Digital Platforms for Renewable Energy Communities Projects: An Overview

The European Union energy policy agenda of achieving the transition to carbon neutrality has been established by an important legislative package called "Clean Energy for all Europeans". A novel approach introduced was to put the citizen at the center of the energy transition. On one side, by powering his freedom of action and, on the other side, by asking him an exceptional engagement in energy consumption reduction activities and in participating in the investments for new distributed Renewable Energy Sources (RES) power plants. The Renewable Energy Communities (REC) is the policy framework used to implement this strategy introduced by the Renewable Energy Directive Recast (RED II). In particular, RECs promote citizen’s active role by encouraging energy consumption reduction and energy demand flexibility while reducing the Not In My Bachyard (NIMBY) effect towards RES. Each member state is transposing the RED II directive, adapting it to national legislation and energy transition strategy. Pioneers countries like Italy have already started the experimentation of this framework and developing the first pilot projects. The citizens’ interest and their will to participate in REC projects indicate the need for supporting tools guiding them along all the project development stages: “design”, “creation”, and “operation”. This work presents three categories of supporting digital tools and platforms required to develop REC projects: Commercial, EU Founded and Freeware. We analyzed 30 tools, evaluating the services provided in each of the different stages of REC project implementation

Green synthetic fuels: Renewable routes for the conversion of non-fossil feedstocks into gaseous fuels and their end uses

Innovative renewable routes are potentially able to sustain the transition to a decarbonized energy economy. Green synthetic fuels, including hydrogen and natural gas, are considered viable alternatives to fossil fuels. Indeed, they play a fundamental role in those sectors that are di cult to electrify (e.g., road mobility or high-heat industrial processes), are capable of mitigating problems related to flexibility and instantaneous balance of the electric grid, are suitable for large-size and long-term storage and can be transported through the gas network. This article is an overview of the overall supply chain, including production, transport, storage and end uses. Available fuel conversion technologies use renewable energy for the catalytic conversion of non-fossil feedstocks into hydrogen and syngas. We will show how relevant technologies involve thermochemical, electrochemical and photochemical processes. The syngas quality can be improved by catalytic CO and CO2 methanation reactions for the generation of synthetic natural gas. Finally, the produced gaseous fuels could follow several pathways for transport and lead to different final uses. Therefore, storage alternatives and gas interchangeability requirements for the safe injection of green fuels in the natural gas network and fuel cells are outlined. Nevertheless, the effects of gas quality on combustion emissions and safety are considered

Relationships between phenotypic plasticity and environmental variables.

To understand the relations between environment and phenotypic plasticity is important to forecast any possible adaptation of plants to climate change. We tested for any difference between central and marginal (Mediterranean and Alpine). Study was performed on 20 populations chosen on the basis of their distance from niche optimum.In Mediterranean marginal populations : \u2022 wide flowers display corolla, \u2022 short stamen, inducing more investment in attractiveness than in seed maturation \u2022 lower pollen production and seed set. Our results suggestthat: Largest floral display and lowest allocation of resources for seeds production in Mediterranean populations may be due to the highest competition for resources (pollinators, water and soil nutrient) together with the lowest resource availability. Future climate change will probably bring about: extinction of low altitudes populations the upward shift of other

The relict landslide in bimsoils in downtown Genova, Italy: a new modeling approach

Stability problems occurring in geological units with a block-in-matrix fabric are often analyzed with deterministic approaches and/or assuming block-in-matrix rocks/soils (bimrocks or bimsoils) to be homogeneous equivalent geomaterials. However, recent studies have demonstrated that since these formations are characterized by a great (dimensional, spatial and lithological) variability, reliable results can only be obtained if a stochastic approach accounting for different block arrangements and dimensions is used. This paper extends and improves a previous study from Minuto and Morandi (2015) to evaluate the stability of a relict landslide in bimsoil located in downtown Genova (Italy), where a deterministic approach and the traditional limit equilibrium method were used. In this work, different slope models with elliptical blocks of variable eccentricity, size and positions are generated by means of a stochastic approach and are analyzed with the FEM code RS2. Moreover, since the slope can be considered to be a bimsoil, interfaces between the blocks and matrix are introduced in order to better simulate the lower strength at the block/matrix contacts. The numerical analyses of the slope reveal that shallow failure surfaces have a higher probability of occurrence as compared to the deep failure surfaces considered by Minuto and Morandi (2015). Furthermore, lower safety factors are obtained when a block-matrix interface strength smaller than that of the matrix (i.e., a bimsoil) is simulated

Techno-economic comparison of buildings acting as Single-Self Consumers or as energy community through multiple economic scenarios

The European Union has set ambitious targets to move towards a society with high penetration of renewable energy sources. In the forthcoming energy transition, Energy Communities (EC), i.e., legal entities where different actors, including citizens, cooperate in energy generation, storage and management, will play a crucial role. The present work simulates the energy flows and assesses the potential economic benefits of a cluster of buildings acting collectively as an energy community – a specific case study is set in northern Italy by comparing the EC performance with a configuration where customers act as Single Self-Consumers (SSCs). Pending the transposition of EU Directives to binding national laws, due by 2021, different supporting tariffs (economic scenarios) have been simulated in order to determine which scheme will support more effectively the integration of Energy Communities in the national energy market. Results show that ECs (i.e., customers acting collectively as energy prosumers) are able to accelerate the diffusion of building-integrated renewable energy sources (RES), resulting in higher overall self-consumption rates than SSCs. Self-consumed electricity generates savings on the energy bill of EC, and we calculated positive economic performance indicators for all the analysed economic scenarios. The sensitivity analysis carried out on system and transport charges of the electricity bill shows their remarkable impact on the economics making the EC less attractive for investors and citizens without proper supporting schemes

EXPO-AGRI: Smart Automatic Greenhouse Control

Predicting and controlling plant behavior in con- trolled environments is a growing requirement in precision agri- culture. In this context sensor networks and artificial intelligence methods represent key aspects for optimizing the processes of data acquisition, mathematical modeling and decision making. In this paper we present a general architecture for automatic greenhouse control. In particular, we focus on a preliminary model for predicting the risk of new infections of downy mildew of basil (Peronospora belbahrii) on sweet basil. The architecture has three main elements of innovation: new kinds of sensors are used to extract information about the state of the plants, model predictors are generated from this information by non-trivial processing methods, and informative predictors are automatically selected using regularization techniques

Management of an invasive plant in a Mediterranean Protected Area: the experience of Senecio deltoideus in Italy

Biological invasions are one of the most serious threats to global biodiversity and ecosystem integrity. The problem is growing year by year and a large number of protected areas worldwide are today invaded by at least one exotic species. In this study, we tested the eco-friendly and cost-effective weeding control of Senecio deltoideus in a Regional Protected Area in the North Mediterranean region. During a two years experiment, four techniques compatible with the local laws on protected areas (natural-herbicide, flame-weeding, mulching and mowing) were applied five times a season on sixty plots, compared with fifteen untreated controls. All techniques were effective in reducing Senecio covering: after the first year the maximum covering was limited to 37.93% (flame weeding) with a mean value of 10%; after second year the covering was further reduced (17.02% max; 2% mean). Interestingly, during the second year all plots submitted to a one-year treatment showed an enduring control of S. deltoideus covering (40.73% max; 20% mean). Taking into account feasibility and their impact on the environment, the weeding control recommendable for S. deltoideus is mowing. In a long-time management strategy, the selected treatment could be applied every two years with a drastic reduction in costs for the manager of the protected area

Lectotypification of the Linnaean name Dianthus virgineus (Caryophyllaceae) and its taxonomic consequences

A lectotype is designated for the name Dianthus virgineus. The relationships between D. virgineus, D. caryophyllus var. caryophyllus, and D. caryophyllus var. inodorus are analyzed. Dianthus virgineus is the oldest available name that applies to a species complex that is often referred to as D. sylvestris or a broad circumscription of the cultivated ornamental D. caryophyllus. The taxonomic consequences are discussed, and the need for further studies is highlighted

Reproductive traits of the invasive species Acacia dealbata Link. in the northern Mediterranean basin

Among the many exotic plants introduced in the last two centuries in Northern Mediterranean Basin Acacia dealbata Link. is one of the most invasive. Despite its presence in the region since many years, it has not yet been investigated how the species has established itself and has formed small forests. In this study, we aimed to gather data on reproductive trait of the invasive species A. dealbata at the northern limit of the Mediterranean bioclimatic region. In six naturalized populations, fruit and seed set were estimated and seed germination was tested in laboratory. Two out of the six populations failed to set fruits, and the fruit set was always low as observed in other invaded areas of the world. Only three populations produced germinating seeds whose rates were comparable to other invasive areas. The seeds may constitute a long-lasting seed bank that may favour the colonization of the species in areas disturbed by external factors. In conclusion, the reproductive system may contributes only partially to the spread and invasiveness of the species in the Northern Mediterranean basin, while the plant to spread itself adopts also other vegetative strategies

The Metabolic Profile in Active Acromegaly is Gender-Specific.

CONTEXT: The sexual dimorphism of the somatotroph axis has been documented, but whether the acromegaly-related metabolic alterations are gender-dependent has never been investigated. OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the impact of gender on the metabolic parameters in acromegaly. DESIGN: We conducted a retrospective, comparative, multicenter study. PATIENTS: The 307 newly diagnosed acromegalic patients included in the study were grouped by gender: 157 men (aged 48.01 ± 14.28 yr), and 150 women (aged 48.67 ± 14.95 yr; of which 77 were premenopausal and 73 postmenopausal). OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: We measured each component of the metabolic syndrome (MS), hemoglobin A1c, the areas under the curve (AUCs) of glucose and insulin during 2-h oral glucose tolerance test, basal insulin resistance using the homeostasis model assessment of the insulin resistance index, stimulated insulin sensitivity using the insulin sensitivity index, early insulin-secretion rate using the insulinogenic index, β-cell function relative to insulin sensitivity using the oral disposition index and the visceral adiposity index (VAI) as the surrogate of visceral fat function. RESULTS: Women showed a higher prevalence of MS (P < 0.001), higher fasting insulin levels (P < 0.001), AUC for insulin (P = 0.002), homeostasis model assessment of the insulin resistance index (P < 0.001), and VAI (P < 0.001) and a lower insulin sensitivity index (P = 0.002) than men, whereas no difference was found in fasting glucose, AUC for glucose, hemoglobin A1c, insulinogenic index, and oral disposition index. In women, fasting glucose and fasting insulin showed a significant trend toward increase (P < 0.001) and decrease (P = 0.004), respectively, from the first to the fourth quartiles of age, whereas VAI showed a trend toward increase in both groups (P < 0.001). A significantly higher prevalence of MS (P < 0.001), increased waist circumference (P < 0.001), low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (P < 0.001), and overt diabetes mellitus (P < 0.001) was found in postmenopausal women compared with premenopausal women, as well as with men. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of metabolic features in acromegaly are gender-specific. Active acromegaly in women is strongly associated with higher visceral adiposity dysfunction, insulin resistance, and the features of MS. We suggest more accurate metabolic management in acromegalic women, especially in the postmenopausal years