The impact of regional factors and new bio-methane incentive schemes on the structure, profitability and CO2 balance of biogas plants in Italy

The Italian Ministry for Economic Development recently started a new incentive program for biomethane grid injection and biomethane for transportation. This opens up new opportunities for more efficient utilization of agricultural biogas, which in the past was mainly used in Italy for power only solutions. Because of the wider range of feasible options, entrepreneurs and local authorities need support tools to identify optimal alternatives, from an economic and environmental viewpoint, respectively. Thus, a biomass supply chain optimization model, including current costs and new incentives for biogas exploitation, is introduced in this paper. The model is used to explore the impact of Italian energy policies on the profitability of alternative biogas utilization pathways in two regional cases studies, characterized by different penetration of CNG refueling stations. The effect of local factors on energy vectors share and on GHG emission reduction are investigated with factor analysis. It is found that CBM production represents the most profitable choice for entrepreneurs under current levels of bio-methane incentives, however because of the small Italian CBM market size it risks to be overly subsidized. Allocating funds to promote a further expansion of CNG would probably help CBM development and benefits more than increasing specific incentives

Water-energy and GHG nexus assessment of alternative heat recovery options in industry: A case study on electric steelmaking in Europe

In the last few years, the water-energy nexus concept has emerged as a global issue. However, studies on European countries are relatively few, and often focused on agriculture. Cooling purposes represent the main part of industrial water demand, and waste-heat recovery is a main strategy to improve resource efficiency. This paper presents a real case study of low-temperature waste-heat recovery in an electric steelmaking industry and evaluates the impact of feasible interventions on primary energy and water consumption, as well as on CO2 equivalent emissions. Based on a Europe wide review of energy and water prices, of energy sources and corresponding resource efficiency indicators, a Monte Carlo model was developed to undertake a generalization of the case study to the EU-15. It was found that solutions with the lowest primary energy demand and the lowest CO2 equivalent emissions demonstrate the greatest water footprint. This is the case of some southern European countries, where heat recovery projects with the highest water intensity are feasible due to high electricity and low water prices. As increasing carbon prices may exacerbate this phenomenon, inducing a switch to water intensive technologies, incentives to carbon emission reduction should be carefully designed

Optimizing the selection of sustainable transport technologies at regional bus companies with a spatially explicit approach

Buses account for almost 60% of the total public transport offer in Europe, and most of them are diesel fuelled. Regional transport companies, pressed by governments to introduce zero-emission buses to reduce air pollution, need tools to identify optimal solutions. In literature, few models combine least cost planning and emission assessment for multiple technologies. In this paper, an existing localisation model for electric urban transport is adapted to match the needs of regional transport and to evaluate well-to-wheel carbon emissions as well as TTW airborne emissions of NOx and PM10. The model is applied to a real case study of a regional bus transport company in North Eastern Italy. Electric buses with relatively small (60 kWh) batteries are identified as the best compromise to reduce CO2eq emissions, however, under current economic conditions in Italy, their life cycle cost is still much higher than those of Euro VI diesel

Water-energy and GHG nexus assessment of alternative heat recovery options in industry: A case study on electric steelmaking in Europe

In the last few years, the water-energy nexus concept has emerged as a global issue. However, studies on European countries are relatively few, and often focused on agriculture. Cooling purposes represent the main part of industrial water demand, and waste-heat recovery is a main strategy to improve resource efficiency. This paper presents a real case study of low-temperature waste-heat recovery in an electric steelmaking industry and evaluates the impact of feasible interventions on primary energy and water consumption, as well as on CO2 equivalent emissions. Based on a Europe wide review of energy and water prices, of energy sources and corresponding resource efficiency indicators, a Monte Carlo model was developed to undertake a generalization of the case study to the EU-15. It was found that solutions with the lowest primary energy demand and the lowest CO2 equivalent emissions demonstrate the greatest water footprint. This is the case of some southern European countries, where heat recovery projects with the highest water intensity are feasible due to high electricity and low water prices. As increasing carbon prices may exacerbate this phenomenon, inducing a switch to water intensive technologies, incentives to carbon emission reduction should be carefully designed

A spatially explicit optimization model for the selection of sustainable transport technologies at regional bus companies

Buses account for almost 60% of the total public transport services in Europe, and most of the vehicles are diesel fuelled. Regional transport administrators, under pressure by governments to introduce zero-emission buses, require analytical tools for identifying optimal solutions. In literature, few models combine location analysis, least cost planning, and emission assessment, taking into account multiple technologies which might achieve emission reduction goals. In this paper, an existing optimal location model for electric urban transport is adapted to match the needs of regional transport. The model, which aims to evaluate well-to-wheel carbon emissions as well as airborne emissions of NOx and PM10, is applied to a real case study of a regional bus transport service in North Eastern Italy. The optimization has identified electric buses with relatively small (60 kWh) batteries as the best compromise for reducing carbon equivalent emissions; however, under current economic conditions in Italy, the life cycle cost of such vehicles is still much higher than those of Euro VI diesel buses. In this context, our model helps in identifying ways to minimize infrastructure costs and to efficiently allocate expensive resources such as electric buses to the routes where the maximum environmental benefit can be achieved

A Service Station Location Model to Explore Prospects and Policies for Alternative Transport Fuels: A Case of CNG Distribution in Italy

CNG is an example of alternative gaseous fuel whose market development requires supply infrastructure (pipelines), refuelling stations and alternative vehicles to exist at the same time, which is known as the \u2018\u2018chicken and egg dilemma\u2019\u2019. In this chapter, a case study of limited or locally nonexistent market development for CNG in an Italian frontier region is analyzed and a mixed integer non linear programming model is introduced to evaluate the effect of incentive measures envisaged by the regional government to foster refuelling station development. It is found that, taking an entrepreneurs\u2019 perspective of maximizing profits, even with substantial capital grants investors are more likely to choose higher demand areas, in spite of fiercer competition, rather than areas without stations. Subsidies should be more specifically targeted to critical areas to be efficient

Effects of changes in Italian bioenergy promotion schemes for agricultural biogas projects: Insights from a regional optimization model

Italy is a large producer of biogas from anaerobic digestion, which is mainly used for power generation with limited use of cogenerated heat. Other utilization pathways, such as biomethane injection into the natural gas grid or biomethane used as a vehicle fuel, remain unexplored. Given the dense grid of natural gas pipelines and existing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refueling stations in northern Italy, significant market opportunities for biogas could also arise in the heating and transport sectors. The main objectives of this paper are to explore the potential role of agricultural biogas in different utilization pathways. Biogas combustion for simultaneous production of heat and power in small Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facilities is also assessed, as is upgrading to biomethane for transport or natural gas grid injection in the specific context of northern Italy. The spatially explicit optimization model BeWhere is used to identify optimal locations where greenfield biogas plants could be installed and to determine the most economic and environmentally beneficial mix of conversion technologies and plant capacities. Carbon price, for instance in the form of tradable emission permits, is assessed as a policy instrument and compared with other options such as price premiums on biomethane or electricity costs. Results show that starting from a carbon price of 15 EUR/tCO(2), the cogeneration option is preferable if plants are located in the proximity of existing district heating infrastructure. CNG plants are only competitive starting at a carbon price of 70 EUR/tCO(2) in areas with high feedstock availability. The sensitivity analysis for energy prices reveals that a larger number of CNG facilities are included in the optimal mix at higher gas wholesale prices. This further indicates that specific premiums are needed to expand the biomethane market share, while greenhouse gas emission reductions would primarily be achieved by fostering cogeneration of electricity and heat supported by carbon price-based policy instruments

Optimal location, technology and capacity planning of biogas production and utilization plants

In December 2013, the Italian Ministry for Economic Development finally started the long-awaited incentive program for biomethane grid injection and biomethane for transportation, which opens up new opportunities for alternative applications of biogas which are expected to bring additional environmental benefits. Because of the wider range of feasible options and of the increased complexity of incentive structures, identifying most suitable alternatives becomes more and more difficult for entrepreneurs and local authorities. Biomass feedstock is a scarce resource and the profitability, environmental and social impact of biogas projects are affected by decisions on technology, location and capacity, which are interdependent. The aim of this paper is to explore the mutual links between such decisions, and their impact on sustainability indicators at the light of Italian energy policies. Mixed integer linear programming is used to develop a biomass supply chain model to deal with strategic planning issues of biogas supply chains. The model is applied to a case study of a local community including 15 municipalities in Friuli Venezia Giulia, where a number of breeding, cropping and greenhouse farms could be involved in a joint biogas project or in the development of multiple, small scale initiatives. It is found that upgrading technologies become feasible under the new support mechanism, but optimal capacity and utilization paths are very sensitive to boundary conditions such as local feedstock and land availability

Free-cooling potential in shopping mall buildings with plants equipped by dry-coolers boosted with evaporative pads

Shopping malls are often characterized by high internal thermal loads due to occupancy, lighting, electrical devices, and solar radiation entering through the large skylights. The aim of this study is the evaluation of the energy saving reachable adding a cooling evaporative pad upstream a dry cooler. In particular, two different cooling plant configurations has been investigated: a cooling plant with a chiller equipped with a dry cooler (C-DC), that can be used as condenser of refrigeration system or to work with free-cooling mode and the previous system equipped with an evaporative cooling pad upstream the dry cooler (C-E-DC) in order to enlarge the range of temperatures suitable for free cooling. A building model of a typical shopping mall and two cooling plant has been modeled by means of TRNSYS simulations carried out in several European cities. Simulation results show that the C-E-DC configuration allows a greater energy saving amount than C-DC configuration for all the cities considered. It can be noted that the locations with a hot or moderate climate have a higher reduction in chiller electrical consumptions. Further investigations will be carried out taking in to account more extensively the moisture content of the air for the different locations considered

International vs. domestic bioenergy supply chains for co-firing plants: The role of pre-treatment technologies

Co-firing of solid biomass in existing large scale coal power plants has been supported in many countries as a short-term means to decrease CO2 emissions and rapidly increase renewable energy shares. However, many countries face challenges guaranteeing sufficient amounts of biomass through reliable domestic biomass supply chains and resort to international supply chains. Within this frame, novel pre-treatment technologies, particularly pelletization and torrefaction, emerged in recent years to facilitate logistics by improving the durability and the energy density of solid biomass. This paper aims to evaluate these pre-treatment technologies from a techno-economic and environmental point of view for two reference coal power plants located in Great Britain and in Italy. Logistics costs and carbon emissions are modelled for both international and domestic biomass supply chains. The impact of pre-treatment technologies on carbon emission avoidance costs is evaluated. It is demonstrated that, for both cases, pre-treatment technologies are hardly viable for domestic supply. On the other hand, pre-treatment technologies are found to render most international bioenergy supply chains competitive with domestic ones, especially if sourcing areas are located in low labour cost countries. In many cases, pre-treatment technologies are found to guarantee similar CO2 equivalent emissions performance for international compared to domestic supply chains