Search results for "Efficient energy use"
showing 10 items of 282 documents
Concurrent optimization of size and switch-on priority of a multisource energy system for a commercial building application
2015
Abstract In recent years, the governments of most nations have pledged to (i) limit carbon dioxide emissions, (ii) reduce primary energy consumption by increasing production, distribution and end-use efficiency and (iii) increase the utilization of renewable energy sources. In general, these goals are pursued separately by law, by subsidizing renewable energy technologies, reducing the demand or using high efficiency technologies. In this context, multi-source systems for the fulfillment of energy demands are highly advantageous because they are based on different technologies which use renewable, partially renewable and fossil energy sources. However, the main issues of multi-source system…
Nanotechnology for Photovoltaic Cells and Energy Efficiency
2015
Abstract. The intent of this paper is to connect science and technology in order to demonstrate how, in the field of on photovoltaic technologies, thin film solar cells have been the focus of many research facilities in recent years that are working to decrease manufacturing costs and increase cell efficiency. New research suggests that it might be possible to add a nanoscopic relief pattern to the surface of solar cells that makes them non-reflective significantly boosting efficiency and at the same time making them highly non-stick and self-cleaning. The paper presents the challenges and approaches to engineer the active layer of the cell, in order to obtain cells made up of components as…
Charging Electric Vehicles Using Opportunistic Stopovers
2017
The diffusion of electric vehicles asks for efficient energy replenishment, which requires geographical and temporal coordination of shared charging resources. We introduce a novel charging methodology that exploits users’ opportunistic mobility. This paper focuses on vehicle stopovers detecting potential charg- ing opportunities. Our mobility-assisted methodology protects users privacy and permits a hybrid centralized/distributed ap- proach avoiding clashes with other potential users. A preliminary analysis on our charging system, obtained with mobility data from the field, shows that among the available charging stations, some are more relevant and have a key role in serving electric vehi…
Analysis of Energy Efficiency of Different Setups Able to Perform Single Point Incremental Forming (SPIF) Processes
2014
Abstract Production processes, as used for discrete part manufacturing, are responsible for a substantial part of the environmental impact of products, but are still poorly documented in terms of environmental impact. The present paper proposes an energy analysis of single point incremental forming processes (SPIF). The electrical energy consumption of two different setups have been considered and compared. In particular the power demand of one of the most used machine tools architecture able to perform SPIF process, namely a CNC milling machine, has been measured. The obtained results have been compared with the ones obtained for an innovative high speed incremental forming processes perfo…
A comprehensive analysis of electric energy consumption of single point incremental forming processes
2014
Abstract Production processes, as used for discrete part manufacturing, are responsible for a substantial part of the environmental impact of products, but are still poorly documented in terms of environmental impact. The present paper proposes a comprehensive energetic analysis of Single Point Incremental Forming Processes (SPIF). The three most commonly used machine tool architectures able to perform SPIF operations have been taken into account: a CNC milling machine, a six-axes robot as well as the dedicated AMINO machine tool were analyzed from an electrical energy consumption point of view. For all the setups, a working cycle time study and power study were performed. Moreover the cont…
Improvement of energy efficiency and quality of street lighting in South Italy as an action of Sustainable Energy Action Plans. The case study of Com…
2015
Abstract Existing street lighting systems, in most of South Italy cities, are often inefficient due to the obsolescence of lamps and luminaires and of ineffective light control systems unable to implement efficient on-off and dimming strategies. Energy efficiency improvement, in street lighting systems, is often one of the key actions to be adopted by Public Administration in their Sustainable Energy Action Plan in the framework of the “Covenant of Majors” activities. As a task of FACTOR 20 project, a set of planning options has been analysed and proposed. Particularly, street lighting efficiency projects have been studied for representative case studies. A detailed survey of the public lig…
Multicriteria evaluation of heating choices for a new sustainable residential area
2015
Abstract The city of Loviisa in Finland is planning a new sustainable residential area with a total of 240,000 m2 of residential houses and apartment buildings with services. The city wants to promote sustainable energy solutions in the area, considering various renewable energy forms for heating. The aim of this research is to evaluate which heating system would be best for a new single-family house when different technical, economic, environmental and usability criteria are considered. A group of experts evaluated the alternative heating systems with respect to the criteria. The citizens were involved with a questionnaire to provide preference information for different criteria. Altogethe…
Experimental Research of Thermal Comfort Conditions in Small Test Buildings with Different Types of Heating
2015
Abstract The aim of this study is detailed analysis of long-term monitoring data of thermal comfort conditions and energy efficiency in small test buildings equipped with different heating systems. Calculations of PPD index and local thermal discomfort factors are provided for the test buildings during three weeks of heating season. It is shown that the type of heating system has influence not only on heating energy need, but also on thermal comfort conditions in the room.
Benchmarking energy efficiency of water treatment plants: Effects of data variability
2019
This study evaluates, for the first time, the energy efficiency of a sample of drinking water treatment plants (DWTPs) using the data envelopment analysis (DEA) tolerance method, which is based on the simulation of scenarios to integrate data variations. The integration of data uncertainty in energy efficiency estimation changes drastically results for approximately one-third of the DWTPs evaluated. The results showed that, even in the best-case scenario, most of the DWTPs evaluated are inefficient and may therefore, be able to reduce the energy used to treat raw water. From a policy perspective, the findings of this study reveal that omitting data variability in benchmarking would involve …
Impacts of Green Electricity Markets in the United Kingdom, Germany and Finland
2014
In liberalized electricity markets, a wide variety of competing green electricity products are available to customers in addition to competition on tariff price. These voluntary products are marketed as environmentally friendly and claimed to support renewable energy production, new capacity building and offer other environmental benefits. We review products in the UK, Germany and Finland and find that they encompass different mechanisms such as renewable sourcing, green funds or carbon offsetting. The interface between voluntary markets and renewable energy policies is especially studied. We assess if voluntary products offer additional benefits and identify possible problems like double c…