaction). The utilization of CO2 as a feedstock for producing methane contributes to alleviate global climate changes and sequestration related problems. The produced methane is a carbon neutral gas that fits into existing infrastructure and allows issues related to the aforementioned intermittency and non-programmability of solar energy to be overcome. In this paper, an experimental apparatus, composed of an electrolyzer and a tubular fixed bed reactor, is built and used to produce methane via Sabatier reaction. The objective of the experimental campaign is the evaluation of the process performance and a comparison with other CO2 valorization paths such as methanol production. The investigated pressure range was 2–20 bar, obtaining a methane volume fraction in outlet gaseous mixture of 64.75% at 8 bar and 97.24% at 20 bar, with conversion efficiencies of, respectively, 84.64% and 99.06%. The methanol and methane processes were compared on the basis of an energy parameter defined as the spent energy/stored energy. It is higher for the methanol process (0.45), with respect to the methane production process (0.41–0.43), which has a higher energy storage capability

Machine Learning-Based Elastic Cloud Resource Provisioning in the Solvency II Framework

The Solvency II Directive (Directive 2009/138/EC) is a European Directive issued in November 2009 and effective from January 2016, which has been enacted by the European Union to regulate the insurance and reinsurance sector through the discipline of risk management. Solvency II requires European insurance companies to conduct consistent evaluation and continuous monitoring of risks—a process which is computationally complex and extremely resource-intensive. To this end, companies are required to equip themselves with adequate IT infrastructures, facing a significant outlay. In this paper we present the design and the development of a Machine Learning-based approach to transparently deploy on a cloud environment the most resource-intensive portion of the Solvency II-related computation. Our proposal targets DISAR®, a Solvency II-oriented system initially designed to work on a grid of conventional computers. We show how our solution allows to reduce the overall expenses associated with the computation, without hampering the privacy of the companies’ data (making it suitable for conventional public cloud environments), and allowing to meet the strict temporal requirements required by the Directive. Additionally, the system is organized as a self-optimizing loop, which allows to use information gathered from actual (useful) computations, thus requiring a shorter training phase. We present an experimental study conducted on Amazon EC2 to assess the validity and the efficiency of our proposal

Benefits and Challenges of Mechanical Spring Systems for Energy Storage Applications

Abstract Storing the excess mechanical or electrical energy to use it at high demand time has great importance for applications at every scale because of irregularities of demand and supply. Energy storage in elastic deformations in the mechanical domain offers an alternative to the electrical, electrochemical, chemical, and thermal energy storage approaches studied in the recent years. The present paper aims at giving an overview of mechanical spring systems' potential for energy storage applications. Part of the appeal of elastic energy storage is its ability to discharge quickly, enabling high power densities. This available amount of stored energy may be delivered not only to mechanical loads, but also to systems that convert it to drive an electrical load. Mechanical spring systems' benefits and limits for storing macroscopic amounts of energy will be assessed and their integration with mechanical and electrical power devices will be discussed

Research findings and decision making: the case of renewable energy

Energy policies from local to global scale are increasingly questioned in terms of sustainability. Evidence-based and science-based decision making in this field need a robust and transparent integrated assessment of policy options. Nevertheless, scientific findings do not lead straight to political conclusions, and the relationship between science and decision making is a debated issue. The article discusses the main barriers to effective interaction and communication between scientific enquiry and decision making and proposes some effective ways to overcome these barriers, starting from experiences in the biomass energy sector. The article discusses the case of wood fuel, focusing on one of the European hot spots for air pollution, namely the Po valley in Northern Italy. It proves to be an interesting case, especially because of the ambiguity between the positive and the negative aspects of wood burning, which, if not adequately integrated by information about the specific conditions that influence pollution levels, can lead to opposite political decisions about the use of wood in local energy plans. Starting from scientific findings it is possible to derive guidelines about the best practices to adopt in order to reduce environmental impacts along the whole wood fuel chain. In this, associations of producers and of consumers and other existing networks (e.g. forestry consortia) can be very useful, either as a source of information not published in the scientific literature and as intermediaries for translating the knowledge into a more usable format and to convey information to the final targets identified (e.g. policy makers, firms and final users).JRC.H.8-Sustainability Assessmen

Aeromonas spp.: an emerging pathogen?

The aim of this study is to identify and monitor the presence of Aeromonas spp. strains in stool cultures. We analyzed 5564 stool cultures from September 2012 to August 2013. Sixty-three patients were positive for Aeromonas spp. The most frequent symptoms were: diarrhea (46.0%) and abdominal pain (12.7%). Pediatric subjects were 28. Samples' microscopic examination showed leukocytes in 38.1% of cases. It is still controversial whether Aeromonas are responsible for human gastroenteritis, but their presence in faecies of symptomatic patients supports their etiologic role. We propose search for toxins by polymerase chain reaction to identify strains that require an antibiotic therapy

"Gramática Ciclo Superior" (2021), Departamento de Lenguas y Literatura, Lenguas Extranjeras. Bachillerato de Bellas Artes Francisco A. de Santo : Editorial de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata. 114 páginas

La Gramática de Ciclo Superior es un libro de cátedra realizado por el grupo de profesores de lenguas extranjeras del Bachillerato de Bellas Artes destinado a los estudiantes de los últimos años. Constituye un instrumento de trabajo complementario para brindar apoyo a los alumnos en su proceso de aprendizaje del idioma que estén estudiando. Con este objetivo, los contenidos lingüísticos y tareas se presentan a partir de diversos tipos de textos y géneros discursivos. El libro presenta capítulos para cada idioma: Francés, Inglés, Italiano y Portugués, y cada capítulo está redactado en el idioma extranjero.This Grammar for the last years of Bachillerato de Bellas Artes Secondary School is a book written by the foreign language teachers working at the institution and aimed at students attending the Higher years of the secondary school. It is a workbook which provides students extra support in their learning process of the foreign language they study. The linguistic contents and tasks devised are presented through diverse text types and discourse genres. The book has four chapters, one for each language studied - French, English, Italian, and Portuguese - and written in the foreing language.En "Documentos relacionados" se encuentra el enlace al libro.Bachillerato de Bellas Artes "Prof. Francisco A. De Santo

Teaching human rights through art in the English class

Esta propuesta pedagógica se diseñó para las clases de inglés de primer año en el Bachillerato de Bellas Artes. El objetivo es la enseñanza de contenidos de la lengua extranjera (presente simple – acciones habituales) tomando como contexto comunicativo el análisis de la obra de Antonio Berni Juanito Laguna junto a la Educación en Derechos Humanos. Se diseñó para ser desarrollada en seis (6) horas cátedra de 40 minutos cada una. Al finalizar, los estudiantes habrán trabajado contenidos de la lengua extranjera, apreciado la obra de Berni y reflexionado sobre los derechos de la niñez y juventud en su vida cotidiana.This teaching sequence was designed for the English classes in first year of Secondary School at Bachillerato de Bellas Artes. The main purpose is to teach foreign language contents (present simple – everyday actions) within the communicative context of analyzing Antonio Berni´s series Juanito Laguna as well as Human Rights Education. The sequence was planned to be developed within six (6) 40-minute teaching periods. By its end, students will have learned the foreign language contents, appreciated Berni´s work and reflected on the rights of children and teenagers in their everyday lives.Bachillerato de Bellas Artes "Prof. Francisco A. De Santo

Teaching human rights through art in the English class

Esta propuesta pedagógica se diseñó para las clases de inglés de primer año en el Bachillerato de Bellas Artes. El objetivo es la enseñanza de contenidos de la lengua extranjera (presente simple – acciones habituales) tomando como contexto comunicativo el análisis de la obra de Antonio Berni Juanito Laguna junto a la Educación en Derechos Humanos. Se diseñó para ser desarrollada en seis (6) horas cátedra de 40 minutos cada una. Al finalizar, los estudiantes habrán trabajado contenidos de la lengua extranjera, apreciado la obra de Berni y reflexionado sobre los derechos de la niñez y juventud en su vida cotidiana.This teaching sequence was designed for the English classes in first year of Secondary School at Bachillerato de Bellas Artes. The main purpose is to teach foreign language contents (present simple – everyday actions) within the communicative context of analyzing Antonio Berni´s series Juanito Laguna as well as Human Rights Education. The sequence was planned to be developed within six (6) 40-minute teaching periods. By its end, students will have learned the foreign language contents, appreciated Berni´s work and reflected on the rights of children and teenagers in their everyday lives.Bachillerato de Bellas Artes "Prof. Francisco A. De Santo