0000000000112807
AUTHOR
G. Beccali
The emission saving related to the use of renewable energy sources: The case study of solar thermal collectors
The employment of renewable energy sources can represent a useful way to reduce air emissions released by conventional ones. In this paper we describe the results of a Life Cycle Analysis performed upon one of the most world-wide diffused renewable technologies: the solar thermal collectors for warm sanitary water. Two domestic solar plants have been investigated: mono-familiar plant with a passive flat collector and a large solar plant with forced fluid circulation. The first step has been the evaluation of direct and indirect emissions related to the production and use of plants. The main emissions have been categorised in three of the most important indicators (Global Warming Potential, …
The environmental product declaration EPD with a particular application to a solar thermal collector
The principles of sustainable development and of Integrated Product Policy are applied in new voluntary regulations, which have been internationally agree. The aim is to grant transparency of environmental information and to promote the diffusion of environmentally friendly products. A new tool under study is the Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), a technical paper annexed to products that synthesises their energy and environmental performances. This paper points out the reasons for developing EPD for the energy sector, and puts special focus upon renewable energy systems, products whose environmental performances are often not clearly defined. We describe how results of a LCA upon a …
Set up of a monitoring system for a preliminary evaluation of the Urban Heat Island in the town of Palermo
Surface energy balance of urban areas depends on the thermal features of building materials, as well as the overall urban layout and various anthropogenic factors. In extended urban areas, all these factors give rise to the phenomenon known as Urban Heat Island (UHI). From the point of view of urban health, the occurring of UHI drastically changes the fluid dynamic interaction between the air and the city surface, often preventing the dispersion of gaseous pollutants. In the last years in fact, several studies have monitored the increasing trend of breathing diseases and allergies correlated with the presence of UHI. Nowadays, a rational design of the urban areas within large towns should t…
An improved algorithm for thermal dynamic simulation of walls using Z-transform coefficients
The Transfer Function Method (TFM), recommended by American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE), is one of the most modern tools available to solve heat transfer problems in building envelopes and environments. TFM utilises Z-transform to solve the equations system that describes the heat transfer in a multi-layered wall. Due to an analogy with an electric circuit, it is possible to write the equations system in a matrix suitable to be solved by computer. Authors carried out an analysis on an historical building placed in the south of Italy to test the reliability and the quality of the thermal dynamic simulation using TFM. The analysis is performed usi…
A user-friendly software for sustainable management of urban areas
The need to collect and process information on urban ecosystem requires the introduction of innovative scientific tools, in order to analyze the current urban factors and to optimize the energetic and environmental profile of urban systems, with regard to carrying capacity and territorial needs and vocations. Addressing these needs requires two main elements: (i) public availability of transparent data; and (ii) availability of interactive software designed to make easier exploration of data, models and results. The aim of the present paper is to show a user-friendly software, which is designed as a decision support system for policy makers in the multi-criteria selection among different pl…