Life Cycle Assessment of organic apple supply chain in the North of Italy.

The goal of the study is the assessment of the energy and environmental impacts of 1 ton of organic apples cultivated in the North of Italy, by applying the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The authors examined the supply chain of apples, by including the supply of raw materials and energy sources, and the farming step. In addition, an assessment of apple distribution to the final users was made. The results show that a relevant share of the total impacts is caused by the transport to the final users, assuming that the product is distributed on local, national and international markets. A detailed analysis of the farming step shows that a significant share in the overall energy and enviro…

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…

LCA of a solar heating and cooling system equipped with a small water–ammonia absorption chiller

The development of renewable energy technologies is a critical tool for reducing climate change and the reliance on fossil fuels. However, renewable energy technologies cannot be considered totally clean because they require energy consumption and have environmental impacts that cannot be neglected during their life cycle. In this paper, the life cycle assessment methodology was applied to assess resource use and other environmental burdens related to the entire life-cycle steps of a solar cooling plant. The investigated system works with an absorption chiller assisted by a solar plant. Two back-up configurations (hot back-up and cold back-up) were examined in two localities: Palermo (south…

Combined gasification-oxidation system for waste treatment with supercritical water: Lca and performance analysis

In this study the environmental performance of a first-of-its-kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and oxidation (SCW-GcO), was evaluated using life cycle assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model wastes. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. A “from cradle to grave” approach was chosen for the analysis, considering impact categories such as climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion, and other relevant indicators. The environmental profile of the SCW-GcO process was co…

PROGRAMMI DI RICERCA LCA DEL DISTRETTO ECODOMUS

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.

“Analisi del ciclo di vita applicata alla produzione delle tegole “coppi siciliani”: confronto tra due processi produttivi”

Life Cycle Assessment of electricity production from refuse derived fuel: A case study in Italy

Biomasses and bio-waste have an important role in decarbonizing the European energy mix, the latter contributing to the transition towards a circular economy. In particular, Refuse Derived Fuel (RFD) - a biofuel obtained from dry residue of waste - appears a really interesting energy option. In this framework this study aims at assessing the environmental profile of electricity generation from RDF in Italy, comparing two different kinds of RDF production and combustion plants. The functional unit is 1 kWh of net electricity from RDF delivered to the grid. Two Italian plants are examined: one located in Ravenna (RDF is produced in a direct flow treatment plant) and the other one in Bergamo (…

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…

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of protected crops: an Italian case study

Abstract In this paper a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of protected crops was carried out. In particular, energy and environmental performances of peppers, melons, tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, and zucchini in different typologies of greenhouses (tunnel and pavilion) were assessed. The study aimed at assessing the ecoprofile of each product and the share of each life-cycle step on the total environmental impacts. The related process flow chart, the relevant mass and energy flows and the key environmental issues were identified for each product. Collection of primary data was conducted by means of a detailed questionnaire distributed to a producer company in southern Italy. The analysis was devel…

LCA APPLICATA ALLE TECNOLOGIE ALIMENTATE DA FONTI RINNOVABILI DI ENRGIA

Energie e tecnologie sostenibili: stato dell'arte e life cycle assessment applicata a studi italiani di settore

KEY ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN THE AGRO-FOOD SECTOR. A CASE STUDY FOR CITRUS BASED PRODUCTS IN THE ITALIAN CONTEXT

Urban Energy Hubs Economic Optimization and Environmental Comparison in Italy and Vietnam

This paper aims to perform the minimization of the yearly energy supply cost from the main electricity and natural gas grids related to an energy district, considering the installation of different equipments. The case study refers to energy consumption of a medium density urban district and involves the exploitation of different energy sources and devices (photovoltaic systems, electrical energy storage, heat pumps and cogenerators). The analysis of the district energy supply is accomplished through an energy hub model. After a cost analysis related to the considered energy systems, a MILP algorithm was used for the optimization of a cost function and the simulation of various scenarios. M…

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

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 energy and environmental impacts of Italian households consumptions: An input–output approach

Abstract Promoting sustainable consumption and production patterns is a key challenge for the future, in order to use the Earth resources efficiently, to reduce the greenhouse gas emissions, and to decouple the economic growth from the environmental degradation. New or customized methods have to be applied to support decisions makers in the choice of environmental-friendly products, and to select policy priorities and sustainable strategies. A modified input–output model can aid to analyse the relationships among economic growth, energy consumptions and pollutants, in order to assess the energy and environmental impacts due to the actual production and consumption patterns. The following pa…

A review on optimization and cost-optimal methodologies in low-energy buildings design and environmental considerations

Abstract The topic of low-energy buildings received a widespread and growing interest in last years, thanks to energy saving policies of developed countries. The design of a low-energy building is addressed with energy saving measures and renewable energy generation, but the correct assessment of phenomena occurring in a building usually requires to perform dynamic simulations and to analyze multiple scenarios to attain the optimal solution. The optimality of a technical solution may be subject to contrasting constraints and objectives. For this reason, designers may employ mathematical optimization techniques, a non-familiar topic to most of building designers. In this paper, a review on o…

Sensitivity analysis to quantify uncertainty in Life Cycle Assessment: The case study of an Italian tile

Abstract The results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study can be affected by several uncertainty sources, mainly due to the methodological choices, the initial assumptions, i.e. allocation rules, system boundaries and impact assessment methods, and the quality of the available data. Then, the experts should estimate the extent of the above-mentioned sources of uncertainty for improving the reliability and the representativeness of the obtained eco-profiles. To estimate the uncertainty is necessary to obtain reliable, transparent and representative LCA results and to correctly support decision-makers in the selection of different product or process options. The following paper starts from …

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…

Primary Data Collection and Environmental/Energy Audit of Hot Mix Asphalt Production

The development of the road construction sector determines the consequences on consumption of non-renewable resources, energy expenditure and environmental pollution. Recent sustainability issues have highlighted the importance of efficient design and quality-oriented techniques in this sector, due to the huge amount of materials involved in construction and maintenance activities. Thus, it is necessary to properly quantify the environmental impacts of asphalt mixtures used for pavement construction, considering the whole life cycle of the products. Life cycle assessment (LCA) represents the most appropriate methodological framework for assessing the environmental burdens of a product, from…

Comparison of the greenhouse gas emissions of a high-rise residential building assessed with different national LCA approaches– IEA EBC Annex 72

Introduction: The international research project IEA EBC Annex 72 investigates the life cycle related environmental impacts caused by buildings. The project aims inter alia to harmonise LCA approaches on buildings. Methods: To identify major commonalities and discrepancies among national LCA approaches, reference buildings were defined to present and compare the national approaches. A residential high-rise building located in Tianjin, China, was selected as one of the reference buildings. The main construction elements are reinforced concrete shear walls, beams and floor slabs. The building has an energy reference area of 4566 m2 and an operational heating energy demand of 250 MJ/m2a. An ex…

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

Life Cycle Assessment della pirolisi di biomasse residuali dal settore agro – alimentare

Il presente studio si propone di valutare gli impatti energetico - ambientali connessi al processo di pirolisi di rifiuti agro – alimentari attraverso l’applicazione della metodologia Life Cycle Assessment seguendo un approccio dalla culla al cancello. Il sistema analizzato consiste in un reattore di pirolisi al quarzo a letto fisso realizzato a scala di laboratorio. L’unità funzionale per l’analisi è 1 MJ di energia termica potenzialmente generata dalla combustione del bio-char prodotto dalla pirolisi di residui della potatura di olivi e dei residui della spremitura delle arance a tre diverse temperature (400 °C, 500 °C e 650 °C). Lo studio fornisce un ampio set di indicatori ambientali e …

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…

Energy and environmental impacts of Energy related products (ErP): a case study of biomass-fuelled systems

Abstract Energy-related Products (ErP) account for a large proportion of European energy and natural resource consumption. In 2007, ErP were responsible for the consumption of about 239 Mtoe of electricity and about 555 Mtoe of fuels. In order to reduce the energy and environmental impacts of these products, the European Commission published the Directive 2009/125/EC on the eco-design of ErP. This Directive represents a key component of European policy for improving the energy and environmental performances of products in the internal market. In this context, it is important to develop scientific research aimed at assessing the energy and environmental impacts of ErP, and at defining their …

Valutazione energetico-ambientale dei prodotti EuP e per la definizione dei criteri minimi di ecodesign

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…

A simple tool for life cycle assessment of solar heating and cooling systems

-The assessment of energy and environmental performances of energy conversion systems can be carried out following a life cycle approach, by including the raw materials supply, the production of the plant, the operation and maintenance, and the end-of-life. The paper presents a user-friendly LCA tool for assessing the energy and environmental impacts of solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems following the life cycle approach. The tool was developed within the Task 48 “Quality Assurance & Support Measures for Solar Cooling Systems” of the International Energy Agency and can be used to support researchers, designer and decision-makers to understand the real benefits of SHC technology in …

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…

From the LCA of food products to the environmental assessment of protected crops districts: A case-study in the south of Italy

In the present study, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology was applied to evaluate the energy consumption and environmental burdens associated with the production of protected crops in an agricultural district in the Mediterranean region. In this study, LCA was used as a ‘support tool’, to address local policies for sustainable production and consumption patterns, and to create a ‘knowledge base’ for environmental assessment of an extended agricultural production area. The proposed approach combines organisation-specific tools, such as Environmental Management Systems and Environmental Product Declarations, with the environmental management of the district. Questionnaires were distribute…

Life Cycle Inventory e qualità dei dati

L’analisi di inventario, LCI, è la fase della LCA che comprende la compilazione è la quantificazione dei flussi in entrata e in uscita per un dato sistema di prodotto con riferimento al suo ciclo di vita. Scopo principale di questa fase è la computazione di tutte le materie prime che sono state impiegate e la stima delle emissioni in aria, acqua e suolo che sono state generate durante l’intero ciclo di vita del sistema in esame. Il capitolo descrive i principali approcci metodologici connessi al LCI, le tipologie e la qualità dei dati impiegati nell’analisi.

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…

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

Abstract This paper investigates energy saving measures for the ventilation system of large shopping centers. This kind of buildings is characterized by high yearly energy consumptions, because of the high level of operating hours and the frequent use of obsolete technologies. In the analyzed case studies, three big Do It Yourself (DIY) shops, located in Italy, are considered. Two different approaches are considered, they are aimed at reducing the annual energy consumption for the indoor air exchange of the sales area. The first considered retrofit solution consists in the installation of heat recovery exchangers, reducing the energy demand for the air thermal treatment without changing the…

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…

Multi-Objective Building Envelope Optimization through a Life Cycle Assessment Approach

This work describes a methodology for the identification of the optimal features for the envelope of a residential building. The optimization process allows minimizing operating energy consumption, investment costs and life cycle energy and environmental embodied impacts. A dynamic model for the estimation of building energy consumption during its use phase has been employed, while literature data were adopted for embodied energy and global warming potential impacts. The considered variables refer to the envelope of the building, i.e. external walls and roof insulation and external walls thermal mass. The model was obtained combining EnergyPlus building energy simulator and MOBO, a versatil…

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…

A Simplified LCA Tool for Solar Heating and Cooling Systems

Abstract This paper presents a user-friendly Life Cycle Assessment tool, which aims to support researchers, designers and decision-makers in evaluating the life cycle energy and environmental advantages related to the use of solar heating and cooling (SHC) systems in substitution of conventional ones, considering specific climatic conditions and building loads. The tool was developed within the Task 48 “Quality Assurance & Support Measures for Solar Cooling Systems”, promoted by the International Energy Agency in the framework of the SHC Programme.

An Italian input–output model for the assessment of energy and environmental benefits arising from retrofit actions of buildings

Abstract The paper presents an energy and environmental extended input–output model combined with the life cycle assessment, applied to assess the energy and environmental benefits arising from the Italian policy of tax deduction for energy retrofit actions of buildings. The study allowed to assess the advantages due to the above policy, taking into account both direct and indirect energy saving and avoided CO 2 emissions obtained with the retrofit actions and indirect energy consumption and related CO 2 emissions due to the realization of the above actions. Moreover, the authors defined an original model to assess the indirect rebound effect caused by the energy saving actions. The obtaine…

Applicazione della metodologia Life Cycle Assessment al Passito di Pantelleria

The use of Genetic Algorithms to solve the allocation problems in the Life Cycle Assessment

The paper applies a GA (Genetic Algorithms) to a multi-output productive process of essential oils, natural and concen-trated juices from oranges and lemonsThe results obtained for the case study taken into consideration showed that the application of GA allows to respect the energ y and mass balances for the examined system .

Impatti energetico-ambientali (e carbon footprint) del settore agroalimentare: il caso studio di tre prodotti siciliani

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 è stata applicata la metodologia Life Cycle Assessment allo scopo di stimare gli impatti energetico – ambientali di tre tipologie di prodotti coltivati in aree di interesse naturalistico: la provola delle Madonie, il pane di Monreale e un olio monovarietale siciliano.

Analisi energetico-ambientale di impianti ibridi di micro-cogenerazione a energia solare

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…

Combined Oxidation-Gasification system for waste treatment with supercritical water: LCA and performance analysis

In this study the environmental performance of a first of a kind integrated process based on supercritical water gasification and supercritical water oxidation, was evaluated using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The process was applied to the treatment of carbon black and used oil as model waste. Mass and energy balances were performed using Aspen Plus, and the environmental assessment was carried out through SimaPro. For the analysis was chosen a “From cradle to grave” approach, considering impact categories like climate change, ozone depletion, human toxicity, particulate matter, land use, resource depletion and others relevant indicators. The environmental profile of SCW-GcO process was co…

Life Cycle Environmental Impacts and Health Effects of Protein-Rich Food as Meat Alternatives: A Review

The food sector is responsible for a considerable impact on the environment in most environmental contexts: the food supply chain causes greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption, reduction in cultivable land, and other environmental impacts. Thus, a change in food supply is required to reduce the environmental impacts caused by the food supply chain and to meet the increasing demand for sufficient and qualitative nutrition. Large herds of livestock are inappropriate to achieve these goals due to the relevant impact of meat supply chain on the environment, e.g., the land used to grow feed for animals is eight times more than that for human nutrition. The search for meat alternatives, espe…

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…

LCA of an Asphalt Mixture Produced in a Southern Italian Plant: Analysis and Perspectives

In recent years, a growing attention on environmental issues affecting all fields and procedures of the productive sectors has raised, aiming to reduce energy and raw-material consumptions and pollution effects on environment. Due to the involved volumes and to the nature of the related materials and productive processes, the civil and road sectors have been strongly invested by this change of perspective. Therefore, a proper estimation of the environmental impacts for the entire life cycle of the asphalt mixtures for road construction and maintenance activities is extremely important. For performing similar investigations, Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) has become one of the most reliable and…

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-related GHG emissions balances: IPCC versus LCA

Addressing climate change is one of the greatest environmental challenges. Due to the impact of cities to energy consumption, the involvement of the local authorities in environmental policies is rapidly increasing. The Covenant of Mayors (CoM), launched by the European Commission, is an urban initiative aimed at reducing CO2 emissions. The signatories have to compile the greenhouse gas emissions (GHG) balance of their territory and, to do so, they can use the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) or the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). Moreover, the signatories have to define strategies to reduce the GHG emissions. In this context, authors estimate the GHG balance of an Italian muni…

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 …

Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Technologies

This chapter analyses the most common solar technologies and assesses their energy and environmental performance, based on a life cycle perspective. After a preliminary description of the main technologies, the chapter presents a review of studies on solar plants, as published in scientific journals in the past decade. Successively, the chapter assesses solar plants in comparison to other renewable and non-renewable based technologies, including a discussion of uncertainties and criticalities in the assessment

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 GHG and energy balance of organic apples: a case study in Italy

The main household environmental impacts are concentrated in food, transport and building sectors. The food sector is responsible for 20-30% of the various environmental impacts due to the final consumptions, and in the case of eutrophication for even more than 50% (Tukker at al., 2006). Every stage of the production and consumption chain of food, from growing crops, to transportation and storage, manufacturing, distribution, purchasing and consumption, and treatment of waste, has environmental effects. Consumers choices can significantly influence the environmental impacts of production, retail and distribution phases of food (EEA, 2005). In particular, they can choose to consume more orga…

The use of genetic algorithms to solve the allocation problems in the life cycle inventory

One of the most controversial issues in the development of Life Cycle Inventory (LCI) is the allocation procedure, which consists in the partition and distribution of economic flows and environmental burdens among to each of the products of a multi-output system. Because of the use of the allocation represents a source of uncertainty in the LCI results, the authors present a new approach based on genetic algorithms (GAs) to solve the multi-output systems characterized by a rectangular matrix of technological coefficients, without using computational methods such as the allocation procedure. In this Chapter, the GAs' approach is applied to an ancillary case study related to a cogeneration pr…

Flexibility Services to Minimize the Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels. A Case Study in a Mediterranean Small Island

The design of multi-carrier energy systems (MESs) has become increasingly important in the last decades, due to the need to move towards more efficient, flexible, and reliable power systems. In a MES, electricity, heating, cooling, water, and other resources interact at various levels, in order to get optimized operation. The aim of this study is to identify the optimal combination of components, their optimal sizes, and operating schedule allowing minimizing the annual cost for meeting the energy demand of Pantelleria, a Mediterranean island. Starting from the existing energy system (comprising diesel generators, desalination plant, freshwater storage, heat pumps, and domestic hot water st…

LCA applicata alle tecnologie alimentate da energia solare: peculiarità e limiti metodologici

La Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) rappresenta una metodologia valida ed affidabile per la valutazione degli impatti energetico-ambientali connessi al ciclo di vita delle tecnologie alimentate da fonti rinnovabili di energia. Il lavoro di seguito presentato focalizza l’attenzione sui sistemi alimentati da energia solare. Gli autori, dopo un’analisi degli studi di letteratura inerenti la LCA applicata ai sistemi solari termici e fotovoltaici, descrivono le principali questioni metodologiche connesse alla valutazione delle prestazioni energetico-ambientali di tali tecnologie.

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…

Design of the seismic retrofit of a school in accordance to a life cycle thinking approach

The public consciousness of the seismic risk is continuously increasing, although the damage on existing and older buildings due to earthquakes is still high, due to a former structural design not accounting for the latest knowledge achieved in the seismic field. This is particularly true considering the damage recorded in the last earthquakes that hit Central Italy in August and October 2016. The paper deals with the repair actions required in the elementary school of Pievebovigliana (Macerata-Italy) after the aforementioned seismic events. The school is a one-story building characterized by an irregular plan layout; masonry walls with regular blocks are the main supporting structure. An a…

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…

Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC): preliminary phases of the LCA analysis applied to the Smart Window-LSC

Luminescent solar concentrators (LSC) represent one of the innovative technologies related to Building Integrated PhotoVoltaics (BIPV). T hanks to their characteristic of being semi-transparent and of functioning both with direct and diffused radiation, the se devices can be integrated to the surface of the buildings, in particular in replacement of openings such as skylights or windows. They do not require solar tracking systems that are used in classic solar concentrators and allow reducing the presence of silicon compared to traditional photovoltaic panels.

Eco-profilo di un laterizio porizzato: confronto con altri manufatti surrogabili

LE PROCEDURE DI ALLOCAZIONE DELL'INVENTARIO:STATO DELL'ARTE E NUOVI APPROCCI RISOLUTIVI

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…

Comparison of the environmental assessment of an identical office building with national methods

The IEA EBC Annex 72 focuses on the assessment of the primary energy demand, greenhouse gas emissions and environmental impacts of buildings during production, construction, use (including repair and replacement) and end of life (dismantling), i.e. during the entire life cycle of buildings. In one of its activities, reference buildings (size, materialisation, operational energy demand, etc.) were defined on which the existing national assessment methods are applied using national (if available) databases and (national/regional) approaches. The ?be2226? office building in Lustenau, Austria was selected as one of the reference buildings. TU Graz established a BIM model and quantified the amou…

Preface of "Life Cycle Assessment of Energy Systems and Sustainable Energy Technologies. The Italian Experience"

This book deals with the application of life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology to sustainable energy systems and technologies. It reviews the state-of-the-art of the Italian experiences on the LCA applied to energy, and the most recent results from research in this field, with a particular focus on renewables, bio-energy and sustainable solutions.

Impatti energetico-ambientali connessi alla produzione di energia elettrica in Sicilia

Negli ultimi anni l’attenzione verso le problematiche connesse al cambiamento climatico e all’approvvigionamento energetico è diventata sempre più rilevante. L’Unione Europea ha approvato il “pacchetto clima-energia” che mira, entro il 2030, a ridurre le emissioni di gas ad effetto serra del 40% rispetto al 1990 e ad incrementare la quota di energia prodotta da fonti rinnovabili almeno al 27%. Per iniziare a stimare i benefici indotti dall’incremento della produzione di elettricità da fonti rinnovabili, nel presente lavoro vengono stimati gli impatti energetico-ambientali connessi alla produzione di 1 kWh di energia elettrica in Sicilia nell’arco temporale 2000 – 2011, tramite l’applicazion…

L'ANALISI DEL CICLO DI VITA APPLICATA AGLI EDIFICI RESIDENZIALI: IL CASO STUDIO DI UN EDIFICIO MONOFAMILIARE

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…

Approccio “Life Cycle Thinking” applicato alla riparazione di una scuola danneggiata dal terremoto dell’Italia centrale

L’adeguamento sismico ed il miglioramento energetico delle strutture sono diventati al giorno d’oggi una priorità. Buona parte del patrimonio edilizio esistente si trova in stato di grande obsolescenza strutturale, architettonica ed energetica. Oltre alla prevenzione, tuttavia, un aspetto molto importante riguarda la riparazione e riqualificazione degli edifici resi inagibili dagli eventi sismici recentemente accaduti nel territorio nazionale. In modo particolare, nel presente articolo verrà preso in considerazione un edificio del plesso scolastico sito nel Comune di Pievebovigliana, provincia di Macerata, danneggiato dai terremoti che hanno colpito l’Italia centrale il 24.08.2016 e il 30.1…

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…

Luminescent Solar Concentrator (LSC): principio di funzionamento e fasi preliminari dell’analisi LCA applicata alla Smart Window-LSC

Una delle tecnologie più promettenti nel panorama dei sistemi fotovoltaici integrati negli edifici è quella dei concentratori solari luminescenti (LSC - Luminescent Solar Concentrator). La peculiarità di questi dispositivi risiede nel fatto che possono essere installati in zone dell’edificio difficilmente sfruttabili da altre tecnologie fotovoltaiche, in particolare in sostituzione di aperture quali lucernari o finestre, grazie alla loro caratteristica di essere semi-trasparenti e di funzionare sia con radiazione solare diretta che diffusa. L’obiettivo del presente lavoro è stato ricostruire i percorsi di produzione dei principali componenti del pannello LSC, in modo da ottenere un parziale…

Is the NZEB Benchmarking Approach Suitable for Assessing Energy Retrofit Design?

Currently, many effort have been done to enable energy saving issues in building design and many definitions have been introduced for most performing constructions based on energy balance between energy demand and supply. Recently, the Net Zero Energy Building theory has bypassed old Passive House concept but many questions still remain open. Present work aims to estimate how NZEB requirements matching could be affected by the choice of their definition and the choice of weighting factor system, to be count in the energy balance. NZEB concept is mainly referred to new buildings design. Its application to existing buildings is for sure an hard task provided the architecture and physical cons…

L'applicazione della Direttiva ErP presso le piccole e medie imprese: punti di forza e criticità

La Direttiva ErP sulla progettazione ecocompatibile dei prodotti connessi all’energia richiede che le imprese applichino dei criteri di eco-design orientati alla riduzione degli impatti energetico-ambientali lungo tutte le fasi del ciclo di vita dei loro prodotti. In tale contesto la Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) rappresenta uno strumento di fondamentale importanza per individuare le “key issues” energetico-ambientali connesse ai processi produttivi. L’articolo presenta i risultati di una LCA applicata ad una caldaia a biomassa prodotta in Sicilia, evidenziando i punti di forza e le criticità connessi all’attuazione della Direttiva da parte delle piccole e medie imprese.

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…

La LCA di sistemi di accumulo impiegati nel settore edile

L’edilizia è uno dei settori più rilevanti in termini di produzione di ricchezza e di occupazione, ma è anche responsabile di significativi 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 sono destinate ad aumentare senza l’avvio di strategie e azioni orientate alla riduzione dei consumi di combustibili fossili e alla promozione delle risorse rinnovabili. Per migliorare l’eco-profilo del settore edile, la riduzione del consumo di risorse e la minimizzazione degli impatti ambientali negli ultimi anni costituiscono gli obiettivi principali da perseguire nella…

Life cycle assessment of a solar PV/T concentrator system

The paper shows the energy and environmental analysis of a solar low Concentrating Photovoltaic-Thermal (CPVT) system, installed on the roof of the Energy Department building at University of Palermo (Italy). LCA methodology was applied to assess the whole life-cycle of the selected Functional Unit. Data survey from the producing company regarding the consumption of energy sources and of materials were developed. The assessment allowed to identify the steps and the system components addressing the highest energy and environmental impacts. Energy and environmental benefits and drawbacks related to the CPVT system. The research was developed within the National Relevant Research Programme (PR…

CLCA for Assessing Environmental Impacts of Power Sector in the GHG Policy Context

Purpose: Current greenhouse gas (GHG) policy aims at reducing emissions from power sector. However, there are some known trade-offs of GHG emission reductions, in terms of other types of environmental impacts and impacts on other economic sectors. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has been developed to assess the environmental impacts of the power sector in relation with changes in the policy and its indirect impacts on other economic sectors. Methods: A systematic review of CLCA method is conducted in the power sector. CLCA studies since 2005 are reviewed in terms of obtained results and methodology to identify whether CLCA is a more suitable approach for assessing environmental i…

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…

Materiali edilizi e sostenibilità

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…

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…

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT OF PROTECTED CROPS: AN ITALIAN CASE STUDY

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 …

A Review on Consequential Life Cycle Assessment in the Power Sector

The existing policy for greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement aims at decarbonisation of the power sector. The interrelations between the power sector and other economic sectors raise a question of whether the GHG emission reduction policy in the power sector is as effective as it is claimed. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) has been developed to assess the environmental impacts of any industrial/productive sector in relation with changes in the policy and its indirect impacts on other economic sectors. This review is conducted on CLCA studies in the power sector in terms of system boundaries expansion and socio-economic interactions and the ability to quantify indirect environmental imp…

Sistema di rilevazione e pubblicazione dati meteo per la città di Palermo.

ELISA: A simplified tool for evaluating the Environmental Life-cycle Impacts of Solar Air-conditioning systems

The paper presents ELISA, a simplified tool for estimating the Environmental Life-cycle Impacts of Solar Air-conditioning systems. The tool is designed to support researchers, designers and decision makers in a simplified evaluation of the life cycle energy and environmental potential benefits related to the installation of solar heating and cooling systems in substitution of conventional ones. The tool was developed within the research activities of Task 53 “New Generation Solar Cooling & Heating Systems (PV or solar thermally driven systems)” of the International Energy Agency.

Multi-objective optimization of building life cycle performance. A housing renovation case study in Northern Europe

While the operational energy use of buildings is often regulated in current energy saving policies, their embodied greenhouse gas emissions still have a considerable mitigation potential. The study aims at developing a multi-objective optimization method for design and renovation of buildings incorporating the operational and embodied energy demands, global warming potential, and costs as objective functions. The optimization method was tested on the renovation of an apartment building in Denmark, mainly focusing envelope improvements as roof and exterior wall insulation and windows. Cellulose insulation has been the predominant result, together with fiber cement or aluminum-based cladding …

ANALISI DEL CICLO DI VITA DEL MICROELICO: UN CASO STUDIO IN SICILIA

Energy retrofit of a single-family house: Life cycle net energy saving and environmental benefits

Abstract When a building undergoes a retrofit project, the goal of assessing energy and environmental performances of retrofit actions is a complex matter. Building and its environment are complex systems in which all sub-systems are strongly interdependent and influence the overall efficiency performance. In the following paper, starting from a literature review of building life-cycle studies, the authors highlight that there is a strong interplay among all the phases of a building life-cycle, as each one can affect one or more of the others. In detail, starting from the results of a “cradle to grave” life cycle study of an existing Mediterranean single-family house, a set of retrofit acti…

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…

Life-cycle optimization of building performance: a collection of case studies

The building sector is one of the most impacting on the energy demand and on the environment in developed countries, together with industry and transports. The European Union introduced the topic of nearly zero-energy building (nZEB) and promoted a deep renovations in the existing building stock with the aim of reducing the energy consumption and environmental impacts of the building sector. The design of a nZEB, and in general of a low-energy building, involves different aspects like the economic cost, the comfort indoor, the energy consumption, the life cycle environmental impacts, the different points of view of policy makers, investors and inhabitants. Thus, the adoption of a multicrite…

Requisiti di qualità dei dati negli studi di Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) e nelle Dichiarazioni Ambientali di Prodotto (DAP)

Ottimizzazione Multi-Obiettivo delle Prestazioni Energetiche e Ambientali di un Edificio Residenziale

Il presente lavoro, svolto nell’ambito dell’Annex 72 dell’International Energy Agency, descrive un approccio metodologico volto all’identificazione di interventi ottimali di ristrutturazione da effettuare sull’involucro di un edificio residenziale, permettendo di minimizzare contemporaneamente quattro funzioni obiettivo: i consumi energetici in fase d’uso, i costi d’investimento e gli impatti energetici e ambientali di ciclo di vita. L’ottimizzazione, eseguita tramite un algoritmo multi-obiettivo, ha permesso di identificare gli spessori di materiale isolante e di materiali massivi da aggiungere sul tetto e sulle pareti perimetrali dell’involucro edilizio per minimizzare le quattro funzioni…

A Set of Key Performance Indicators for Solar Heating and Cooling Systems

The application of solar heating and cooling systems for building air-conditioning actually shows a significant potential of exploitation, particularly in sunny regions. The choice whether or not to apply such technologies in different climates should be based on the assessment of their energy/environmental, economic and social sustainability, as well as their technical characteristics as reliability, durability and energy efficiency. To support researchers and decision-makers in the selection of the best solar air-conditioning solution in a specific geographic and energy context, the paper proposes a set of technical, economic, energy/environmental and social key performance indicators. Th…

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…

Modellizzazione energetico – ambientale per la valutazione di criteri di efficienza energetica

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…

Energy balance and life cycle assessment of small size residential solar heating and cooling systems equipped with adsorption chillers

Abstract Solar heating and cooling systems for space heating and cooling are experiencing a growing trend and interest. However, the actual energy and environmental performance of small/medium size installations is not clearly foreseeable. In this paper, an analysis of such systems using adsorption chillers in different European climates is presented. Solar systems have been simulated in TRNSYS and compared to a conventional system employing a vapour compression unit. The results have been used for a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study, determining the potential impact during the whole life of the system, from raw materials supply to its end-of-life. The LCA has been carried out by using the …

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…

Energy and environmental assessment of retrofit actions on a residential building

Energy and environmental performances of buildings strictly depend on many factors related to the choice of construction materials, technical equipment, installation and use. In the following chapter a set of retrofit actions to improve the thermal performance of an existing conventional building is presented. The energy and environmental assessment of these actions is carried out following a life cycle approach. The embodied energy and the environmental impacts arisen from the production, transportation and installation phases of the required materials and components are calculated. Further, energy saving and environmental benefits and drawbacks concerning the assessed retrofit actions are…

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…

Impatti energetico-ambientali delle produzioni agricole biologiche: il caso studio delle mele

Blockchain-based DR logic: a trade-off between system operator's and customer's needs

This paper describes a way to include the end users of the electrical network in the Demand Response mechanism using the Blockchain technology and the Smart Contract concepts, thus developing a distributed system where customers can communicate directly with the system operator to provide their flexibility in a transparent, secure and traceable way.The historical data on energy consumption and production of the customers is recorded on the Blockchain, with the Smart Contract evaluating the baseline and the potential support that each customer can provide to fulfill the requested load adaptation communicated by the grid operator. The baseline and the optimal power reduction for a customer (e…

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…

Methodological insights on Life Cycle Assessment of solar energy technologies

Renewable energies are reliable sources to move the world toward a sustainable energy economy, to achieve the emission reduction targets and to face the shortage of worldwide fossil fuels reserves. A reliable energy and environmental profile of renewable energy technologies (RETs) may not leave out considerations on the impacts of the background system, including also the production, use, and disposal of such systems. In this context the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is an established methodology to estimate the energy and environmental benefits and drawbacks of RETs and to identify components and life cycle stages having the largest impacts. In the present Chapter the authors focus on the an…

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…

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…

LIFE CYCLE ASSESSMENT EXPERIENCES FOR SOLAR HEATING AND COOLING SYSTEMS

Solar heating and cooling systems can significantly contribute to the energy and climate European goals. A complete assessment of this contribution needs the analysis of these systems from a life-cycle perspective, in order to estimate the energy and environmental costs of their manufacturing and end-of-life, and to compare these costs with the benefits obtained during operation. A well-established methodology to fulfil this task is the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The paper describes some LCA experiences of solar heating and cooling systems, developed within the Task 53 “New generation solar cooling & heating systems (PV or solar thermally driven systems)” of the International Energy A…

Life Cycle Assessment di sistemi per le auto elettriche

Lo sviluppo della trazione elettrica stradale, in particolare con l’uso di batterie al litio, è uno degli approcci più promettenti alle problematiche di carattere ambientale e per la diversificazione delle fonti di energia. Il lavoro descrive una delle attività svolta nell’ambito dell’Accordo di Programma Ministero dello Sviluppo Economico ed ENEA sulla ricerca del sistema elettrico. In particolare l’ENEA e il Dipartimento dell’Energia dell’Università di Palermo hanno condotto uno studio di LCA delle batterie per autotrazione per valutare le prestazioni energetico-ambientali di questi sistemi.

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…

Multi-Objective Optimization of Urban Microgrid Energy Supply According to Economic and Environmental Criteria

This study is focused on the optimization of the annual cost and greenhouse impact related to the supply of natural gas and electricity of an urban microgrid through the installation of components as renewable energy sources, energy storage units and converters. As input parameters of the optimization model, the energy demand of a medium density urban district was estimated, while average costs and emissions of equipment were collected in market reports and literature. The outputs of the model are the optimal size and the schedule of each component. Moreover, optimization analysis was carried out for two different scenarios, comparing Italian and Vietnamese energy system cost and environmen…

Energy and environmental analysis of a mono-familiar Mediterranean house

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.

Photovoltaic electricity scenario analysis in urban contests: an Italian case study

Abstract This paper shows a methodology for the assessment of the photovoltaic potential in urban areas using Google Earth™ tool that provides either satellite images of the roofs of buildings or their number of floors by means of the Street View function. The applicability of the methodology has been tested on a selected urban area of the city of Palermo in the South of Italy. After classifying roofs according to the shape, orientation and pitch of buildings with different morphologies, the share of energy generated by the installable PV systems was evaluated with regard to the number of floors. Moreover the coverage of the electricity demand was investigated on the basis of the consumptio…

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…

Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of solar cooling systems with 12 kW absorption and 8 kW adsorption chillers

sistemi di gestione ambientale applicati al prodotto: un caso studio viti-vinicolo

I Sistemi di Gestione Ambientale (SGA) Orientati al Prodotto (POEMS – Product Oriented Environmental Management System) rappresentano un’evoluzione dei SGA già diffusi nel contesto nazionale ed internazionale. I POEMS combinano elementi consolidati dei SGA con aspetti di ciclo di vita dei prodotti, permettendo alle aziende di sviluppare e promuovere nel mercato prodotti che si contraddistinguano per la loro qualità ecologica. L’articolo presenta un’analisi delle peculiarità metodologiche dei POEMS e descrive un’applicazione sperimentale ad un’azienda vitivinicola siciliana.

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…

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.

Una tavola EIO-LCA per l'Alto Adige - Sud Tirol estesa ai consumi energetici, emissioni in atmosfera e produzione di rifiuti

Questo studio analizza l’economia della Provincia di Bolzano allo scopo di comprenderne le relazioni con la sfera ambientale. È stato applicato il modello Input–Output, integrandolo con l’analisi degli impatti ambientali e, attraverso la Life Cycle Assessment, sono stati stimati gli impatti potenziali connessi alle emissioni in atmosfera, ai consumi energetici e ai rifiuti generati dalle attività economiche. I risultati hanno evidenziato che la maggior parte degli impatti è dovuta alla produzione e allo smaltimento di rifiuti. Nello specifico, i maggiori impatti sono imputabili al settore terziario (per la domanda interna) e secondario (per l’export).

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…

Impact Analysis Using Life Cycle Assessment of Asphalt Production from Primary Data

Road construction and maintenance have a great impact on the environment, owing to the huge volumes of resources involved. Consequently, current production procedures and technologies must be properly investigated, for identifying and quantifying the life cycle environmental impacts produced. In this paper, primary data, i.e., site-specific data directly collected or measured on a reference plant, are analyzed for calculating the impact of the production of a hot mix asphalt. The analysis is performed in a from &ldquo

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 …

Life cycle assessment of storage systems: the case study of a sodium/nickel chloride battery

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)…

Sustainable production and consumption in remote working conditions due to COVID-19 lockdown in Italy: An environmental and user acceptance investigation

Abstract In response to the disruptive changes brought upon our society by the COVID-19 pandemic, most work activities and service providers had to resort to remote working. This is credited to reduce emissions for transportation, however the role of forced confinement within dwellings, especially if not designed for hosting working stations, deserves to be properly evaluated in terms of both user acceptance and long-term environmental impact. In this work, a dedicated survey campaign is used for investigating the potential pros and cons of remote working. In more detail, logistic regression and generalized linear models are used for capturing the effect of several independent variables on …

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…

Energy and environmental impacts of home automation components

Life Cycle Assessment is applied to estimate the life cycle energy and environmental impacts of five components used in the home automation systems: an electricity meter, an actuator with an integrated current sensor, a web server audio/video, an interface with infrared emitter, a multimedia touch screen. For each component, the impacts related to “one unit of product” (selected as functional unit) are assessed following a “from cradle to grave” approach, including the manufacturing, operation and end-of-life steps. The results showed that the operation step gives a contribution higher than 54% on primary energy consumption and variable from about 54% to about 99% on environmental impacts, …

Energy performances and life cycle assessment of advanced solar DEC Freescoo units

Freescoo is a new all-in-one compact solar Desiccant Evaporative Cooling (DEC) air conditioner concept. The cooling process is based on the use of fixed and cooled adsorption beds and advanced evaporative cooling concepts. This solution permits to increase the energy performances of the whole cooling process in comparison to the standard desiccant rotor bases DEC cycles. The indirect evaporative cooling process is realized using optimized wet plate heat exchangers which allow low supply temperatures to the room and overall energy performances. The experimental results of an optimized configuration of the freescoo unit together with the Life Cycle Assessment of the unit are here presented an…

Energie e tecnologie sostenibili: stato dell'arte e life cycle assessment applicata a studi di settore

Il modello Input-Output applicato alle strategie di produzione e consumo sostenibile: un caso studio in Italia

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…

Flexibility Services in a Mediterranean Small Island to Minimize Costs and Emissions Related to Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels

In last years, the energy efficiency in non-interconnected islands became an important topic, since the electricity production is often based on diesel generators, thus contributing to the global warming. Italian government recently emitted two decrees to promote the introduction of renewable energy technologies in 21 non-interconnected islands, both for electrical and thermal uses. In this paper, the economic and environmental feasibility of the introduction of renewable energies in the island of Pantelleria was assessed adopting an optimization approach. Furthermore, the flexibility provided from the local desalination plant and the domestic water heaters was evaluated. The final demands …

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.

Life-Cycle Assessment of Buildings

The chapter presents a complete overview of LCA applied to buildings. After a brief introduction on the origin and developments of the LCA, it describes four steps of the LCA methodology, according to the framework of the International standards of ISO 14040 series. Then, the authors focus on the LCA applied to the building sector and on the standard EN 15978. They identify the main issues related to the application of the methodology to buildings, such as the selection of the functional unit, the systems boundaries,the environmental indicators, etc. In the context of the sustainability, a brief overview on the economic and social aspects of buildings and on the available building life-cycl…

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…

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…

A Conceptual Review on Using Consequential Life Cycle Assessment Methodology for the Energy Sector

Energy is engaged in the supply chain of many economic sectors; therefore, the environmental impacts of the energy sector are indirectly linked to those of other sectors. Consequential life cycle assessment (CLCA) is an appropriate methodology to examine the direct and indirect environmental impacts of a product due to technological, economic or social changes. To date, different methodological approaches are proposed, combining economic and environmental models. This paper reviews the basic concept of CLCA and the coupling of economic and environmental models for performing CLCA in the energy sector during the period 2006–2020, with the aim to provide a description of the different tools, …

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…

La valutazione energetico-ambientale degli adifici

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 …

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 …

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

La rilevanza dei consumi di energia primaria nel settore civile d’utenza impone la necessità di definire strategie progettuali orientate al risparmio energetico, quali l’impiego di tecnologie alimentate da fonti rinnovabili, di materiali a basso impatto ambientale e di tecnologie energeticamente efficienti, in tutte le fasi di ciclo di vita dell’edificio. La durata della vita utile di un edificio, il tasso di sostituzione annuale del patrimonio edilizio e il tasso ancora minore delle demolizioni sono fattori peculiari degli edifici, per i quali gli interventi di riqualificazione energetica (retrofit) sugli edifici esistenti costituiscono soluzioni progettuali fondamentali al fine di ridurre…

Application of the Structural Decomposition Analysis to assess the indirect energy consumption and air emission changes related to Italian households consumption

Abstract The design of sustainable production and consumption strategies and the assessment of implemented actions require to identify the driving forces that influence the trend of energy consumption and environmental impacts. For this purpose, the Structural Decomposition Analysis (SDA) was developed as a suitable methodology to analyse the driving forces of the changes in economic, energy and environmental indicators. The paper presents one of the first Italian studies that apply an energy and environmental extended input–output model, opportunely shaped to the examined context, combined with SDA. In detail, it aims at: (1) investigating the energy use and the air emissions arisen from t…

Review on Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Photovoltaic Panels

The photovoltaic (PV) sector has undergone both major expansion and evolution over the last decades, and currently, the technologies already marketed or still in the laboratory/research phase are numerous and very different. Likewise, in order to assess the energy and environmental impacts of these devices, life cycle assessment (LCA) studies related to these systems are always increasing. The objective of this paper is to summarize and update the current literature of LCA applied to different types of grid-connected PV, as well as to critically analyze the results related to energy and environmental impacts generated during the life cycle of PV technologies, from 1st generation (traditiona…

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…

Life Cycle Assessment di sistemi per le auto elettriche

Il documento descrive la valutazione delle prestazioni energetico – ambientali di batterie Li- Ione adatte all'alimentazione della propulsione elettrica pura, comprensive del sistema BMS (Battery Management System), realizzata tramite l’applicazione della metodologia dell’Analisi del Ciclo di Vita (Life Cycle Assessment – LCA), in accordo alle norme della serie ISO 14040 ed all’International Reference Life Cycle Data System (ILCD) Handbook. L’attività è iniziata con un’analisi dettagliata dello stato dell’arte internazionale sulla LCA applicata alle batterie al Li-Ione, che ha definito il contesto scientifico di riferimento della valutazione energetico-ambientale condotta. E’ stata poi svil…

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…

Life Cycle Assessment di sistemi per le auto elettriche, Report Ricerca di sistema elettrico RdS/2012/093

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Test funzionali ed ottimizzazione delle performance di due prototipi di condizionatore d’aria compatti Solar DEC

Nell’ambito di questo lavoro di ricerca è stata svolta una estesa campagna di monitoraggio per il sistema Solar DEC freescoo residential installato nell’estate del 2014 presso il Dipartimento DEIM dell’Università di Palermo. In una prima fase dello studio sono state svolte delle prove preliminari volte ad identificare problematiche al funzionamento di alcuni dei componenti interni. In particolare è stata posta attenzione al miglioramento del funzionamento dello scambiatore evaporativo e dei componenti coinvolti nel processo di deumidificazione dell’aria. E’stato aggiornato il sistema di monitoraggio e migliorata la logica di controllo dei letti adsorbenti. Relativamente alle prestazioni ene…

Task 38 Solar Air-Conditioning and Refrigeration “Life Cycle Assessment of Solar Cooling Systems” A technical report of subtask D Subtask Activity D3

Renewable energy (RE) systems can certainly allow reducing the use of fossil fuels and the related environmental impacts for building air-conditioning. It is more and more clear that good design of the system and appropriateness of the technology are a key issues on the way to maximise the benefits. Therefore, for systems dealing with solar thermal systems, it has been experienced that wrong choices among RE technologies to meet specific applications could also lead to negative effects in terms of Primary Energy (PE) saving.

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…