Vertical Greenery as Natural Tool for Improving Energy Efficiency of Buildings

The European Construction Sector Observatory outlined that green building envelopes as green roofs and walls contribute to the reduction of energy demand and CO2 emissions due to the air conditioning in summer periods, and the mitigation of heat islands in urban areas. For this reason, the understanding about the contribution of urban greening infrastructures on buildings to sustainable energy use for air conditioning is urgent. This paper focuses on the analysis of a vertical surface provided with a Parthenocissus quinquefolia (L.) Planch., a winter deciduous species, as green cover of a building, assessing the reduction of the solar radiation energy absorbed by the facade and, consequently, the heat flux (HF) transmitted into the internal ambient. This research shows that, in July, surface temperatures (STs) on the vegetated facade were up to 13 degrees C lower than on the unvegetated (bare) facade. Under the climate and environmental conditions of the green wall located at ENEA Casaccia Research Center, a saving of 2.22 and 1.94 kWh(e)/m(2) , respectively in 2019 and 2020, for the summer cooling electricity load, was achieved. These energy reductions also allowed the saving of 985 and 862 g CO2/m(2) emissions, respectively, in 2019 and 2020. Ultimately, a green factor named K-v* was also elaborated to evaluate the influence of vegetation on the STs as well as on HFs transmitted into the indoor ambient and adapted to the case of a detached vertical green cover. Measurements of K-v* factor lasting three years showed the suitability of this index for defining the shading capacity of the vegetation on the building facade surfaces, which can be used to predict thermal gains and effects in a building endowed of a vertical green system

Solar absorption cooling system for greenhouse climate control: technical evaluation

Evaporative systems are generally used in warm regions for commercial greenhouse cooling, such systems require large quantity of water that is often a scarce natural resource in Mediterranean areas. Solar absorption cooling systems can be applied for greenhouse climate control in regions with high values of solar irradiation as alternative to evaporative systems by exploiting renewable energy sources. The paper presents the preliminary results of a research on the application of a solar absorption cooling system to a Mediterranean greenhouse. The aim of the research was to assess the potential of the system in terms of energy absorption related to the solar collector surface and to the greenhouse covered area. The simulation study was realized based on the experimental data collected at the experimental centre of the University of Bari, Southern Italy, in order to control the temperature of a plastic film covered greenhouse, having a surface of 300 m2. The cooling system was designed by adopting suitable technologies of energy saving, in order to reduce cooling energy needs. The designed system consists of an absorption chiller having a cooling capacity of 35 kW and of 80 m2 of evacuated-tube solar collectors

sFreccia contro il fumo: programma di prevenzione e salute

- In occasione della Giornata Mondiale senza Tabacco 2013 l’Istituto Superiore di Sanità, il Ministero della Salute, il Gruppo Ferrovie dello Stato Italiane e la Fondazione Veronesi hanno promosso l’iniziativa sFRECCIA CONTRO IL FUMO, una campagna di sensibilizzazione sul problema del tabagismo. Per una settimana, dal 27 al 31 maggio, a bordo dei treni Le Frecce (Frecciarossa, Frecciargento e Frecciabianca) è stato distribuito del materiale di sensibilizzazione sul fumo e uno staff di specialisti dei Centri Antifumo del Servizio Sanitario Nazionale ha offerto delle consulenze gratuite per smettere di fumare ai viaggiatori sui Frecciarossa. Questa iniziativa nasce dalla volontà di creare sinergie virtuose tra le istituzioni e la società civile al fine di contrastare il fenomeno del tabagismo, nell’ottica del programma nazionale “Guadagnare salute: rendere facili le scelte salutari”, promosso dal Ministero della Salute per la prevenzione delle malattie croniche non trasmissibili secondo i principi della “Salute in tutte le politiche”