Energy and environmental assessment of residual bio-wastes management strategies

Abstract This paper assesses the potential energy and environmental impacts of an anaerobic digester coupled with a combined heat and power plant powered with bio-wastes from the agri-food sector. The analysis is carried out through the Life Cycle Assessment methodology following a “cradle-to-grave” approach and is based mostly on primary data. The anaerobic digester - combined heat and power plant is analysed considering a twofold perspective: one more energy – oriented where the main function of the system is to generate renewable electricity and a waste – oriented one in which the main function is treating bio-wastes. In addition, the environmental indirect effects related to potential c…

Sustainable Development Goals and Performance Measurement of Positive Energy District: A Methodological Approach

The “Positive Energy Districts and Neighbourhoods for Sustainable Urban Development” program launched by the European Union can be considered a milestone towards the clean energy transition and carbon neutrality of urban areas. The achievement of this ambitious transition requires properly defined methodologies and action plans grounded on the main environmental, economic, and social pillars of sustainability. This paper is focused on the definition of a methodology for the characterization of PEDs sustainability assessment in terms of Sustainable Development Goals. In particular, the main research question to be answered regards the allocation of the surplus energy of PEDs to target the su…

Energy Use in the Building Sector and Climate Change: Modeling, Developments, and Future Trends

Climate change is going to have significant impacts among a wide range of areas and domains, including the building sector, characterized by constructions which may not be designed to be resilient to the evolutions in the warming climate that will occur in the next decades. The chapter investigates methodologies and approaches connected to the assessment of the effects of climate change to the energy use within the building sector. Methodologies are compared and the most relevant future trends expected are traced for the current century.

Modeling the energy and environmental life cycle of buildings: A co-simulation approach

Abstract Building simulation is currently looking towards interdisciplinary experiences, aiming to the integration of simulation tools in different technical domains. At the same time, the interest of the building community to high performance buildings has also strengthened the interest on Life Cycle performances of such buildings, due to the reduction in their operational stage impacts. In this context, the paper proposes an integration of building simulation and Life Cycle Assessment through the programming of a TRNSYS component. It can perform Life Cycle Assessment studies, while having as output as well energy balances and energy and environmental payback times. Currently, the tool is …

Energy planning methodology of net-zero energy solar neighborhoods in the Mediterranean basin

The article proposes a simplified methodology to optimize solar energy gains at district level in the Mediterranean area toward the achievement of the net-zero energy district target, to be applicable as well in similar hot climates. The approach includes a wide use of parametric analysis to explore the most impactful aspects of the design of solar net-zero energy districts: single unit shape, building mutual distances, road shape, building orientation, photovoltaics area availability to identify the optimal design solution. Thirty-two different district configurations are explored: results show that in the Mediterranean context, it is possible to reach the net-zero energy district target i…

Load match and grid interaction optimization of a net zero energy building through electricity storage: An Italian case-study

The study aims at applying of Load Match and Grid Interaction indexes to a Net Zero Energy Building in order to optimize the performances of its energy systems. The case study is a modular prefabricated house that uses solar energy (photovoltaic) and natural gas (Fuel Cell) as energy sources and equipped with an Energy Management System addressing the optimal energy use.

Net Zeb case studies. Leaf House

In this book, accomplished international experts present advanced modeling techniques as well as in-depth case studies meant to lead designers towards the optimal use of simulation tools for the design of net-zero energy buildings (Net ZEBs). The book discusses different design processes and tools used in designing Net ZEBs, starting from the fundamental concepts, design strategies, and technologies. These processes and tools are then evaluated by referring to four diverse Net ZEBs where the authors were intimately involved from the design concept to operation. The high resolution measured performance data from these case studies are compared with the predictions made using the respective d…

Energy life cycle approach in two Mediterranean buildings: operation and embodied energy assessment

The impact of thermophysical properties and hysteresis effects on the energy performance simulation of PCM wallboards: Experimental studies, modelling, and validation

Abstract This paper presents a combined experimental and numerical procedure, developed to test the thermophysical behaviour of a real scale PCM wallboard, aiming at providing reliable data for the validation of building energy performance simulation tools. Data obtained from two experimental tests, conducted on real building elements integrating PCM undergoing complete and incomplete phase change, are considered for assessing the impact of thermal properties and hysteresis. A comprehensive comparative numerical analysis, performed by means of an in-house developed simulation tool, called DETECt, is carried out to investigate the reliability of several modelling and simulation approaches av…

Data fusion analysis applied to different climate change models: an application to the energy consumptions of a building office

The paper aims to achieve the modelling of climate change effects on heating and cooling in the building sector, through the use of the available Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasted data. Data from several different climate models will be fused with regards to mean air temperature, wind speed and horizontal solar radiation. Several climatic models data were analyzed ranging from January 2006 to December 2100. Rather than considering each model in isolation, we propose a data fusion approach for providing a robust combined model for morphing an existing weather data file. The final aim is simulating future energy use for heating and cooling of a reference building as a conse…

Life Cycle Assessment of Electricity Generation Scenarios in Italy

Hindering global warming and achieving a more competitive, secure and sustainable energy sector are some of the most relevant goals of the 2030 Framework for climate and energy of the European Union. European countries have to identify and implement strategies for contributing to these ambitious goals. In this context, the authors carried out a scenario analysis on the Sicilian electricity mix in order to estimate the life cycle energy and environmental benefits of the increase of the use of renewable energy technologies for electricity production, and the potential contribution of Sicily in the achievement of the European energy and environmental targets. In detail, the authors identified …

A life cycle assessment of tri-generation from biomass waste: The experience of the “agro-combined” of Thibar

Abstract The paper presents a life cycle assessment of energy produced by biogas obtained by biomass waste and fuelled in a tri-generation pilot plant located in Tunisia. The results, referred to 1 MJ of exergy, showed that the plant construction causes 76% of primary energy consumption and gives a contribution higher than 90% on resource depletion and ionizing radiation, and of 50% on ozone depletion. Operation causes 66% of the impact on human toxicity—cancer effects and more than 90% of the other impacts, except for ecotoxicity of freshwater mainly caused during the end of life. The study is one of the first applications of environmental analysis to tri-generation from waste in developin…

A Novel Lab‐Scale Fixed‐Bed Pyrolysis Reactor for Biofuel Production from Agro‐Waste: Experimental Set‐up and Preliminary Life Cycle Assessment Study

The present study reports the features and set-up of a novel lab-scale fixed bed pyrolysis reactor for the production of solid and liquid bio-fuels from waste biomass. The fixed bed reactor is tested by carrying out pyrolysis experiments using two different waste biomasses. Olive tree trimmings (OT) and olive pulp (OP), olive cultivation and olive mill industries residues respectively, are pyrolyzed, under nitrogen atmosphere, between 200 and 650 °C for a residence time of 0.5 h. The OT and OP pyrolysis chars were characterized in terms of mass yields, high calorific values (HHVs), proximate and elemental analysis. Char mass yields, on a dry basis (d.b.), decreased from 91 to 23 wt% and fro…

The redesign of an Italian building to reach net zero energy performances: A case study of the SHC Task 40 - ECBCS Annex 52

In the framework of international actions to reduce the energy requirements and greenhouse gases emissions due to buildings, a new International Energy Agency task has been recently established in order to study Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). The commonly shared concept of NZEB, is a building whose annual balance of energy consumptions tends to zero. This concept is still too imprecise and the authors of this paper participate to the activities of SubTask B of IEA Task40 with the aim of establishing an internationally agreed understanding on NZEBs. The task is based on a common methodology for identifying and refining design approaches and tools to support industry adoption of innovativ…

Analysis of the effects of climate change on the energy and environmental performance of a building with and without onsite generation from renewable energy

Climate Change is a priority, due to the large variety of implications and importance that it may cause in the next decades. In this context, the building sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, buildings should be designed in such a way that they are responsible for fewer GHG emissions. In this context, the paper analyses the potential impact of climate change on the energy performances of buildings, with and without onsite generation from renewable energy, using a prototype building located in Messina (Italy) as case study. The analysis is based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change RCP scenarios and the results confirm the already known ov…

Valutare la qualità energetico-ambientale nell’edilizia

The building sector is one of the most important in terms of wealth and employment, but it also involves significant resource consumption and environmental impacts. In particular, it affects the energy balance and the greenhouse gas emissions in Europe. It is responsible for 50-60% of the natural resource consumption and for 40% of the total energy consumption in Europe, and this percentage will increase without strategies and actions aimed at enhancing the use of renewable energy resources. Therefore, the reduction of resource consumption and the minimization of environmental impacts have become in recent years the main goals in the design and construction of sustainable buildings (eco-des…

Life cycle energy performances and environmental impacts of a prefabricated building module

Abstract The paper explores the energy performances and environmental impacts of a prefabricated building module located in Messina (Sicily, Italy) through an approach that combines both the non-steady state building simulation and the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The building uses renewable energy technologies and is usable in emergency situations or as simply temporary housing. Results show that the building module causes the emission of 1.5 t of CO2eq/m2 and consumes 29.2 GJ/m2 of primary energy during its life cycle. The building achieves the Net Zero Energy Building target even if it has relevant environmental impacts in the materials production stage (72% on average of the total…

Life Cycle Assessment of Luminescent Solar Concentrators Integrated into a Smart Window

Energies : open-access journal of related scientific research, technology development and studies in policy and management 16(4), 1869 (2023). doi:10.3390/en16041869

PCM thermal storage design in buildings: Experimental studies and applications to solaria in cold climates

Abstract As energy availability and demand often do not match, thermal energy storage plays a crucial role to take advantage of solar radiation in buildings: in particular, latent heat storage via phase-change material is particularly attractive due to its ability to provide high energy storage density. This paper analyzes the performance of a building-integrated thermal storage system to increase the energy performances of solaria in a cold climate. A wall opposing a highly glazed facade (south oriented) is used as thermal storage with phase change materials embedded in the wall. The study is based on both experimental and simulation studies. The concept considered is particularly suited t…

Grid interaction and environmental impact of a net zero energy building

Abstract The concept of Net Zero Energy Building (NZEB), as a grid-connected building that generates as much energy as it uses over a given period, has been developing through policies and research agendas during the last decade as a contribution towards the decarbonization of the building sector. However, since the most applicable and widely used renewable energy supply options are non-programmable, the large-scale NZEBs diffusion into the existing power grids can seriously affect their stability having a relapse on operation costs and environmental impacts. In this context, the study aims at performing the design of the energy systems to be used in the case-study through a wide numbers of…

Investigation of design strategies and quantification of energy flexibility in buildings: A case-study in southern Italy

Abstract The need for nearly (net) zero energy buildings in the current European landscape does not merely refer to energy balances: the aim to investigate the interaction between generation and load and find sources of technical-economic energy efficiency is marking the rise in interest throughout research and practice of energy flexibility solutions in buildings. In this regard, the study aims at enhancing the energy flexibility of a building in southern Italy through Rule-Based Control algorithms for the control of the space heating system and the charge and discharge of an electricity storage. The influence of electricity pricing and the thermal comfort conditions on flexibility is also…

Analysis of Load Match in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings

The concept of load matching refers to the degree of agreement or disagreement of the on-site generation with the building load profiles: it can be increased and optimised with modifications on both the energy demand and generation. In this context, the paper presents the load match analysis of a case study: a modular housing construction (it has an area of 45 m 2 and S/V ratio equal to 2.75 m −1 ) built in Messina (Italy). Moreover, in order to optimize the design of the next test module to be built, a parametric analysis was performed considering different scenarios on the generation side, to explore the effectiveness of the solutions sets used in current design and plan different solutio…

Solar heating and cooling systems versus conventional systems assisted by photovoltaic: Application of a simplified LCA tool

Abstract Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an effective methodology to assess the energy and environmental impacts of energy systems during their life cycle, including manufacturing, operation and end-of-life. The aim of the paper is the application of a simplified LCA tool, developed in the framework of the International Energy Agency Solar Heating and Cooling Task 48, for comparing different typologies of solar assisted heating and cooling systems. In detail, solar thermal heating and cooling systems located in Palermo (southern Italy) and in Zurich (Switzerland) were compared with conventional systems assisted by grid connected and stand-alone photovoltaic plants. A validation of the tool w…

An integrated energy simulation and life cycle assessment to measure the operational and embodied energy of a Mediterranean net zero energy building

Abstract Net Zero Energy Buildings can play a key role in reducing the energy use, greenhouse gas emissions and the use of natural resources associated to the built environment. It is widely recognized that in low energy building a shift in relevance may occur from the operational to the embodied impacts. However, building performance assessment focus mostly on the operational phase and on primary energy consumption. This study aims to assess the energy and environmental impacts of a residential net zero energy building expanding the analysis to the full life cycle and to a wide range of environmental impact categories. The methodological approach integrates a non-steady state building ener…

Climate change and the building sector: Modelling and energy implications to an office building in southern Europe

Abstract The building sector is one of the most relevant sectors in terms of generation of wealth and occupation, but it is also one of the main contributor to energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (e.g. at the European level it is currently responsible for 36% of CO2 emissions). For these reason this sector must play a key role in achieving a low-carbon economy consistent with the objective of holding the increase of the average temperature of the globe below 2 °C if compared to pre-industrial levels. In this context, the paper analyses the potential impact of climate change on the energy uses for heating and cooling in southern Europe, based on the assumptions of the latest Intergovernm…

Constructal law optimization of a boiler

The paper aims at the optimization of the design of a biomass boiler under the inspiration of the Constructal Law by Bejan. The boiler is of the smoke tubes typology, fuel being biomass pellets. The smoke tubes are 16 and are placed in a staggered configuration. A model is built in MATLAB environment, based on empirical correlations and the mean log temperature methodology. The analysis is based on the development of a wide parametric analysis that involves variations of diameters, numbers and positioning of the tubes. Results are based on the concept of the overall performance coefficient methodology and investigate both the pressure drops variation and the thermal power generated in the d…

Life Cycle Environmental Assessment of Energy Valorization of the Residual Agro-Food Industry

This study assesses the potential environmental impacts related to the energy valorization of agro-food industry waste thought the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (ISO 14040). The system examined consists of a real anaerobic digester coupled with a combined anaerobic digester and heat and power plant (AD-CHP) operating in Sicily. The analysis accounts for all the impacts occurring from the delivery of the biomass to the AD-CHP plant up to the electricity generation in the CHP. The main outcomes of the study include the eco-profile of the energy system providing electricity and the assessment of the contribution of each life cycle phase aimed at identifying the potential improvement area. …

La LCA di sistemi solari per il condizionamento

L'edilizia è uno dei settori più rilevanti in termini di produzione di ricchezza e di occupazione, ma è anche responsabile di significati consumi di risorse naturali e impatti ambientali. SI stima, infatti, che nell'Unione Europea l'edilizia sia responsabile del 50/60 % del consumo di risorse naturali, e tali percentuali difficilmente decresceranno senza l'avvio di strategie e azioni orientate alla riduzione dei consumi di combustibili fossili e all'aumento dell'impiego delle risorse rinnovabili.

Energy and environmental life-cycle impacts of solar-assisted systems: The application of the tool “ELISA”

Abstract Solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems can be relevant in the achievement of energy and climate European goals. The benefits of these technologies should be evaluated taking into account their life-cycle energy and environmental impacts, calculated by applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The development of a complete LCA can be difficult and time-consuming particularly for non-experts in LCA, discouraging them in developing the life-cycle assessments. To overcome this issue, the paper presents “ELISA - Environmental Lifecycle Impacts of Solar Air-conditioning systems”, a user-friendly simplified tool for estimating the life-cycle energy and environmental benefits/impacts of s…

Life Cycle Assessment of organic and conventional apple supply chains in the North of Italy

Abstract This paper compares the energy and environmental impacts of organic and conventional apples cultivated in the North of Italy, by applying the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology. The authors examined the supply chain of apples, including the input of raw materials and energy sources, the farming step, the post-harvest processes and the distribution of apples to the final users. The paper develops two original contributions: 1) it enhances the limited number of studies on LCA applied to apples; 2) it compares organic and conventional apples produced in lands characterized by the same climatic conditions, to evaluate which of the two products is more competitive from an energy an…

Life cycle assessment of solid oxide fuel cells and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: A review

Fuel cells (FCs) are among the key technologies that Europe will have to rely on in order to comply with the most recent environmental targets inspired by decarbonization and circular economy. The assessment of the real advantages of using FCs for producing energy must include a reliable analysis of the energy and environmental impacts during the life cycle of these systems, including the raw materials supply, production, use, and disposal. In this context, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established methodology for assessing the eco-profile of products and services and for identifying the components and the life cycle steps having the largest contribution to energy and environmen…

Life-Cycle Assessment Applied to Future Scenarios of Electricity Generation in Sicily

Fighting global warming and increasing the energy security are some of the most relevant objectives of the European energy policy. Thus, defining potential low carbon pathways for the energy sector is of paramount importance in order to identify strategies with the lowest impact on climate. This paper presents an overview of environmental assessment of future electricity scenarios in Sicily (Italy), for 2020 and 2030, characterized by a high exploitation of renewable energy sources. Authors apply the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, according to the standard of the ISO 14040 series, in order to evaluate the environmental impacts of electricity generation in the future scenarios in compari…

Life Cycle Assessment of a compact Desiccant Evaporative Cooling system: The case study of the “Freescoo”

Abstract The paper aims at exploring the performances of a compact Desiccant Evaporative Cooling system called “Freescoo” (Free Solar Cooling) in comparison to standard conventional technologies. The Freescoo – that aims at applications in the residential sector and in small office buildings and includes a photovoltaic–thermal system – is analyzed, its monitored performance discussed and reported: under cooling conditions an Energy Efficiency Ratio of 12.8 is calculated, that reaches 50.7 if also photovoltaic generation is considered. To assess the performance of the proposed system a Life Cycle Assessment study was performed to investigate the system covering all its life, from the product…

Refurbishment scenario to shift nearly net ZEBs towards net ZEB target: an Italian case study

Energy and environmental impacts of energy related products: the case study of a device for reducing natural gas consumption in the production of sanitary hot water

The European Commission identified the Energy related Products (ErP) as products that account for a large share of the European energy and natural resources consumption. In order to reduce the energy and environmental impacts of ErP, the European Commission published the Directive 2009/125/EC, which establishes a framework for setting the eco-design requirements for these products. The above Directive represents a key component of the European policy for improving the energy and environmental performance of products on the market. In this context, it is of paramount importance to develop scientific researches aimed to assess the energy and environmental performances of the current products …

Historical Buildings in protected areas in Italy: a re-design study of a rural building

Historic and traditional buildings, including rural ones, are a territorial resource in Europe and constitute an integral part of the European’s cultural heritage. However they are often characterized by poor energy performances and a large potential for energy retrofit actions. On the other hand, the hardest part of retrofitting such buildings is the limited invasiveness that such actions need to have on the historical and heritage value of the building itself. The paper describes an experience of re-design of an existing rural building located in Sicily, inside the ancient Greeks “Valley of the Temples”. An energy audit was performed on the building, its energy uses thoroughly investigate…

An Innovative Photovoltaic Luminescent Solar Concentrator Window: Energy and Environmental Aspects

Over the years, different types of smart windows have been tested and developed. In this study, an innovative prototype of a photovoltaic smart window, that integrates luminescent solar concentrators, was analysed. The device independently regulates the movement of the shading system and allows energy surplus, through the electricity generated by modules. Considering the peculiar structure (characterized by the presence of a light shelf) and the thermal characteristics of the device, the analyses focused on optical, thermal, and electrical performances, comparing them with those of a traditional window. The analysis followed an experimental approach that involved lighting and electrical mon…

Life Cycle Assessment and eco-design of building materials: the case study of a Sicilian cement plaster

Buildings in the European Union (EU) account for the largest share of the total EU final energy consumption (42%), and greenhouse gas emissions (35%). Therefore, the reduction of energy use, the development of quality-oriented processes and the improvement of energy performance in the building sector are important measures needed to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and the energy dependency of the European Union from foreign countries. In this context, it is necessary to develop sustainable building products, with low energy and environmental impacts during their life cycle, from the extraction of raw material to the manufacturing, use and end-of-life. The main goal of the study is to define…

Effect of Climate Change on Building Performance: the Role of Ventilative Cooling

Climate Change represents a priority, due to the large variety of implications and importance that it has reached throughout the last decades. In an effort to address this global and local challenge and in order to restrict temperature rise to 2 °C over the next century, it will need to address this topic from several angles, as confirmed by the last COP meetings in Paris and in Marrakech. In this context, the paper presents the modelling and assessment of ventilative cooling applicability in the future of the Mediteranean area under the effects of climate change. Results show that natural ventilation will continue to be of paramount importance in the Mediterranean climate but its highest e…

Life cycle assessment of solar communities

Abstract This study presents the comparison of the life cycle performance of two different urban energy systems, applied to a large mixed-use community, in Calgary (Canada). The two systems investigated consist of an energy efficient conventional system, using heat pumps for heating, cooling and domestic hot water; the second design widely deploys solar thermal panels coupled to district heating infrastructure and a borehole seasonal thermal storage. The analysis is based on the Life Cycle Assessment methodology and includes the stages of raw materials and energy supply, system manufacturing, use stage of the systems, generation and use of energy on-site, maintenance and components’ substit…

Energy and environmental benefits of circular economy strategies: The case study of reusing used batteries from electric vehicles

Abstract According to recent literature and technical analyses, used batteries from electric vehicles can still be used, before the final treatment at the end-of-life, in stationary applications that are usually less stressing than the automotive ones. In this framework, a circular economy inspired pathway is emerging between the building and the transportation sector, generally called “second life” of batteries. Used batteries from electric vehicles can be re-used in residential buildings together with renewable electricity generation technologies to improve the matching between the highly variable electricity generation from renewables and the electricity demand in buildings. This study a…

A bottom-up harmonized energy-environmental models for europe (BOHEEME): A case study on the thermal insulation of the EU-28 building stock

Abstract The paper presents a methodological approach, called “BOttom-up Harmonized Energy-Environmental Models for Europe” (BOHEEME), that combines bottom-up modeling, energy dynamic simulation, and life cycle assessment for evaluating and comparing the energy and environmental effects of different renovation strategies of the residential EU building stocks, from micro to the macro level. The study defines 672 building models representative of the residential EU-28 building stocks built before 2010, called archetypes, and the improvement of their envelope, applying different insulation materials from a traditional one to bio-based materials and studying their environmental effects via LCA.…

Energy flexibility in Mediterranean buildings: a case-study in Sicily

Since the building sector is responsible for 40% of the world’s electricity demand, it is essential to act on it in order to reduce emissions of climate change gases on a global scale, as expressed also in the latest directive on the energy performance of buildings. A design approach that focuses on the energy flexibility of buildings can contribute to the improvement of its energy-environmental performances. In this context, the objective of the study is the analysis of the energy performance of a residential building in Sicily and the definition of strategies aimed at increasing its energy flexibility. In particular, the case study is a 631 m2 single-family house, modeled and simulated in…

Towards Positive Energy Districts: Energy Renovation of a Mediterranean District and Activation of Energy Flexibility

The paper presents the analysis of energy retrofitting, integration of renewable energy and activation of energy flexibility in a cluster of buildings in the surroundings of a port on the Mediterranean Sea in Southern Italy, with the aim of checking the potential for it to achieve the status of positive energy district (PED). The objective of this study is to improve the contemporaneity between local energy generation and energy demand and reduce CO2eq emissions by considering signals that reflect the environmental variability of the electricity grid, through flexibility solutions applied to the HVAC system. The proposed scenarios are based on the dynamic simulation of the district and anal…

Different energy balances for the redesign of nearly net zero energy buildings: An Italian case study

Abstract The currently developing concept of a Net Zero Energy Building introduces new challenges and research problems. The calculation of a net zero energy balance is heavily influenced by the energy carrier weighting factors that are chosen, which can deeply influence the future energy market towards adopting specific energy technologies. The following paper proposes an analysis of different definitions and conventions for Net Zero Energy Buildings that employ different calculation methodologies and apply different weighting factors to an Italian case study. The case study, which is called “the Leaf House”, is one of the first examples of a nearly net zero energy building in Italy. A bui…

Life Cycle Assessment for Supporting Eco-Design: The Case Study of Sodium–Nickel Chloride Cells

The European Union is moving towards a sustainable, decarbonized, and circular economy. It has identified seven key value chains in which to intervene, with the battery and vehicle value chain being one of them. Thus, actions and strategies for the sustainability of batteries need to be developed. Since Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a strategic tool for evaluating environmental sustainability, this paper investigates its application to two configurations of a sodium–nickel chloride cell (planar and tubular), focusing on the active material and the anode, with the purpose of identifying the configuration characterized by the lowest environmental impacts. The results, based on a “from cradle…

Analisi di inventario di un sistema di valorizzazione energetica di biomasse residuali di origine forestale in un’ottica di ciclo di vita

Il presente lavoro descrive i risultati dell’analisi di inventario di un impianto integrato “gassificatore – cogeneratore” impiegato per la valorizzazione energetica di biomasse residuali di origine forestale, in un’ottica di ciclo di vita. Il sistema gassificatore – cogeneratore è un prototipo realizzato presso il laboratorio di Bioenergia e Biocombustibili dell’Università di Bolzano. L’impianto è costituito da un gassificatore down-draft e un cogeneratore con motore diesel dual – fuel e una potenza elettrica di 3 kW. L’analisi di inventario è stata sviluppata in accordo agli standard della serie ISO 14040. L’unità funzionale (UF) è 1 kWh di energia elettrica immessa in rete. I confini del…

Towards achieving net-zero energy communities: Investigation of design strategies and seasonal solar collection and storage net-zero

Abstract This paper explores a solar mixed-use community and its potential towards achieving net-zero energy status. This mixed-use community combines residential and commercial/institutional buildings. Energy performance of this neighbourhood is estimated in terms of energy consumption and generation potential by means of building integrated PV systems. A solar thermal collector system combined with a borehole thermal energy storage (BTES) is designed to investigate the impact on the overall performance of the neighbourhood. The design of solar thermal collectors and the sizing of short-term thermal energy storage is based on the analysis of the thermal loads for heating and domestic hot w…

Integrazione della LCA nella simulazione termofisica degli edifici: un’applicazione in ambiente TRNSYS

I sistemi “edificio-impianto” di nuova costruzione, caratterizzati da migliori prestazioni energetiche, stanno riducendo sensibilmente gli impatti energetico-ambientali connessi alla loro fase d’uso. Per quantificare i costi energetici ed ambientali necessari ad ottenere tali prestazioni è necessario l’utilizzo di un approccio integrato alla progettazione, che coinvolga sia una simulazione termofisica della fase d’uso, che uno studio di Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) applicato all’intero ciclo di vita dell’edificio. L’articolo presenta un componente informatico innovativo integrato in ambiente TRNSYS che permette di integrare uno studio LCA di un edificio alla simulazione termofisica, in accor…

Integration of Building Simulation and Life Cycle Assessment: A TRNSYS Application

Abstract The study proposes a tool developed within the TRNSYS environment aimed at integrating its building simulation features during the use phase with a Life Cycle Assessment approach. The tool can be used to investigate the relevance of each life-cycle step of the building on the primary energy consumption and global warming potential. The Life Cycle stages can be modelled with different approaches: direct input of the embodied energy and global warming potential values for each life cycle step as defined in the EN 15978, use of an internal database of embodied energy and global warming potential of construction materials and energy systems, direct connections of building simulation ou…

Redesign of a Rural Building in a Heritage Site in Italy: Towards the Net Zero Energy Target

In order to achieve the ambitious objective of decarbonising the economy, it is mandatory, especially in Europe and in Italy, to include the retrofitting of existing buildings. In a country where a large share of existing buildings have heritage value, it is important to design effective retrofit solutions also in historical buildings. In this context, the paper describes the experience of re-design of an existing rural building located in Sicily, inside the ancient Greeks' “Valley of the Temples”. An energy audit was performed on the building, and its energy uses were thoroughly investigated. A building model was developed in the TRNSYS environment and its performances validated. The valid…

Modeling of spanish household electrical consumptions: Simplified and detailed stochastic approach in trnsys environment

The initial assessment of electric energy demands of a building is a key element in the design process, that should be integrated in the earlier stages of the design of a net zero energy building. The objective of the study is the creation of predictive models of household electrical consumptions in the Mediterranean/Spanish climate and its implementation in TRNSYS 17 environment. The models offer both a simplified level of analysis, based on average seasonal electrical consumptions trends and a stochastic in-depth level for the simulation of peak loads through the compiling of multiple TRNSYS types.

The role of the building sector for reducing energy consumption and greenhouse gases: An Italian case study

The paper presents one of the first Italian experiences assessing the effectiveness of sustainable production and consumption strategies. The authors developed an energy and environmental extended input–output model, combined with the life cycle assessment, to analyse the role of the building sector in the reduction of Italian energy consumption and CO2 emissions. In detail, the model allows to assess the energy and environmental benefits arising from the Italian tax deduction policy for energy retrofit actions of buildings. Moreover, the authors defined an original model to assess the indirect rebound effect caused by the energy retrofit actions. The outcomes of the research point out that…

Data fusion analysis applied to different climate change models: An application to the energy consumptions of a building office

Abstract The paper aims to achieve the modelling of climate change effects on heating and cooling in the building sector, through the use of the available Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change forecasted data. Data from several different climate models will be fused with regards to mean air temperature, wind speed and horizontal solar radiation. Several climatic models data were analysed ranging from January 2006 to December 2100. Rather than considering each model in isolation, we propose a data fusion approach for providing a robust combined model for morphing an existing weather data file. The final aim is simulating future energy use for heating and cooling of a reference building a…

Costructal law, exergy analysis and life cycle energy sustainability assessment: an expanded framework applied to a boiler

Purpose Life cycle sustainability assessment (LCSA) is one of the most relevant tools delving in sustainability science, based currently on the triple bottom line idea that is defined as the contemporary implementation of the three tools of life cycle assessment (LCA), life cycle costing (LCC) and social life cycle assessment (S-LCA). The methodology is currently being applied to a wide set of products and systems. However, as per in the large interest towards energy-related products, the sustainability assessment of energy systems—in particular those where fluid streams are used—could be more effective if some further stages could be included in the analysis, i.e. a process level analysis …

Environmental Assessment of a Hybrid Energy System Supporting a Smart Polygeneration Micro-grid

To support the global transition towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, countries all over the world are implementing low carbon and energy effi ciency policies. This is leading to a rapid increase in the installations of distributed generation technologies. A hybrid system consisting of two or more energy sources could provide a more reliable supply of energy and mitigate storage require ments. In this context, this paper develops an environmental early analysis by the employment of a simplified Life Cycle Assessment approach. The above mentioned approach is used to investigate the environmental performances of the hybrid energy system of the smart polygeneration micro-grid of the Univ…

Reuse of electric vehicle batteries in buildings: An integrated load match analysis and life cycle assessment approach

Abstract The increasing use of renewable energy technologies for electricity generation in buildings will require a growing number of battery energy storage systems (BESS) to enhance the reliability of electricity supply. The increasing number of retired electric vehicle (EV) batteries, expected from the automotive sector, can match this demand as EV batteries can be used as BESS, considering that they have about 80% of their original energy capacity. In this context, the study aims at examining the system, consisting of a BESS made by retired Li-ion EV batteries, a photovoltaic plant (20 kW) and the electricity grid, that provides the electricity required by an existing nearly net zero res…

Effetti energetico-ambientali di interventi di retrofit su un edificio residenziale monofamiliare in area mediterranea

Gli interventi di retrofit sugli edifici esistenti costituiscono soluzioni tecnologiche fondamentali al fine di ridurre i consumi energetici e gli impatti ambientali degli edifici in fase di uso e di raggiungere condizioni di comfort negli spazi confinati. Per poter raggiungere gli obiettivi fissati dall’Unione Europea relativi alla diminuzione dei consumi di energia del settore civile, occorre individuare quali siano gli edifici che per primi devono essere sottoposti a interventi di retrofit e devono individuare le azioni che intendono promuovere. Questo capitolo rappresenta un utile strumento, per le amministrazioni così come per gli utenti finali, per stimare il risparmio di energia cons…

Computer Fluid Dynamics Assessment of an Active Ventilated Façade Integrating Distributed MPPT and Battery

Ventilated Façades integrated with photovoltaic panels have become a popular way to improve both the thermal-physical performances of the existing built environment. The increased usage of not-programmable renewable energy sources implies the adoption of energy storage systems to mitigate the mismatch between the power generation and the building’s demand. Aiming at properly integrates a photovoltaic panel and a battery (Lithium based) as a module of an active ventilated façade, the prototype design has been carried out in terms of thermo-fluid dynamics performance. Based on experimental setup, a numerical study of flow through the air cavity of the active ventilated façade has been carried…

Second life employment of a traction battery for load match optimisation of a residential building: Life cycle and operation applications

The increasing use of renewable energy technologies for the electricity generation in buildings will require a growing number of energy storage systems (ESSs) in the next years in order to reduce the mismatch between the highly variable on-site electricity generation and the building load. Retired electric vehicle batteries (EVBs), before recycling, can be used for this purpose, considering that they have about 80% of the original energy capacity. In this context, the study aims at examining an ESS made by retired EVBs, in order to identify its optimal size for reducing the mismatch in a net zero energy building equipped with a photovoltaic plant and to assess the life cycle energy and envi…

Life Cycle Assessment of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells

Abstract Fuel cells (FCs) are among the key technologies that Europe will have to rely on in order to comply with the most recent environmental targets inspired by decarbonization and circular economy. The assessment of the real advantages of using FCs for producing energy must include a reliable analysis of the energy and environmental impacts during the life cycle of these systems, including the raw materials supply, production, use, and disposal. In this context, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established methodology for assessing the eco-profile of products and services and for identifying the components and the life cycle steps having the largest contribution to energy and e…

A new approach to model the effect of climate change on the building sector: A climate models data fusion

Several climate models have been developed and used to forecast the effects of the climate changes, however the variability of results due to different models lead to a significant uncertainty on the estimation of the building energy use for the next century. In this context, the paper analyses this uncertainty and combines different climate models in order to improve the robustness of energy consumption predictions. The data of the climate models were then used to generate hourly weather files for the future period 2020-2099 and energy simulations for a case study located in Palermo (Italy) were performed. Results show a wide variability among all models (either alone or combined with our …

Epigenetic Diversity of Clonal White Poplar (Populus alba L.) Populations: Could Methylation Support the Success of Vegetative Reproduction Strategy?

The widespread poplar populations of Sardinia are vegetatively propagated and live in different natural environments forming large monoclonal stands. The main goals of the present study were: i) to investigate/measure the epigenetic diversity of the poplar populations by determining their DNA methylation status; ii) to assess if and how methylation status influences population clustering; iii) to shed light on the changes that occur in the epigenome of ramets of the same poplar clone. To these purposes, 83 white poplar trees were sampled at different locations on the island of Sardinia. Methylation sensitive amplified polymorphism analysis was carried out on the genomic DNA extracted from l…

Energia incorporata negli edifici a energia netta zero

Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamic study of an active ventilated façade integrating battery and distributed MPPT

Ventilated Façades integrating photovoltaic panels are a promising way to improve efficiency and the thermal-physical performances of buildings. Due the inherent intermittence of the non-programmable renewable energy sources, their increasing usage implies the use of energy storage systems to mitigate the mismatch between power generation and the buildings’ load demand. The main purpose of this paper is to investigate the thermo-fluid dynamic performances of a prototype integrating a photovoltaic cell and a battery as a module of an active ventilated façade. Based on an experimental setup, a numerical study in steady state conditions of flow through the air cavity of the module has been car…

Reaching net zero energy at the neighbourhood scale: feasibility studies in the south of Italy

Il concetto di “edificio a energia netta zero” è stato recentemente implementato in tutti i regolamenti dei paesi europei. Tuttavia, l’approccio dettato dall’Europa si concentra principalmente sulla scala dell’edificio singolo, tralasciando alcuni aspetti riguardanti ad esempio l’interazione di generazione e carico tra edifici e le interazioni energetiche tra edifici. L’obiettivo di questo studio consiste nell’applicazione della definizione di net zero energy building ad un gruppo di edifici ubicati nell’Italia meridionale e caratterizzati da una destinazione d’uso variegata. Lo status quo di una ventina di edifici è stato simulato in ambiente energy plus e sono state successivamente selezi…

An Epigenetic Alphabet of Crop Adaptation to Climate Change

Crop adaptation to climate change is in a part attributed to epigenetic mechanisms which are related to response to abiotic and biotic stresses. Although recent studies increased our knowledge on the nature of these mechanisms, epigenetics remains under-investigated and still poorly understood in many, especially non-model, plants, Epigenetic modifications are traditionally divided into two main groups, DNA methylation and histone modifications that lead to chromatin remodeling and the regulation of genome functioning. In this review, we outline the most recent and interesting findings on crop epigenetic responses to the environmental cues that are most relevant to climate change. In additi…

A comparison of different DC-DC converters for energy storage management in nearly-Zero Energy Buildings

In the recent years, there has been a notable interest towards renewable sources, energy saving and efficiency optimization, in order to reduce the damages brought by fine dust and greenhouse gases in terms of safety, health and environmental protection. In the building sector renewable sources and energy efficiency optimization are leading to a large scale employment of nearly-Zero Energy Buildings (n-ZEBs), meaning that the balance between produced and required energy is negligible. For a proper n-ZEB implementation, a power system architecture has to be accurately designed, according to the existing renewable sources, loads and storage systems. In this paper, an investigation on differen…

A review of thermochemical energy storage systems for power grid support

Power systems in the future are expected to be characterized by an increasing penetration of renewable energy sources systems. To achieve the ambitious goals of the “clean energy transition”, energy storage is a key factor, needed in power system design and operation as well as power-to-heat, allowing more flexibility linking the power networks and the heating/cooling demands. Thermochemical systems coupled to power-to-heat are receiving an increasing attention due to their better performance in comparison with sensible and latent heat storage technologies, in particular, in terms of storage time dynamics and energy density. In this work, a comprehensive review of the state of art of theore…

Refurbishment Scenario to Shift Nearly Net ZEBs Toward Net ZEB Target: An Italian Case Study

The idea of a Net ZEB arises from the development of design criteria and construction methods, addressed to curb the operating energy, increasing the energy efficiency of building equipment and appliances, and of the thermal insulation of envelope components, and enhancing the on-site energy generation, by means of renewable energy sources, to cover the annual building energy loads. In this chapter, the energy and environmental performances of an Italian nearly Net ZEB following a life cycle approach are carried out. Then, a scenario of refurbishment is foreseen in order to shift the studied building from the nearly Net ZEB condition toward the Net ZEB target, and the arising energy and env…

PCM Thermal Energy Storage in Buildings: Experimental Study and Applications

Abstract The study aims at analyzing the performance of Phase Change Materials (PCMs) in residential housing for different climates. This paper presents the results of an experiment performed in the Concordia University Solar Simulator and Environmental Chamber research facility (SSEC, Montreal, Canada). PCM boards were embedded on the back wall of a test hut placedin the climatic chamber. Several experiments were performed to explore the potential for verification of the proposed analysis and to produce enough data to perform model calibrations. Results show a strong increase in the apparent thermal inertia of the room allowing for a reduction in daily temperature fluctuations in the test …

Impianti energetici in edifici nZEBs: uno studio di LCA

Il presente lavoro descrive l’applicazione della LCA per stimare gli impatti energetici e il global warming potential (GWP) associati a due configurazioni di un edificio nZEB ad uso ufficio che differiscono per la presenza di un sistema di accumulo di energia elettrica. I risultati mostrano che l’impiego del sistema di accumulo consente di ridurre sia l’energia primaria del 2% sia il GWP di circa il 4%. Tuttavia, i vantaggi ambientali che si ottengono sono di ridotta entità a causa della limitata riduzione dell’import conseguibile con il sistema di accumulo (-15%) e della contemporaneità tra generazione e consumo per la maggior parte delle ore di utilizzo dell’edificio. Pertanto, si evidenz…

Life cycle assessment of olive oil: A case study in southern Italy

Abstract The paper describes the results of a specific LCA based analysis of the production of olive oil in the region of Calabria, in southern Italy. The goal of the study is to assess the energy and environmental impacts of different scenarios involving conventional and organic cultivations, plains and hills cultivations and involving different operating techniques. The study also aims at assessing the share of each life cycle step on the total of energy and environmental impacts. The functional unit chosen for the comparative analysis is a glass bottle of 0.75 L of extra virgin olive oil. A “from cradle to gate” perspective was chosen. The analysis was developed according to the LCA stan…

Environmental and energy performances of a newly installed Dish-Stirling Concentrating Solar Power plant based in Palermo

n the last decade there has been a significant increase globally in solar based electricity production, like those produced from Concentrating Solar Power (CSP) plants. One of the most efficient CSP technologies today is the Dish-Stirling characterized by an efficiency greater than 30%, which may become highly competitive by 2030 according to the International Energy Agency. On one hand, the Dish-Stirling is responsible for high environmental impacts, caused during its production and installation due to their energy consumption and use of energy intensive raw material. On the other hand, no direct emissions are released during its use phase. However, only a careful analysis of the entire li…

Life Cycle Assessment applicata alla Provola delle Madonie

La sostenibilità ambientale della filiera agro – alimentare è di primaria importanza per il raggiungimento degli obiettivi europei in tema di clima ed energia, considerato che il settore è responsabile di elevati consumi energetici e impatti ambientali. In tale contesto, nel presente lavoro la metodologia della Life Cycle Assessment è stata applicata ad un tipico formaggio siciliano, la Provola delle Madonie, allo scopo di stimare gli impatti energetico – ambientali ad esso connessi e di identificare possili strategie di riduzione di tali impatti. I risultati dell’analisi hanno evidenziato che la fase di allevamento del bestiame è responsabile dei maggiori impatti energetico – ambientali. D…

Life Cycle Assessment of Flow-Redox Cells: A Case Study

European Union identified the battery value chain as strategic for achieving a sustainable and decarbonized economy. Focusing on the environmental sustainability of batteries, this paper presents an application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to three flow-redox cells characterized by electrodes made by different materials. The results are referred to one kWh of energy supplied by the cell during its useful life and are calculated following a “from cradle to grave” approach. Negligible differences (lower than 1.5%) are observed in the energy and environmental impacts of the three types of cells, mainly due to the type of electrode and the use phase. A dominance analysis shows that …

An integrated building energy simulation early—Design tool for future heating and cooling demand assessment

Climate change and its effects are becoming clear on a global scale either from the perspective of global warming and the increase in the rate of occurrence of weather events of extreme magnitude. This has impacts also for sure on the standard building performance analysis approach, since the buildings designed today are supposed to withstand for the following decades climate impacts that may be different than those they were designed for. The paper proposes a simple, easy to use and freely available building simulation utility which performs morphing of existing weather data files and, by connecting to the Energy Plus simulation routine, allows to perform future climate building simulation…

Energy and environmental assessment of heritage building retrofit

In the transition to a low-energy economy, the building stock renovation should address the reduction of the environmental impacts, by means of suitable energy retrofits oriented to meet current energy efficiency regulations, construction guidelines, and standards on comfort and operation. With regard to the historic segment of the building stock, suitable refurbishment policies are needed to avoid the loss of their heritage values, even if this is a complex issue requiring interdisciplinary approaches, dedicated diagnostic procedures, and specific tools. In this paper a suitable method for energy and environmental assessment specifically devoted to historical building retrofit, following a…

A Constructal Law optimization of a boiler inspired by Life Cycle thinking

Abstract The aim of the paper is to explore how design optimization contributes to a technology's ecological evolution. The article develops this concept through an application of Constructal Law, used to account for the “evolution” of technologies design (configuration, shape, structure, pattern, rhythm), and Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), used for quantifying the environmental impacts of the design choices. The combination of both methods assesses how technology evolution affects the environment during its life, extending the concept of evolution of design. The study is applied to a case study of a real biomass boiler. The study analyses basic case and a series of alternative scenarios opti…

IEA EBC Annex83 Positive Energy Districts

At a global level, the need for energy efficiency and an increased share of renewable energy sources is evident, as is the crucial role of cities due to the rapid urbanization rate. As a consequence of this, the research work related to Positive Energy Districts (PED) has accelerated in recent years. A common shared definition, as well as technological approaches or methodological issues related to PEDs are still unclear in this development and a global scientific discussion is needed. The International Energy Agency’s Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme (IEA EBC) Annex 83 is the main platform for this international scientific debate and research. This paper describes the challeng…

Benefits of Refurbishment

Energy and environmental performances of buildings strictly depend on many factors related to the choice of construction materials, HVAC plants and equipment, design, installation and use. By definition, a building interacts closely with its environment. The interactions between building and climate, plants and users have to be taken into account. This aspect is evident in new buildings design process, but it is even more important in the design phase of an existing building renovation, during which actions of energy saving are developed. This chapter summarises the results of the energy and environmental assessment of a set of retrofit actions implemented in the framework of the EU Project…

Assessment of building energy modelling studies to meet the requirements of the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive

Abstract The cost optimal method (COM) as applied in the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive (EPBD) uses “non-calibrated deterministic reference buildings (RBs)”. Such RBs are defined with single envelope and equipment parameter values, for which calibration with actual building stock energy performance (EP) is not undertaken. Thus, it is not possible to visualise the effect of uncertainties or diversity in the input parameters on cost-optimal level benchmarks and to verify the choice of RBs. The paper proposes an update to the COM via use of “Probabilistic Bayesian calibrated RBs” to handle uncertainties and produce more realistic cost optimal levels to support policy makers in devis…

Energy life-cycle approach in net zero energy buildings balance: operation and embodied energy of an Italian case study

Abstract The paper starts from the results of one of the six case-studies of the SubTask B in the International Energy Agency joint Solar Heating and Cooling Task40 and Energy Conservation in Buildings and Community Systems Annex 52, whose purpose is to document state of the art and needs for current thermo-physical simulation tools in application to Net Zero Energy Buildings. The authors extend the Net Zero Energy Buildings (Net ZEB) methodological framework, introducing the life-cycle perspective in the energy balance and thus including the embodied energy of building and its components. The case study is an Italian building, tailored to be a Net ZEB, in which the magnitude of the deficit…

BUILDING INTEGRATED PHASE CHANGE MATERIALS ENERGY STORAGE: EXPERIMENTAL STUDIES, MODELLING AND PARAMETRIC ANALYSIS

Load match optimisation of a residential building case study: A cross-entropy based electricity storage sizing algorithm

Abstract The EU EPBD recast regulation marked the application of the net zero energy building (Net ZEB) concept in all fields of building construction in Europe as a building able to generate as much energy as it consumes over a selected time frame. A more detailed insight is however needed, as even if a building achieves a long-term energy balance between energy generated and consumed, smaller time scales must also be considered. For example, from the utility’s point of view, if a Net ZEB is a heavy consumer in the winter, it will appear to be quite similar to a conventional building, requiring the use of additional generation. The increase in the generation-load match means reducing the s…

Electric mobility in Sicily: An application to a historical archaeological site

Transports should be a key focus in the close future for decarbonization efforts, if the optimistic climate change mitigation objectives to be reached by 2050 on a global scale are to be met. Choosing an emblematic and historical location in the center of Sicily as object of the study, the potential for decarbonization and the reduction of the energy and environmental impacts in the site for electric mobility is assessed, by considering electric mobility scenarios based on different shares of electricity generated through renewable energy technologies. The analysis is performed by means of a life-cycle approach, through the use of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. A parametric analysis…

Efficientamento energetico di un distretto di edifici: uno studio di LCA semplificato

Il presente lavoro si propone di individuare delle soluzioni di redesign per un piccolo gruppo di edifici con l’obiettivo di raggiungere il target di Positive Energy District e di valutare, attraverso la metodologia LCA, gli impatti ambientali incorporati nelle soluzioni proposte. I risultati ottenuti mostrano che il redesign induce una riduzione dei consumi energetici pari al 40,30% in fase d’uso rispetto agli edifici esistenti e si evidenziano miglioramenti significativi (fino al 56,03% per l’esaurimento delle risorse abiotiche, combustibili fossili) per la maggior parte degli indicatori ambientali. Pertanto, gli impatti connessi alla realizzazione degli interventi di redesign sono parzia…

Stochastic model for electrical loads in Mediterranean residential building: validation and applications

A major issue in modelling the electrical load of residential building is reproducing the variability between dwellings due to the stochastic use of different electrical equipment. In that sense and with the objective to reproduce this variability, a stochastic model to obtain load profiles of household electricity is developed. The model is based on a probabilistic approach and is developed using data from the Mediterranean region of Spain. A detailed validation of the model has been done, analysing and comparing the results with Spanish and European data. The results of the validation show that the model is able to reproduce the most important features of the residential electrical consum…

Multicriteria-Oriented Optimization of Building Energy Performances: The Annex 72 IEA-EBC Experience

International audience; This chapter describes the research experience of the International Energy Agency-Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme Annex 72 members on the application of multi-objective optimization processes for the selection of design or retrofit actions that allow for improving different aspects (energy, environmental, economic, etc.) of buildings in a life cycle perspective. Thirteen case studies were examined focussing on methodologies, applications and results and deriving generic conclusions and guidelines for building designers and decision-makers.

Environmental assessment of a waste-to-energy practice: The pyrolysis of agro-industrial biomass residues

Abstract The bio-wastes pyrolysis is a waste to energy strategy that converts bio-wastes into valuable products (bio-char, bio-oil) with wide use in the agri-food sector. However, limited efforts are paid to the investigation of its environmental sustainability: in this context, the study contributes the need towards the assessment of a wide range of environmental impacts for the pyrolysis process of different types of bio-wastes under different operating conditions. The study estimates the potential environmental impacts related to bio-char production from the pyrolysis of several different agro-industrial residues and different temperatures and identifies the process “hot spots”. The anal…

An integrated approach based on Life Cycle Assessment and Thermoeconomics: Application to a water-cooled chiller for an air conditioning plant

Abstract A large number of methods for energy systems analysis were developed in the last decades, aimed at acquiring an in-depth understanding of plant performances and enabling analysts to identify optimal design and operating conditions. In this work an integrated approach based on Life Cycle Assessment and Thermoeconomics is proposed as a method for assessing the exergo-environmental profile of energy systems. The procedure combines the capabilities of these two techniques, to account simultaneously for aspects related to thermodynamics of energy conversion processes and to the overall impacts along the plant life cycle related to other phases, i.e. from raw material extraction to the d…

Life cycle performance assessment of small solar thermal cooling systems and conventional plants assisted with photovoltaics

Starting from the results of a Life Cycle Assessment of small solar assisted heat driven chillers, the application of such methodology has been extended to systems with a conventional compression chiller assisted by a photovoltaic plant (PV). This study aims to provide a comprehensive compared investigation of these two families of solar assisted cooling systems (with solar thermal or PV). Results indicate that, in many cases, the systems with the PV grid connected plant performed best. In addition, two more configurations were investigated to further define the PV assisted systems, which minimise their interaction with the grid through the use of electricity storages. These systems performed…

Environmental assessment of 2030 electricity generation scenarios in Sicily: An integrated approach

Abstract This paper deals with the environmental assessment of two electricity scenarios in Sicily, for 2030, characterized by a high exploitation of renewable energy sources in order to quantify the potential contribution of the local strategies in the achievement of the European climate policies and the potential improvement in the future electricity mix, compared to the current one (2014). In order to match these goals, authors integrate the Life Cycle Assessment with a scenario analysis. The future electricity mix scenarios, characterized by a share of renewables (57% for 2030-BS scenario and 51% for 2030-DS scenario) show a reduction of the greenhouse gases emissions per kWh of electri…

Progettare i Net Zeb

ECO-design of solar driven systems: A performance comparison between the Italian and the Brazilian context

The paper shows a comparative analysis of the performances of two typologies of solar assisted cooling systems for building applications. In particular, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology is applied to assess the energy and environmental impacts of solar-assisted, heat-driven chillers and conventional compression chillers driven by grid-connected and stand-alone photovoltaic configurations. LCA is applied in compliance with the international standards of ISO 14040. System boundaries are defined following a “cradle to grave” approach, taking into account all the life-cycle phases including the raw materials supply, the production of the components of the plant, the operation and mainten…

Life Cycle Assessment Performance Comparison of Small Solar Thermal Cooling Systems with Conventional Plants Assisted with Photovoltaics

Abstract Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) allows for the consideration of energy consumption and environmental impacts associated with all the stages of a product's life, from the cradle to the grave . Starting from the results obtained in the IEA SHC Task 38 framework for the LCA of small solar assisted heat driven chillers, the application of such methodology has been extended to systems with a conventional compression chiller assisted by a photovoltaic plant. This study aims to provide a more comprehensive investigation through a comparison of these two families of solar assisted cooling systems (with solar thermal or PV), which is an important topic for studies concerning the research of eff…

Natural ventilative cooling in school buildings in Sicily

The paper shows analysis of the impact on thermal comfort of natural ventilation in a nonresidential Mediterranean case-study. Results are based on the EN 15251 approach on adaptive comfort. Different scenarios are proposed, granting an improvement of up to 10% in the number of summer comfort hours.

Analisi comparata di sistemi solari per il condizionamento tramite la metodologia LCA

Lo studio mostra un'applicazione della metodologia Life Cycle Assessment finalizzata alla valutazione delle prestazioni energetico-ambientali di due differenti tipologie di sistemi di raffrescamento che utilizzano energia solare per applicazioni nel settore civili d'utenza. In dettaglio, sono analizzati sistemi energetici basati su macchine frigorifere convenzionali connesse a impianti fotovoltaici e sistemi di solar cooling alimentati da fluidi a bassa temperatura. I risultati evidenziano che le prestazioni energetico-ambientali dei sistemi connessi alla rete sono superiori a quelle degli altri sistemi, mentre la produzione dei sistemi di accumulo limita la competitività dei sistemi stand-…

Life Cycle Energy nei Net ZEB: Energia incorporata e consumo di energia in fase di uso

Il concetto di edificio a energia netta zero si sta progressivamente affermando nel panorama scientifico internazionale anche in riferimento ai contenuti delle direttive della comunità europea, secondo cui dal 2020 tutti gli edifici di nuova costruzione in Europa dovranno essere a energia netta quasi zero. Un aspetto chiave della definizione di edificio a energia netta zero riguarda i consumi di energia relativi alla fase di uso: un edificio deve riuscire a garantire una generazione di energia in sito pari ai consumi della fase di uso. L’approccio generalmente condiviso dalla maggior parte degli studi di letteratura è quello di considerare solamente l’energia della fase di uso, a causa dell…

Ventilative cooling application in Mediterranean buildings: impacts on grid interaction and load match

The concept of load matching refers to the simultaneous occurrence of loads and generation in buildings: it can be increased and optimised with modifications on both the energy demand and generation, but its pre-requisite is to guarantee passive energy efficiency. In the Mediterranean areas, a major challenge in new buildings is the increasing overheating even during mildly hot seasons. Ventilative cooling can be a potential solution to such issues and have an impact on load match in buildings and their grid interaction. The study analyses the potential of ventilative cooling to improve the load match in three different case studies in Italy. Ventilative cooling proved viable in moderately …

State of the Art on Sustainability Assessment of Positive Energy Districts: Methodologies, Indicators and Future Perspectives

The concept of Positive Energy District is one of the main areas of research and extensive applications of the principles of the clean energy transition within the building sector. In the past years, the most widely accepted definitions have focused specifically on carbon neutrality, while several other aspects regarding all sustainability approaches (including environmental, social and economic perspective) were included qualitatively or to a lesser degree. This paper proposes a discussion on the state of the art of the sustainability assessment of Positive Energy Districts, by investigating environmental, social and economic sustainability applications. The three sustainability dimensions…

Environmental Sustainability Approaches and Positive Energy Districts: A Literature Review

During the last decade, increasing attention has been paid to the emerging concept of Positive Energy Districts (PED) with the aim of pushing the transition to clean energy, but further research efforts are needed to identify design approaches optimized from the point of view of sustainable development. In this context, this literature review is placed, with a specific focus on environmental sustainability within innovative and eco-sustainable districts. The findings show that some sustainability aspects such as sustainable food, urban heat islands mitigation and co-impacts, e.g., green gentrification, are not adequately assessed, while fragmented thinking limits the potential of circularit…

Life cycle energy and environmental impacts of a solid oxide fuel cell micro-CHP system for residential application

Abstract Fuel cells are considered one of the key technologies to reach the ambitious European goal of a low carbon economy, by reducing CO2 emissions and limiting the production of other pollutants. The manuscript presents an assessment of the life cycle energy and environmental performances of a solid oxide fuel cell system for household applications using primary data from the manufacturing phase and experimental data for the start-up and operation phases. The Life Cycle Assessment methodology is applied, based on a functional unit of 1 MJ of exergy and includes the life cycle steps from the raw materials extraction to the maintenance. The results show a particular relevance of the opera…

Yield and profitability of modified spanish bush and Y-trellis training systems for peach

Peach trees trained to modified Spanish bush (MSB) and Y-trellis (Y) were evaluated and compared in the Mediterranean settings of Southern Italy. The observations included two peach (Rich May and Summer Rich) and two nectarine (Big Bang and Nectaross) cultivars. In the MSB system, trees were spaced at 4.5 x 2.5 m (888 trees/ha), whereas in the Y system, trees were spaced at 5.5 x 2 m (909 trees/ha). Costs at planting, yield per tree, fruit size grade, unit price of sold peaches for each size grade, amount and cost of materials and labor for cultural management, and grower's profit were quantified throughout all six years from planting and at full crop (year 4-6). Fixed costs of the MSB syst…

Mobility scenarios in the Valley of the Temples

The valley of the Temples in Agrigento is one the most known wonders of the ancient Greek time to be still standing is South Italy. Chosen as an emblematic location in the center of the island, it is the exemplary site used to assess the potential for electric mobility in terms of energy and environmental benefits of electricity over standard fuels. Such an assessment is performed by means of a life-cycle approach, including the use of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, the use of the standard ILCD-PEF indicators and the development of a parametric analysis investigating the impact of different electricity penetration levels in the local transports system. The results identify relevant …

Energy flexibility in Mediterranean buildings: a case-study in Sicily

Since the building sector is responsible for 40% of the world’s electricity demand, it is essential to act on it in order to reduce emissions of climate change gases on a global scale, as expressed also in the latest directive on the energy performance of buildings. A design approach that focuses on the energy flexibility of buildings can contribute to the improvement of its energy-environmental performances. In this context, the objective of the study is the analysis of the energy performance of a residential building in Sicily and the definition of strategies aimed at increasing its energy flexibility. In particular, the case study is a 631 m2single-family house, modeled and simulated in …

Life cycle energy performances of a Net Zero Energy prefabricated building in Sicily

The paper presents the energy performances in a life cycle perspective of a prefabricated building. The building was simulated in energy plus and validated on monitored data. To avoid the shifting of energy burdens from one life cycle stage to others, a Life Cycle Energy Assessment was performed. The primary energy use throughout the building's life cycle is 1,242 GJ. The materials production stage consumes the highest amount of primary energy (680 GJ) followed by the use stage (484 GJ), while the construction and end-of-life require respectively 1.7 % and the 4.6 % of total primary energy. (C) 2017 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Peer-review under responsibility of the scientific c…

Climate change in the building sector: a scenario analysis in the Mediterranean basin

The paper presents an energy simulation-based study to investigate the impacts of climate change on the building energy use for heating and cooling in the Mediterranean basin.

REACHING NET ZERO ENERGY: OVERCOMING CLIMATE CHALLENGES WITH A ‘SOLUTION SETS’ DESIGN APPROACH

The paper proposes an innovative energy performances evaluation and design approach, developed during the II° Ph.D. IEA Task 40 Summer School. The aim of the work is to check the importance of a ‘design with climate’ approach in understanding how much climate conditions can influence the design choices. The idea is to focus on the technical and architectural solutions that have the highest impact on the overall energy performances of the building in its original climate, then to move it to a completely different location, re-evaluating the energy performances of the building, in connection to the new site challenges. The last step is a re-design study in order to achieve the best performanc…

Life Cycle Assessment della filiera di trattamento di biomasse residuali: un caso studio

Il presente lavoro descrive i risultati dell’analisi di Life Cycle Assessement, sviluppata in accordo agli standard della serie ISO 14040, di un processo di trattamento di biomasse residuali di origine forestale da impiegare per la successiva valorizzazione energetica. L’analisi è riferita ad 1 kg di cippato, selezionato come unità funzionale. I confini del sistema hanno incluso le fasi di raccolta della biomassa residuale (strascico indiretto e diretto), cippatura della biomassa, raccolta e trasporto del cippato all’impianto di valorizzazione energetica. I risultati dello studio mostrano che la filiera in esame, con riferimento all’unità funzionale, causa un impatto di 0,027 kg CO2eq e det…

Introducing exergy analysis in life cycle assessment: A case study

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a methodology for assessing the potential environmental aspects associated with a product or service along its life cycle. However, in the case of energy technologies, it is suggested that the LCA of a product encompasses also further aspects other than environmental aspects and primary energy calculations. In particular, to optimize the reduction of raw materials during the whole life cycle, it is important to introduce the assessment of the irreversibility, applying the exergy analysis. In this paper, an integrated approach of exergy analysis and LCA is proposed, developing the Life-cycle quality index able to suggest potential exergy inefficiencies and the …

Towards an integrated design of renewable electricity generation and storage systems for NZEB use: A parametric analysis

Abstract Although nearly zero energy buildings have attracted growing research attention, literature analysis shows that only a limited number of researches try to couple load match/grid interaction issues and environmental impacts in early design stages. The study proposes a novel multidisciplinary design approach that allows to integrate these two conflicting aspects aiming to find trade-offs. The proposed approach has been applied to a building case study, equipped with a photovoltaics system without energy storage. The results show that even though on yearly basis the energy use (5,290 kWhe) is largely overcome by the on-site energy generation (8069 kWhe), an oversized PV system alone m…

Environmental assessment of energy valorisation of residual agrofood industry biomass in Sicily: a life cycle approach

Anaerobic digestion (AD) uses biomass to produce biogas to generate heat and/or electricity. Several studies have reported that the adoption of AD may not necessarily lead to sustainable practices. For example, energy crops may cause significant impact due to the requirement of intensive agricultural practices. Then, residual biomasses are starting to be considered as alternative biomass for energy valorisation trough AD. In this context, this study assesses the potential environmental impacts related to the energy valorisation of agro-food industry waste though the Life Cycle Assessment methodology (ISO 14040). The system examined consists of a real anaerobic digester coupled with a combin…

Embodied energy and environmental impacts of a biomass boiler: a life cycle approach

The 2030 policy framework for climate and energy, proposed by the European Commission, aims towards the reduction of European greenhouse gas emissions by 40% in comparison to the 1990 level and to increase the share of renewable energy of at least the 27% of the European's energy consumption of 2030. The use of biomass as sustainable and renewable energy source may be a viable tool for achieving the above goals. However, renewable energy technologies are not totally clean because they cause energy and environmental impacts during their life cycle, and in particular they are responsible of air pollutant emissions. In this context, the paper assesses the energy and environmental impacts of a …

The uncertainty of the energy demand in existing mediterranean urban blocks

The objective of the paper is to describe a stochastic model that has been developed to obtain load profiles for household electricity. For the study, several profiles have been generated in order to simulate the electrical demand of a residential building block or neighbourhood and evaluate the uncertainty of its energy use. The paper is divided in three different parts: development of the model, validation and determination of the uncertainty demand. In the first parts the basis of the model and how it works is explained. The second one represents the validation of the model, the input data and its results. The last step is focused on a statistical analysis of the electricity demand of a …

Towards the Environmental Sustainability of the Construction Sector: Life Cycle Environmental Impacts of Buildings Retrofit

In the context of the need for carbon emissions reduction, the buildingsector, as one of the most energy intensive one, needs tools and approaches towards carbon neutrality and the increase of the buildings overall energy performances. The paper proposes an integrated approach towards the environmental performances analysis of a small neighborhood having as goal the achievement of the Positive Energy District target and the assessment of its environmental impacts. The methodology proposed includes building modeling and dynamic energy simulation using the Energy Plus engine and a simplified Life Cycle Assessment approach. Two scenarios are investigated: i) the existing neighborhood, ii) the …

Phase Change Materials Applications to Optimize Cooling Performance of Buildings in the Mediterranean Area: A Parametric Analysis

Abstract Building integrated thermal energy storage systems cover a wide range of techniques and solutions depending on technology applications and aims. They however all have in common the concept behind: being able to store energy for later use in order to reduce the time mismatch between energy availability and demand. In this context, Phase Change Materials (PCMs) fit the above description, since they would allow for mostly isothermal phase change within normal thermal comfort range. In order to face the typical challenges of the Mediterranean climate, the following concept was elaborated: the idea is to use the phase change mechanics as a substitute to the thermal inertia of massive wa…

Design di edifici a energia netta zero alla luce della Direttiva Europea 2010/31/CE (EPBD recast) sulla prestazione energetica nell'edilizia [GU europea del 18 giugno 2010 (L 153)]

Il presente lavoro descrive dettagliatamente gli studi e le attività svolte in seno al progetto di ricerca “Design di edifici a energia netta zero alla luce della direttiva europea 2010/31/CE (EPBD Recast) sulla prestazione energetica nell’edilizia GU Europea del 18 giugno 2010 (L153)”. L’attività di approfondimento sull’edificio oggetto di studio, la Leaf House, è stata svolta nell’ambito dei diversi filoni di ricerca di seguito elencati: 1. Analisi dei dati dell’edificio esistente, 2. Redesign dell’edificio esistente, 3. Embodied energy dell’edificio esistente. 4. Partecipazione a gruppi di lavoro internazionali in seno alla task 40 dell’IEA. Gli indicatori sviluppati nel corso dei lavori…

Studio e progettazione di un sistema di smaltimento statico del calore

Nell’ambito di questa attività sono stati svolti lo studio e la progettazione di un sistema di smaltimento statico del calore da adottare in accoppiamento con sistemi solari termici per evitare il rischio di stagnazione dovuto al mancato utilizzo dell’energia termica prodotta (bassa richiesta di energia termica, assenza dell’alimentazione elettrica). I componenti idraulici comunemente installati negli impianti solari ovvero vaso di espansione, valvole di sicurezza, sfiati e valvole di scarico termico garantiscono l’incolumità degli utilizzatori dai possibili problemi che nascono dall’aumento incontrollato di pressione e temperatura all’interno dell’impianto, ma possono portare ad un parzial…

Sviluppo di piattaforme innovative per il calcolo dell’energia incorporata nell’edilizia e di modelli per la quantificazione del potenziale Ventilative Cooling nell’edilizia

Il presente report si inserisce nell’ambito dell’accordo di Collaborazione tra ENEA e il Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’informazione e Modelli Matematici (DEIM), per l’attività dal titolo “Sviluppo di piattaforme innovative per il calcolo dell’energia incorporata nell’edilizia e di modelli per la quantificazione del potenziale del ventilative cooling nell’edilizia”, nel contesto del Piano annuale di Realizzazione 2014 del progetto “Sviluppo di modelli per la realizzazione di interventi di efficienza energetica sul patrimonio immobiliare pubblico”. L’attività prevede due linee di ricerca interne, sviluppate, rispettivamente, nelle Parti A e B del presente report: “Sviluppo di piatt…

Caso studio: Provincia di Palermo - Installazione di impianti fotovoltaici a ridotto impatto visivo ed elevata efficienza

"L'energia è il filo d'oro che collega crescita economica, salute ambientale equità e opportunità sociali". L'assessorato Regionale dell'Energia e dei Servizi di Pubblica Utilità, unitamente a tutto il Governo Regionale, ha ben chiaro il senso di queste parole del Segretario Generale delle Nazioni Unite Ban Ki- Moon, pronunciate nel corso del suo intervento al 22°Congresso Mondiale dell'Energia di Daegu in Corea del Sud.L'impegno di Tutti è quello di creare le condizioni affinchè la Sicilia possa sfruttare al massimo le proprie potenzialità e le proprie risorse, per la realizzazione di un sistema energetico equo e sostenibile, che guardi con sempre più attenzione alle realtà locali come par…