0000000000015115
AUTHOR
Vincenzo Antonucci
showing 19 related works from this author
Load match and grid interaction optimization of a net zero energy building through electricity storage: An Italian case-study
2016
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.
Analysis of the effects of climate change on the energy and environmental performance of a building with and without onsite generation from renewable…
2020
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…
Life cycle energy performances and environmental impacts of a prefabricated building module
2018
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…
Grid interaction and environmental impact of a net zero energy building
2020
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…
Analysis of Load Match in Nearly Zero Energy Buildings
2018
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…
A Review of Key Performance Indicators for Building Flexibility Quantification to Support the Clean Energy Transition
2021
The transition to a sustainable society and a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 requires extensive deployment of renewable energy sources that, due to the aleatority and non-programmability of most of them, may seriously affect the stability of existing power grids. In this context, buildings are increasingly being seen as a potential source of energy flexibility for the power grid. In literature, key performance indicators, allowing different aspects of the load management, are used to investigate buildings’ energy flexibility. The paper reviews existing indicators developed in the context of theoretical, experimental and numerical studies on flexible buildings, outlining the current status a…
Life cycle assessment of solid oxide fuel cells and polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells: A review
2017
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…
Implementation of a Management System for Prosumer Energy Storage Scheduling in Smart Grids
2020
Scheduling of energy storage systems of distributed generation is a key element for optimal renewable energy sources (RES) exploitation in smart grids, demand side response strategies implementation and prosumers interaction with Distribution System Operators (DSOs). In this context, this paper presents the implementation of a management system for energy storage scheduling, which allows taking appropriate account of the storage system behavior in real cases. To properly consider the real system operation, the employed battery model is modified, in order to include also the hysteresis phenomena in state of charge estimation in both charging and discharging operation. The validation of the p…
Life Cycle Assessment for Supporting Eco-Design: The Case Study of Sodium–Nickel Chloride Cells
2021
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…
Integration of Building Simulation and Life Cycle Assessment: A TRNSYS Application
2016
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…
Environmental Assessment of a Hybrid Energy System Supporting a Smart Polygeneration Micro-grid
2022
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…
Computer Fluid Dynamics Assessment of an Active Ventilated Façade Integrating Distributed MPPT and Battery
2019
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…
Life Cycle Assessment of Solid Oxide Fuel Cells and Polymer Electrolyte Membrane Fuel Cells
2017
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…
Experimental and Computational Fluid Dynamic study of an active ventilated façade integrating battery and distributed MPPT
2019
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…
A Monitoring and Management System for Energy Storage Integration in Smart Grids
2019
The integration of distributed storage systems (DSSs) at users and prosumers level can significantly contribute to energy efficiency and increase profits from renewable energy exploitation, thanks to suitable scheduling of charging and discharging periods. On the other hand, to preserve network stability and secure operation, Distribution Systems Operators (DSOs) are interested in DSSs control and cooperation with the grid. In this framework this work proposes a simple monitoring and management system for DSSs scheduling and its integration in a distributed measurement and control system architecture for smart grids. In the paper the proposed algorithm is tested on a simple case study at ho…
Life Cycle Assessment of Flow-Redox Cells: A Case Study
2022
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 …
Electrochemical energy storage mitigating impact of electric vehicle on the electric grid: Two Italian case studies
2017
In the framework of the Italian R&D project i-Next two pilots plants were realized aiming at demonstrate benefits coming from the adoption of electrochemical energy storages (Lithium ion batteries and hydrogen) integrated with renewable energy sources. In the present study the preliminary results coming from the demo sites operations are reported paying attention to the impacts to the grid.
Life cycle assessment of storage systems: the case study of a sodium/nickel chloride battery
2014
This study assesses the energy and environmental impacts of sodium/nickel chloride batteries, one of the emerging battery technologies for energy storage and smart grids. The analysis was conducted using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology according to the standards of the ISO 14040 series. The study system was one sodium/nickel cell battery providing electric storage for a photovoltaic system, and the manufacturing, operation, and end-of-life steps were analysed. The results indicated that the operation step has the greatest energy impact (55-70% of the total), with the manufacturing step, particularly cell manufacturing, contributing the greatest environmental impact (>60% of the total)…
Life cycle energy performances of a Net Zero Energy prefabricated building in Sicily
2017
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…