Alessia Arteconi

Assessment of the impact of local energy policies in reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The present work investigates the potential energy savings coming from a careful and detailed local energy policy. The paper analyzes and assesses from technical, economic and environmental viewpoints different initiatives in the energy sector aimed at increasing energy efficiency in end-uses and reducing overall carbon emissions. The results are based on energy planning for five Italian urban areas sized at about fifty thousand inhabitants. The analysis has been developed with the aim of reaching generally applicable criteria suitable for evaluating the local energy policy contribution to the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction. Several initiatives for the private and public sectors have been considered, such as: (i) the introduction of combined heat and power generation based on useful thermal demand, suitable for the industry and service sectors (swimming pools, large distribution organizations); (ii) generation of electricity from renewables (solar energy, biomass); (iii) thermal insulation of private and public buildings, such as schools; (iv) introduction of micro-combined heat and power generation in the residential sector. For each solution the primary energy reduction and the consequent reduction in GHG emissions have been evaluated and a feasibility analysis has been developed in order to assess the profitability of the investment. Great attention has been paid to the public sector, which has an important role in providing leadership and driving changes in other sectors; furthermore, a rational use of energy combined with the exploitation of country-based incentives is able to reduce the public administrative expenditure. The results show that local energy policy can give an important contribution to gas emission reduction targets, and underline the fundamental role of public sector initiatives.

The feasibility of liquefied biomethane as alternative fuel: a comparison between European and Chinese markets

ABSTRACT Natural gas is considered the alternative fuel that, in the short-medium term, can best substitute conventional fuels, in order to reduce their environmental impact. The purpose of this paper is to outline the feasibility of liquefied natural gas (LNG), especially from biogas (LBG), as vehicle fuel in Europe and in China. Firstly, the analysis presents the difficulty of methane supply in some regions and the need for feasible ways of producing LNG. For this purpose, biogas recovery and its upgrade are presented as an interesting source to produce such alternative vehicle fuel, being also a renewable source with a reduced environmental impact. Secondly, an economic analysis is performed for a specific European country (Italy): it takes into account technical aspects, costs, the foreseen market price for the new fuel and the necessary incentive policy. The latter aspect has been revealed to cover a major role for the feasibility of such projects.

5.4 Energy Reliability and Management

In this chapter the relationship between reliability of a power system and energy management is investigated. The current trend of more intermittent electricity generation in power systems introduces new challenges with respect to their adequacy and security. Supply and demand side energy management strategies can help in improving the reliability of the system. Among the other methods, demand response programs show a high potential for this application due to their peak shaving and load shifting capability. A thorough state of the art review about the topic, together with a qualitative exemplification by means of case studies, is provided.

Clustering a building stock towards representative buildings in the context of air-conditioning electricity demand flexibility

Energy modelling for the prediction of energy use in buildings, especially under novel energy management strategies, is of great importance. In buildings there are several flexible electrical loads which can be shifted in time such as thermostatically controllable loads. The main novelty of this paper is to apply an aggregation method to effectively characterize the electrical energy demand of air-conditioning (AC) systems in residential buildings under flexible operation during demand response and demand shaping programs. The method is based on clustering techniques to aggregate a large and diverse building stock of residential buildings to a smaller, representative ensemble of buildings. The methodology is tested against a detailed simulation model of building stocks in Houston, New York and Los Angeles. Results show good agreement between the energy demand predicted by the aggregated model and by the full model during normal operation (normalized mean absolute error, NMAE, below 10%), even with a small number of clusters (sample size of 1%). During flexible operation, the NMAE rises (around 20%) and a higher number of representative buildings become necessary (sample size at least 10%). Multiple cases for the input data series were considered, namely by varying the time resolution of the input data and the type of input data. These characteristics of the input time series data are shown to play a crucial role in the aggregation performance. The aggregated model showed lower NMAE compared to the original model when clustering is based on a hybrid signal resolved at 60-minute time intervals, which is a combination of the electricity demand profile and AC modulation level.

China and Europe’s Partnership for a More Sustainable World. Challenges and Opportunities

This book gathers the main scientific outputs of POREEN, a four-year project on partnering opportunities between Europe and China in the renewable energy and environmental industries. It investigates the main challenges and opportunities related to Sino-European dialogue and cooperation in the green sector with a focus on sustainable growth.

The Feasibility of Liquefied Methane as an Alternative Fuel in Europe and China

Abstract Purpose This chapter outlines the potential market of methane (especially LNG) as vehicle fuel in Europe and China. Methodology/approach A comprehensive report on the existing framework in terms of market capacity, regulations, and incentives is presented. Moreover, the feasibility of using biogas as environmental friendly source gas is considered. Findings The transport sector represents a major element in the global balance of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. Natural gas is considered the alternative fuel that, in the short-medium term, can best substitute conventional fuels in order to reduce their environmental impact, because it is readily available at a competitive price, using technologies that are already in widespread use. It can be used as compressed gas (CNG) or in the liquid phase (LNG). The former is more suitable for light vehicles, while the latter for heavy-duty vehicles. Some barriers need to be overcome for the diffusion of this alternative fuel, especially concerning the supply problem. The incentive policy has been shown to cover a major influence in the feasibility evaluation. Originality/value This work shows the state of the art of natural gas as fuel, especially from biogas source, in Europe and China and assesses the incentive scheme necessary to make liquefied biomethane feasible on the basis of the existing scenario in Italy.

Optimal management of renewable and fossil fuel energy systems in a smart community

The present paper focuses on the energy aspects related to sustainable communities aimed at becoming smart. In particular, the paper discusses optimal strategies for the management of renewable energy systems (RES) and fossil fuel energy systems. Marche Region, one of the 21 Italian administrative divisions, has been taken as a reference case in order to compare different strategies. The area is characterized by a high percentage of electricity imported from the grid, suggesting the importance of increasing the local production to become sustainable. The year 2020 has been taken as the target year. An energy model of the area has been built considering RES potential and energy saving initiatives defined in the Regional Energy Master Plan. The model has been developed with EnergyPLAN, an optimization tool developed by Aalborg University and used to assess energy systems Three different solutions for the integration of RES and the minimization of fossil fuel consumption have been considered: i) a Demand Side Management technique related to the introduction of heat pumps seeking to use the excess of electricity derived from renewable production; ii) the use of micro-CHP systems in buildings to compensate for the variability of RES production; iii) the introduction of EVs with dump and smart charge. The best results come from HPs and EVs with smart charge, which are able to reduce the electricity in excess and minimize the primary energy consumption, in particular when a high share of intermittent renewable is introduced.