Municipal Building Regulations for Energy Efficiency in Southern Italy

The building sector is still one of the most energy consuming sectors in Italy, like developed countries in Europe. At European level, the main policy driver related to the energy use in buildings is the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD, 2002/91/EC) and its recast. Through the EPBD in- troduction, requirements for certification, inspections, training or renovation are now imposed in Member States. In order to fulfill the expected changes, local regulations are a key factor aiming at sustainable territorial planning. It is thus required support the issue of local rules at municipal level in order to guide local administrators and technicians and to limit discretional power of bureaucracy. In this paper, a review of the most common practices for building regulations in Europe and in Italy is proposed, then the role and the framework of a municipal building regulation for the Southern European area accounting for sustainability features is discussed

Magnetic Levitation – Modelling, Identification and Open Loop Verification

The paper describes a procedure using the first principle modelling and experimental identification of the Magnetic Levitation Model CE 152. It is a modified version of the paper [1]. The difference is that the identification and verification is done in open loop and constraints logic is added in the current paper. The author optimized and simplified dynamic model to a minimum to what is needed to characterize given system for the simulation and control design purposes. Only few open-loop experiments are needed to estimate the unknown parameters. Model quality is verified in open loop where the real and simulated data are compared. The model can serve as a simulation model for some standard control algorithms or as a process model for advanced control method design

APPLICATION TO AN ITALIAN DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM OF A MULTIOBJECTIVE OPTIMAL VOLT/VAR CONTROL STRATEGY: IMPROVEMENTS AND MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS

ABSTRAC

Techno-Economic Analysis of Clean Hydrogen Production Plants in Sicily: Comparison of Distributed and Centralized Production

This paper presents an assessment of the levelized cost of clean hydrogen produced in Sicily, a region in Southern Italy particularly rich in renewable energy and where nearly 50% of Italy’s refineries are located, making a comparison between on-site production, that is, near the end users who will use the hydrogen, and centralized production, comparing the costs obtained by employing the two types of electrolyzers already commercially available. In the study for centralized production, the scale factor method was applied on the costs of electrolyzers, and the optimal transport modes were considered based on the distance and amount of hydrogen to be transported. The results obtained indicate higher prices for hydrogen produced locally (from about 7 €/kg to 10 €/kg) and lower prices (from 2.66 €/kg to 5.80 €/kg) for hydrogen produced in centralized plants due to economies of scale and higher conversion efficiencies. How-ever, meeting the demand for clean hydrogen at minimal cost requires hydrogen distribution pipelines to transport it from centralized production sites to users, which currently do not exist in Sicily, as well as a significant amount of renewable energy ranging from 1.4 to 1.7 TWh per year to cover only 16% of refineries’ hydrogen needs

Investigating energy saving potential in a big shopping center through ventilation control

This paper investigates energy saving measures for the ventilation system of large shopping centers. This kind of buildings is characterized by high yearly energy consumptions, because of the high level of operating hours and the frequent use of obsolete technologies. In the analyzed case studies, three big Do It Yourself (DIY) shops, located in Italy, are considered. Two different approaches are considered, they are aimed at reducing the annual energy consumption for the indoor air exchange of the sales area. The first considered retrofit solution consists in the installation of heat recovery exchangers, reducing the energy demand for the air thermal treatment without changing the airflow value. In the second scenario, smart air quality sensors are inputs for the modulation of the air exchange rate according to the actual requirement for indoor air quality. In a third scenario, the application of both retrofit solutions is considered. For each scenario, the paper reports the yearly energy savings, the avoided CO2 emissions and cost saving indicators. Furthermore, as the three shops are equipped with different heating systems and are located in different parts of Italy, a technological and climatic comparison is provided

Privacy and Transparency in Blockchain-based Smart Grid Operations

In the past few years, blockchain technology has emerged in numerous smart grid applications, enabling the construction of systems without the need for a trusted third party. Blockchain offers transparency, traceability, and accountability, which lets various energy management system functionalities be executed through smart contracts, such as monitoring, consumption analysis, and intelligent energy adaptation. Nevertheless, revealing sensitive energy consumption information could render users vulnerable to digital and physical assaults. This paper presents a novel method for achieving a dual balance between privacy and transparency, as well as accountability and verifiability. This equilibrium requires the incorporation of cryptographic tools like Secure Mul- tiparty Computation and Verifiable Secret Sharing within the distributed components of a multi- channel blockchain and its associated smart contracts. We corroborate the suggested architecture throughout the entire process of a Demand Response scenario, from the collection of energy data to the ultimate reward. To address our proposal’s constraints, we present countermeasures against accidental crashes and Byzantine behavior while ensuring that the solution remains appropriate for low-performance IoT devices

Analisi e definizione di strategie di gestione e controllo di sistemi di accumulo elettrico per applicazioni in reti di distribuzione attive automatizzate Report 1 – Analisi dello stato dell’arte

Il presente Report riferisce sui contenuti e sui risultati della prima fase delle attività svolte nell’ambito della ricerca dal titolo: “Analisi e definizione di strategie di gestione e controllo di sistemi di accumulo elettrico per applicazioni in reti di distribuzione attive automatizzate”, oggetto dell’Accordo di Collaborazione tra ENEA e DIEET sottoscritto nel corso del 2011. Nel corso della prima fase delle attività, a partire da un inquadramento generale dei diversi tipi di accumulo di energia elettrica (elettrochimico, meccanico ed elettrico), è stata condotta un’analisi preliminare su metodologie, sistemi d’interfaccia e tecniche di controllo dei sistemi di accumulo, in una visione il più possibile integrata con le esigenze “di sistema”, ovvero in relazione ai principali aspetti che nei prossimi anni caratterizzeranno il funzionamento delle reti di distribuzione e dei loro diversi componenti/sottosistemi, nell’ottica di transizione verso infrastrutture elettriche efficienti, flessibili, dinamiche ed interattive. Tra tali aspetti, in relazione al contesto generale della ricerca, è stato analizzato in particolare il possibile ruolo dei sistemi di accumulo per: - favorire l’integrazione di generazione di energia da fonti rinnovabili contribuendo a risolvere alcune criticità nei servizi di regolazione della tensione e della frequenza della rete; - contribuire ad elevare i livelli di qualità del servizio elettrico; - partecipare ad una gestione ottimale, in termini tecnico-economici, di tutte le risorse di rete: fonti energetiche, unità di accumulo e carichi (implementando idonei programmi di demand-response). Le attività sono state condotte in sinergia con il personale tecnico di ENEA e sono state svolte prevalentemente all’interno dei locali e dei laboratori del DIEET di Palermo

Electrifying the Road to Net-Zero: Implications of Electric Vehicles and Carbon Emission Coefficient Factors in European Power Systems

The global trend is shifting towards adopting low-carbon transportation solutions, with electrification emerging as a prominent approach. The effectiveness of this transition in mitigating climate change hinges significantly on the source of electricity used for charging electric vehicles. This study focuses on four European Union countries: Switzerland, Italy, Germany, and Poland, each characterized by varying levels of carbon emissions from their power systems. Assumptions are made for the short-term (10%), medium-term (30%), and long-term (60%) penetration of electric vehicles, aligning with the 2050 net zero emissions targets. The study investigates the impact of these penetration levels on energy demand, exploring scenarios ranging from 100% renewable source-generated electricity to 100% coal-generated electricity for EV charging. Finally, utilizing PSS (R) E 35.5 simulation software, the study assesses the implications of the electric vehicles' load on medium-voltage transmission lines. The findings highlight the substantial influence of electrifying the transport sector on both environmental sustainability and the power system infrastructure, underscoring the critical role of regional energy mixes and the power system carbon emissions coefficient factor. Regions with lower carbon emission coefficient factors witness significant benefits even with a modest transition to electric vehicles, whereas regions with high carbon emission coefficient factors experience minimal impact despite large-scale EV adoption. Additionally, densely populated urban areas may encounter challenges related to transmission line congestion to meet the growing demand for electric vehicle charging

Evaluation of the Administrative Phase-Out of Coal Power Plants on the Italian Electricity Market

Although decarbonisation is one of the most important macro-trends of this century, electricity generation from coal power plants is still broadly common. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of a premature coal power plants phase-out on the Italian day-ahead electricity market. For this purpose, two electricity price forecasts, related to different scenarios between 2019 and 2030, and two different hypotheses for the creation of electricity spot price, were compared. The results from the different scenarios show that coal power plants phase-out determines a small variation in electricity price when bid-up is not considered; instead, when operators’ bid-up is included in the study, the price variation becomes relevant