CBE Clima Tool: a free and open-source web application for climate analysis tailored to sustainable building design

Buildings that are designed specifically to respond to the local climate can be more comfortable, energy-efficient, and with a lower environmental impact. However, there are many social, cultural, and economic obstacles that might prevent the wide adoption of designing climate-adapted buildings. One of the said obstacles can be removed by enabling practitioners to easily access and analyse local climate data. The CBE Clima Tool (Clima) is a free and open-source web application that offers easy access to publicly available weather files (in EPW format) specifically created for building energy simulation and design. It provides a series of interactive visualization of the variables therein contained and several derived ones. It is aimed at students, educators, and practitioners in the architecture and engineering fields. Since its launch has been consistently recording over 3000 monthly unique users from over 70 countries worldwide, both in professional and educational settings.Comment: Submitted to Software

Ventilation mode effect on thermal comfort in a mixed mode building

Between 2017 and 2018, we conducted a longitudinal field experiment in a mixed-mode ventilation building located in Wollongong Australia, with a particular focus on occupant thermal comfort and adaptive behaviour. This study investigated how different building operation modes i.e. air-conditioning (AC) and natural ventilation (NV), can have an impact on occupant perception of thermal comfort. Time-And-place matching of objective (physically measured indoor climate parameters, outdoor meteorological data, and building operational information) and subjective data (i.e. occupant survey questionnaires) enabled empirical investigation of the relationships between those parameters. The result of the analysis revealed that subjective perception of indoor thermal environment can be affected by different modes of building operation. Occupants were found to be more tolerant of, or adaptive to, the indoor thermal conditions when the building was in the NV mode of operation compared to the AC operational mode. The applicability of the adaptive comfort standard to the mixed-mode ventilation context was also discussed

Approaching sustainable development through energy management, the case of Fongo Tongo, Cameroon

This work is aimed at defining a possible solution for sustainable energy development in the Menoua Department, West Cameroon. The purpose of the cooperation between ALA Milano Onlus and the Biomass Energy Efficiency Laboratory of the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia was to analyze the case study in order to propose a solution for energy production capable of meeting the needs of the Cameroonian society while also heading towards a sustainable development. Primary researches suggested that the most viable solution was to integrate the corn food processing with the gasification of the cobs. The thermo-conversion process was modeled with a black-box approach; the results of the model were further compared with the energy required for corn processing, therefore demonstrating the sustainability and virtuosity of the chosen solution. A commercial 20 kW$$_el$$el gasifier was selected for supplying electrical power to three central buildings: the city hall, the Chaufferie and the school. This solution is a security measure assuring continue power supply to these vital buildings. Furthermore, it will bind the relation between the rural and the city areas through the energy exchange process

Radio frequency over fiber technology for SKA-low receiver

The signal reception chain is an essential element for achieving the square kilometer array-low (SKA-low) system requirements in terms of high sensitivity and dynamic range. The balance between gain, linearity, and low power consumption, as well as the cost, are fundamental parameters that influence the selection of the most suitable technology for SKA-low. Further factors, such as low self-generated radio frequency (RF) interference, high reliability, robustness under extreme environment, and last but not least, the distance between the antennas and the acquisition systems, have impacts on the selection for both architecture and receiver system design. The selected technology for the SKA-low RF signal transportation is RF-over-fiber systems, where the preamplified RF signal picked up by the antennas is carried via analogue modulation over optical fiber. The rationales behind the selection are reported, along with descriptions on the development of the receiver prototypes. The prototypes were deployed and installed on the demonstrator arrays at the selected SKA-low site in Western Australian. Particular attention has been put on the thermal characterization of the receiver system under the actual operating temperature on site, especially when both transmitting part and the optical medium are subjected to external ambient temperature variations. Performance issues encountered in the demonstrator arrays are also discussed along with some proposals for future activities

Power Over Fibre Systems for the Italian SKA-Low Demonstrators

The Power over Fibre technique allows to power remote electronics without using copper cables. Avoiding any interaction between the antenna and its power/signal cable is attractive in the case of testing systems where the evaluation of antenna and/or array performance are crucial parameters under investigation. This is the case of the Sardina Array Demonstrator, an Italian SKA testing platform. In this work is evaluated the applicability of this technology in order to power the electronics of the antennas which will form SAD. The results of an extensive measurement campaign, with respect to both temperature and fibre length, of commercial PoF receivers, is here presented

Evaluating assumptions of scales for subjective assessment of thermal environments – Do laypersons perceive them the way, we researchers believe?

International audienc

Sardinia Array Demonstrator: Instrument Overview and Status

In the framework of the Square Kilometer Array (SKA) project, the Italian Institute for Astrophysics (INAF) has addressed several efforts in the design and prototyping of aperture arrays for low-frequency radio astronomical research. The Sardinia Array Demonstrator (SAD) is a national project aimed to develop know-how in this area and to test different architectural technologies and calibration algorithms. SAD consists of 128 prototypical dual-polarized Vivaldi antennas designed to operate at radio frequencies below 650 MHz. The antennas will be deployed at the Sardinia Radio Telescope’s site with a versatile approach able to provide two different array configurations: (i) all antennas grouped in one large station or (ii) spread among a core plus few satellite stations. This paper provides an overview of the SAD project from an instrumental point of view, and illustrates its status after 2 years from its start