The Economic Feasibility of Residential Energy Storage Combined with PV Panels: The Role of Subsidies in Italy

A solar photovoltaic system produces electricity by converting energy from the sun. By the end of 2016, the global installed solar photovoltaic capacity reached 305 GW. Its growth is impressive in the last years; in fact, it was only equal to 41 GW in 2010. However, Europe has installed only 6.9 GW in 2016 (1.7 GW in comparison to previous year) and this annual power installed is equal to 9% of global one in according to data released by Solar Power Europe. The profitability of PV systems in mature markets depends on the harmonization between demanded energy and produced one residential energy storage when combined with photovoltaic panels is able to increase the share of self-consumption. This work proposes a mathematical model, in which a Discounted Cash Flow analysis is conducted to evaluate the financial feasibility of photovoltaic-integrated lead acid battery systems in Italy. The indicator used is Net Present Value. Furthermore, a break-even point analysis, in terms of an increase of self-consumption, is conducted. The residential sector is investigated and energy storage system investment is incentivized by fiscal deduction and regional subsidies. The analysis provides several case studies, determined by combinations of the following variables: photovoltaic plant size, battery capacity, the increase of the share of self-consumption, and the useful lifetime of energy storage system. The same case studies are proposed also in four alternative scenarios, where is the modified the structure of subsidies. Results confirm that the profitability can be reached in presence of subsidies

Economic analysis of a photovoltaic system: A resource for residential households

New installed annual solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity was equal to 76.1 GW in 2016 (+49%), reaching the total of 305 GW around the world. PV sources are able to achieve a greater energy independence, to tackle the climate change and to promote economic opportunities. This work proposes an economic analysis based on well-known indicators: Net Present Value (NPV), Discounted Payback Time (DPBT) and Levelized Cost of Electricity (LCOE). Several case studies are evaluated for residential households. They are based on three critical variables: plant size (1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 kW), levels of insolation (1350, 1450 and 1550 kWh/(m2xy)) and share of self-consumption (30%, 40% and 50%). The profitability is verified in all case studies examined in this work. The role of self-consumption, that is the harmonization between demanded and produced energy, is strategic in a mature market to improve financial performance. A sensitivity analysis, based on both electricity purchase and sales prices (critical variables), confirms these positive results. The Reduction in the Emissions of Carbon Dioxide (ERcd) signifies an environmental improvement when a PV system is used as an alternative to a mix of fossil fuels. Finally, a policy proposal is examined based on a fiscal deduction of 50% fixing the period of deduction equal to 5 years

Adopting Circular Economy Current Practices and Future Perspectives

The development of a closed-loop cycle is a necessary condition so as to develop a circular economy model as an alternative to the linear model, in order to maintain the value of products and materials for as long as possible. For this motive, the definition of the value must be demonstrated for both the environment and the economy. The presence of these analyses should be associated with the social dimension and the human component. A strong cooperation between social and technical profiles is a new challenge for all researchers. End of life of products attract a lot of attention, and the final output could be the production of technologies suitable for managing this waste

Prioritising Prosecutions is the Wrong Approach

Response to ATR Debate Proposition: ‘Prosecuting trafficking deflects attention from much more important responses and is anyway a waste of time and money

The analytic hierarchy process as an innovative way to enable stakeholder engagement for sustainability reporting in the food industry

The sustainable transition, which requires a combination of natural and human resources to foster the development and protection of ecosystems, is a challenge of civil society. New approaches may be proposed to support enterprises in identifying the appropriate strategic criteria for their sustainability initiatives, which are eventually documented in corporate sustainability reports. The present paper focuses on the food industry, particularly with regard to pasta production. The analytic hierarchy process method was used to assign relevance to sustainability cri teria, according to the judgment of 10 academic experts. The initial criteria were selected from the sustainability reports of a virtuous and Italian pasta producer, La Molisana S.p.A., and divided into four categories: (1) people and community, (2) innovation and new prod uct development, (3) commitment to the environment and (4) local supply chain and traceability. Promotion of social and economic development in the local community emerged as the most relevant criterion, followed by business development and promotion of talent. The people and community category was deemed most strategic for sustainability, while social and economic dimensions were given less relevance. Stakeholder engagement was pro posed as an order winner for sustainable strategies. The present work has relevant methodological implications, as it shows that the analytic hierarchy process, applied in conjunction with a sustainability materiality matrix, may pro vide new and useful information for strategy and communication. In terms of operational implications, an enterprise’s historical connection to an area may attract global recognition and increase brand value through higher raw material quality, the harmonisation of human and natural resources, and synergy with the tourism industry

Crystalline free energies of micelles of diblock copolymer solutions

We report a characterization of the relative stability and structural behavior of various micellar crystals of an athermal model of AB-diblock copolymers in solution. We adopt a previously devel- oped coarse-graining representation of the chains which maps each copolymer on a soft dumbbell. Thanks to this strong reduction of degrees of freedom, we are able to investigate large aggregated systems, and for a specific length ratio of the blocks f = MA/(MA + MB) = 0.6, to locate the order-disorder transition of the system of micelles. Above the transition, mechanical and thermal properties are found to depend on the number of particles per lattice site in the simulation box, and the application of a recent methodology for multiple occupancy crystals (B.M. Mladek et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 99, 235702 (2007)) is necessary to correctly define the equilibrium state. Within this scheme we have performed free energy calculations at two reduced density {\rho}/{\rho}\ast = 4,5 and for several cubic structures as FCC,BCC,A15. At both densities, the BCC symmetry is found to correspond to the minimum of the unconstrained free energy, that is to the stable symmetry among the few considered, while the A15 structure is almost degenerate, indicating that the present sys- tem prefers to crystallize in less packed structures. At {\rho}/{\rho}\ast = 4 close to melting, the Lindemann ratio is fairly high (~ 0.29) and the concentration of vacancies is roughly 6%. At {\rho}/{\rho}\ast = 5 the mechanical stability of the stable BCC structure increases and the concentration of vacancies ac- cordingly decreases. The ratio of the corona layer thickness to the core radius is found to be in good agreement with experimental data for poly(styrene-b-isoprene)(22-12) in isoprene selective solvent which is also reported to crystallize in the BCC structure

Acerca de la Construcción de Relatos Políticos

En este artículo se analizan por qué importan, cómo se construyen, cuáles son sus principales características (plasticidad, consistencia, adaptabilidad, entre otras) y qué funciones cumplen los relatos políticos de gobierno.Fil: García Beaudoux, Virginia Inés. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Ciencias Sociales; Argentina. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: D’Adamo, Orlando. No especifíca

The emerging role of the inwardly rectifying K+ channels in autism spectrum disorders and epilepsy

Autism is a complex behavioral disorder that develops prior to age three years and is distinguished by high heritability. Many genes predisposing to autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) have been identified. These findings have demonstrated that ASDs are etiologically heterogeneous; although, the mutations underlying ASDs are identifiable only in a minority of patients. Indeed, the causes of ASDs are unknown in more than 70% of patients. Recently, we have described two unrelated families whose affected individuals display a characteristic triad of symptoms of autism; such as impairments in social interaction, impairments in communication, restricted interests and repetitive behavior. They also displayed other symptoms commonly observed in autistic individuals; such as gait imbalance, clumsiness, mental retardation and epilepsy. The genetic analysis of these families resulted in the identification of new heterozygous point mutations in the KCNJ10 gene that encodes the inwardly-rectifying K+ channel Kir4.1 expressed predominantly, but not exclusively, in astrocytes. Functionally, the mutated channels exhibited a phenotype consistent with gain-of-function defects. These new findings highlight the emerging role of inwardly-rectifying K+ channels and astrocyte dysfunction in autism spectrum disorders associated with epilepsy.peer-reviewe

Crowdsourcing eXtension: Communities of Practice Provide Rapid Response

This article provides an example of how you can use eXtension\u27s Communities of Practice for crowdsourcing information rapidly and thoroughly. It contends that unlike traditional Google or Yahoo searches, asking colleagues within eXtension provides a depth of discovery with multiple layers of vetting already built in. In addition to that, it\u27s free. The example herein stems from a recent inquiry to the Community, Local and Regional Food Systems (CLRFS) Community of Practice and provides excerpts from the responses

Digitalizing Circular Economy through Blockchains: The Blockchain Circular Economy Index

The integration of circular economy (CE) models into everyday contexts generates huge amount of data involved in goods tracking and tokenization procedures. The sector of blockchain platforms is extremely varied, and the choice of the proper technology is not easy. It is important that the selection is conducted consistently with respect to the CE models. With this study, we present a performance index named Blockchain Circular Economy Index (BCEI). BCEI, obtained through Multicriteria Decision Analysis and Analytic Hierarchy Process, aims to measure the suitability of blockchain platforms to the needs highlighted by a CE scenario. The present study is contextualized by comparing six blockchain platforms, for each of which, the related BCEI is calculated. The results of the analysis show that transaction fee and energy consumption are the two most critical parameters. In addition, the results show the lack of a leading blockchain technology in CE models. Thus, there is a market space that can be exploited given the growing interest in digital and sustainable issues