Land use planning for utilizing biomass residues in Tuscia Romana (central Italy) : preliminary results of a multi criteria analysis to create an agro-energy district

This study provides a preliminary agro-environmental, economic and energetic analysis to critically evaluate the biomass potential of an area of central Italy (Tuscia Romana). This area is selected as representative for agro-forestry from its orographic characteristics, climatic conditions, land use and potential energy sources. Accordingly, the model we have obtained could be used for other similar areas of central Italy. We have assessed the potential agro-forestry biomass availability, energy po-tential and transport infrastructure using multi criteria analysis and geographic information system approaches. Finally, optimum locations to develop an energy plant were identified. This model could be applied at a local level to help deliver environmental policy

Tariff-based regulatory sandboxes for EV smart charging: Impacts on the tariff and the power system in a national framework

Electrification of private transport is a fundamental step for decarbonizing mobility. Electric vehicles (EV) can be a burden for the power system if vehicle-grid integration is not implemented by design. Market-based smart charging projects are effective, but their massive diffusion is limited. A fundamental instrument toward a large adoption of smart charging is the inclusion of smart charging-oriented measures in regulatory sandboxes, conveniently acting on electricity tariff. This paper presents a set of possible toolboxes for smart charging to show the potential that regulatory measures can have on steering the infrastructure deployment and the charging activity. Each proposed toolbox addresses a specific charging mode, including domestic, workplace, and public access charging. Proposed measures are target-oriented and evaluated based on their environmental, technical, and economic impacts. These include the carbon footprint of the electricity used for EV charging, the impact in terms of peak power withdrawal from the public grid and the charging cost born by EV users. Additionally, the assessment about the impact of prospected measures on the electricity tariffs' income is provided. Results show the possibility of reducing the evening EV-related peak load by 30% to 50% via home smart charging. Also, a 10% decrease in carbon footprint is achieved by valley-filling with work charging. Charging at the destination can reduce the system cost for the new distribution infrastructure, dropping the number of new dedicated connection points for public charging. The cost of incentives is partially repayable considering the additional EV penetration fostered by the reduced charging costs

AlpStore Project: A Viable Model for Renewables Exploitation in the Alps

AbstractNowadays, the integration of intermittent and unpredictable Renewable Energy Sources (RESs) has led to new issues for the electrical system. The paper proposes a model, named Virtual Power System (VPS), which enables the management of generators and loads as a single (virtual) entity in order to achieve a “global” benefit, i.e. to improve the capability of the grid to host RESs. Moreover Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) could be integrated in the VPS in order to provide ancillary services: voltage regulation, primary frequency regulation and exchange profiles adjustment for a better RESs programmability. This work proposes a quantitative approach for ESSs design and integration in a VPS. Numerical results are reported with respect to an experimental application in the AlpStore project (Alpine Space Program 2007-2013)

Minimally Invasive Stent Screw-Assisted Internal Fixation Technique Corrects Kyphosis in Osteoporotic Vertebral Fractures with Severe Collapse: A Pilot "Vertebra Plana" Series.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Fractures with "vertebra plana" morphology are characterized by severe vertebral body collapse and segmental kyphosis; there is no established treatment standard for these fractures. Vertebroplasty and balloon kyphoplasty might represent an undertreatment, but surgical stabilization is challenging in an often elderly osteoporotic population. This study assessed the feasibility, clinical outcome, and radiologic outcome of the stent screw-assisted internal fixation technique using a percutaneous implant of vertebral body stents and cement-augmented pedicle screws in patients with non-neoplastic vertebra plana fractures. MATERIALS AND METHODS Thirty-seven consecutive patients with vertebra plana fractures were treated with the stent screw-assisted internal fixation technique. Vertebral body height, local and vertebral kyphotic angles, outcome scales (numeric rating scale and the Patient's Global Impression of Change), and complications were assessed. Imaging and clinical follow-up were obtained at 1 and 6 months postprocedure. RESULTS Median vertebral body height restoration was 7 mm (+74%), 9 mm (+150%), and 3 mm (+17%) at the anterior wall, middle body, and posterior wall, respectively. Median local and vertebral kyphotic angles correction was 8° and 10° and was maintained through the 6-month follow-up. The median numeric rating scale score improved from 8/10 preprocedure to 3/10 at 1 and 6 months (P < .001). No procedural complications occurred. CONCLUSIONS The stent screw-assisted internal fixation technique was effective in obtaining height restoration, kyphosis correction, and pain relief in patients with severe vertebral collapse

INDIRECT MONTE CARLO APPROACH TO EVALUATE RELIABILITY AND AVAILABILITY INDICES OF DISTRIBUTION NETWORKS

ABSTRAC

Monte Carlo Procedure to Evaluate the E-mobility Impact on the Electric Distribution Grid

The goal of this work is to evaluate the impact of the e-mobility charging processes on the electric grid, in a real-life study case. An effective approach is proposed to study the increase in the energy consumption on the grid with respect to both grid operation and efficiency. The work is developed considering three different recharging technologies, slow (based on domestic users), fast (based on public charging stations), and very fast (based on enhanced public charging stations). Furthermore, three different technologies distributions are evaluated (e.g. different scenarios on charging station deployment are simulated). The results show that fast charging technologies could better fit with e.cars exploitment, but they could cause also a significant stress increase over the grid. The paper is devoted to quantify such effects

San Severino Marche Smart Grid Pilot within the InteGRIDy project

This paper reports the presentation of a Smart Grid architecture designed with respect to the actual Italian scenario and ongoing to be experimentally validated in the distribution grid of San Severino Marche Pilot, Italy. The main characteristics of the smart grid architecture deployed are discussed and two of its innovative functionalities are detailed: reconfiguration of the Medium Voltage (MV) grid and Energy Storage Systems (ESSs) exploitation for the ancillary services provision. Such functionalities are introduced from both a theoretical and an experimental point of view. Data collected from the field have been processed by means of mathematical models in order to achieve a quantitative evaluation of the performances. Results are related to the energy losses improvement the DSO could obtain thanks to a MV grid reconfiguration and to the economic viability of ancillary services provision by means of distributed ESSs. For the first functionality, an Exhaustive Research, a Genetic Algorithm and a Monte Carlo heuristic procedure have been coded and compared. For the latter functionality, an electric model of an ESS has been exploited in order to simulate a contribution to the primary frequency control and an ancillary market model has been developed in order to evaluate a multi service management of the storage; in particular frequency response and self-consumption logics have been evaluated

Multi-objective energy storage power dispatching using plug-in vehicles in a smart-microgrid

This paper describes a multi-objective power dispatching problem that uses Plug-in Electric Vehicle (PEV) as storage units. We formulate the energy storage planning as a Mixed-Integer Linear Programming (MILP) problem, respecting PEV requirements, minimizing three different objectives and analyzing three different criteria. Two novel cost-to-variability indicators, based on Sharpe Ratio, are introduced for analyzing the volatility of the energy storage schedules. By adding these additional criteria, energy storage planning is optimized seeking to minimize the following: total Microgrid (MG) costs; PEVs batteries usage; maximum peak load; difference between extreme scenarios and two Sharpe Ratio indices. Different scenarios are considered, which are generated with the use of probabilistic forecasting, since prediction involves inherent uncertainty. Energy storage planning scenarios are scheduled according to information provided by lower and upper bounds extracted from probabilistic forecasts. A MicroGrid (MG) scenario composed of two renewable energy resources, a wind energy turbine and photovoltaic cells, a residential MG user and different PEVs is analyzed. Candidate non-dominated solutions are searched from the pool of feasible solutions obtained during different Branch and Bound optimizations. Pareto fronts are discussed and analyzed for different energy storage scenarios. Perhaps the most important conclusion from this study is that schedules that minimize the total system cost may increase maximum peak load and its volatility over different possible scenarios, therefore may be less robust

Epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase inhibitors for the treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer: results and open issues

The medical treatment of non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) has progressively changed since the introduction of “targeted therapy”. The development of one of these molecular drug categories, e. g., the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) tyrosine-kinase (TK) selective inhibitors, such as the orally active gefitinib and erlotinib, offers an interesting new opportunity. The clinical response rates obtained with their employment in unselected patient populations only account for approximately 10%. Because of this, over the last two years numerous studies have been performed in order to identify the patient subsets that could better benefit from these agents. Not only patient characteristics and clinical-pathological features, such as never-smoking status, female gender, East Asian origin, adenocarcinoma histology, bronchioloalveolar subtype, but also molecular findings, such as somatic mutations in the EGFR gene, emerge as potentially useful prognostic and predictive factors in advanced NSCLC. Further, specifically designed clinical trials are still needed to completely clarify these and other open issues that are reviewed in this paper, in order to clarify all the interesting findings available in the clinical practice