Search results for " RENEWABLE ENERGY"
showing 10 items of 133 documents
The risk management in the international contracts of marine renewable energy : focus on offshore wind farms
2022
At a time when climate change is becoming the main concern, the renewable energy sector is developing extremely rapidly. In order to add other sources to the existing ones and to increase electricity production while ensuring its stability, the sea has quickly been considered as an attractive alternative. However, the creation of a new industry is a major challenge and marine renewable energy projects are very expensive and risky. The concept of risk was created specifically regarding the management of human activities at sea. The example of offshore wind energy allows us to go back to the origins of the notion of risk by considering it from the point of view of the company, and to analyse …
SOFIA: a decision support System for the Optimization of the biomass supply chain and Forest Integrated management in protected areas
2019
A decision support System for the Optimization of the biomass supply chain and Forest Integrated Management in protected areas (SOFIA) is presented. All functionalities have been developed in Python language embedded in the open-source QGIS 3.6 software. Two models were implemented with an approach and methodology based on free and open source software (QGIS, GRASS, SAGA, GDAL). The main aim of SOFIA is to support the Madonie Regional Natural Park authority and forest managers in decision-making processes to assess the costs and benefits in the energy production from residual agro-forestry biomass, as well as for determining the optimum plant size (and power) for energy and heat production …
Study of energetic properties of different tree organs in six Olea europaea L. cultivars
2021
AbstractPruning is an important horticultural practice for the management of olive orchards (Olea europaea L.) that generates a considerable amount of residues every year. Olive orchards are increasingly expanding beyond the Mediterranean Basin to new growing Countries (Australia, California, Argentina, Chile and Uruguay) and this will certainly lead to larger availability of pruning material. Currently, the interest in use of olive tree pruning residues for energy purposes is increasing but unfortunately, the information on the differences among organs of the tree, in terms of calorific value and ash content, is scarce. Another unknown aspect is the effect of cultivar vigour on dry matter …
Enhanced Sewage Sludge Drying with a Modified Solar Greenhouse
2022
This work reports the results obtained with an innovative configuration of a closed-static solar greenhouse for sludge drying. The novelty of the solar greenhouse configuration consisted in using a forced ventilation system to provide hot air for sludge drying and the utilization of solar irradiation for energy supply. Wet sewage sludge (97% humidity) was successfully dried up to a residual humidity close to 5% after 25 days during wintertime. The increase of the airflow rate supplied under the sludge bed improved the sludge drying rate. Moreover, the fraction of volatile suspended solids decreased from 70% to 41% after 13 days, indicating that air supply promoted the simultaneous stabiliza…
Environmental assessment of 2030 electricity generation scenarios in Sicily: An integrated approach
2020
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…
Electric mobility in Sicily: An application to a historical archaeological site
2016
Transports should be a key focus in the close future for decarbonization efforts, if the optimistic climate change mitigation objectives to be reached by 2050 on a global scale are to be met. Choosing an emblematic and historical location in the center of Sicily as object of the study, the potential for decarbonization and the reduction of the energy and environmental impacts in the site for electric mobility is assessed, by considering electric mobility scenarios based on different shares of electricity generated through renewable energy technologies. The analysis is performed by means of a life-cycle approach, through the use of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. A parametric analysis…
Life-Cycle Assessment Applied to Future Scenarios of Electricity Generation in Sicily
2018
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…
Environmental Assessment of a Hybrid Energy System Supporting a Smart Polygeneration Micro-grid
2022
To support the global transition towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, countries all over the world are implementing low carbon and energy effi ciency policies. This is leading to a rapid increase in the installations of distributed generation technologies. A hybrid system consisting of two or more energy sources could provide a more reliable supply of energy and mitigate storage require ments. In this context, this paper develops an environmental early analysis by the employment of a simplified Life Cycle Assessment approach. The above mentioned approach is used to investigate the environmental performances of the hybrid energy system of the smart polygeneration micro-grid of the Univ…
TOWARDS THE DECARBONIZATION OF THE EU BUILDING STOCK: AN INTEGRATED BUILDING STOCK RENOVATION MODELING APPROACH
2020
In Europe, the residential building stock is responsible for about 40% of the energy demand and about 36% of the CO2 emission at global level. Considering that almost 70% of the existing building stock will still be used in 2050, a long-term vision is needed to align with future challenges to avoid having significant increases in carbon emissions. The European policymakers have a long-recognized potential energy saving associated with the renovation of the existing building stocks, as demonstrated by the directives on the Energy performance of buildings (EPBD), introducing also the need to developed an integrated buildings design approach with environmental analysis. The purpose of this the…
Analysis of the effects of climate change on the energy and environmental performance of a building with and without onsite generation from renewable…
2020
Climate Change is a priority, due to the large variety of implications and importance that it may cause in the next decades. In this context, the building sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, buildings should be designed in such a way that they are responsible for fewer GHG emissions. In this context, the paper analyses the potential impact of climate change on the energy performances of buildings, with and without onsite generation from renewable energy, using a prototype building located in Messina (Italy) as case study. The analysis is based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change RCP scenarios and the results confirm the already known ov…