Search results for "Energy efficiency"
showing 10 items of 177 documents
Mechanical Tests on Innovative BIPV Façade Components for Energy, Seismic, and Aesthetic Renovation of High-Rise Buildings
2018
The paper shows the results of mechanical tests carried out on prototypes of a new Building Integrated Photovoltaic (BIPV) component developed by the author and SBskin Smart Building Skin s.r.l. This patented innovative component is able to merge structural function, insulation proprieties, and production of clean energy for retrofit actions and/or the construction of translucent faç
An overview of energy retrofit actions feasibility on Italian historical buildings
2017
Abstract Italian energy policy has determined important keystones in building energy efficiency regulations and their application throughout the country. However, there is still much work to be done in order to make sustainable societies and territories, especially in historical contexts that have the greatest potentiality of energy saving. In detail, in the framework of conservation, restoration, refurbishment, and retrofit actions, the debate among scientists, administrators and skilled people is still open due to the many aspects yet to be considered and solved. In this paper, the state of the art of Italian residential building heritage has been reviewed, while energy retrofit issues an…
The BAC factor method: Application to a real Italian not-residential building
2016
The paper focuses the evaluation of the impact of Building Automation Control (BAC) systems on not-residential buildings. In particular, this work shows how the control, monitoring and automation actions considered by the European Standard EN 15232 can influence the electric and thermal energy consumptions of the University of Palermo DEIM (Department of Energy, Information Engineering and Mathematical Models) building. After evaluating the building energy consumptions, by using the CEI Guide 205-18, the BAC systems are chosen and sized and an economic evaluation of their installation cost is also carried out.
DE.DU.ENER.T. project: A prototype of a sustainable energy microsystem
2016
The paper presents a prototype of a microsystem for the integration and the optimal management of renewable energy sources in order to attain a reduction of the total energy consumption of a not residential building. The system composed by the building and the prototype is an energy sustainable microsystem and is located in Italy in the city of Valderice. The microsystem has been conceived in the ENPI (European Neighborhood and Partnership Instrument) cross-border cooperation Italy - Tunisia 2007-2013 DE.DU.ENER.T. (Le DEveloppement DUrable dans la production ENERgetique dans le Territoire) research project framework. In the paper the purposes of the DE.DU.ENER.T. project are presented and …
A Multifunctional Public Lighting Infrastructure, Design and Experimental Test
2017
Nowadays, the installation of efficient lighting sources and Information and Communications Technologies can provide economic benefits, energy efficiency, and visual comfort requirements. More advantages can be derived if the public lighting infrastructure integrates a smart grid. This study presents an experimental multifunctional infrastructure for public lighting, installed in Palermo. The system is able to provide smart lighting functions (hotspot Wi-Fi, video-surveillances, car and pedestrian access control, car parking monitoring and support for environmental monitoring). A remote control and monitoring platform called “Centro Servizi” processes the information coming from…
Are the best available technologies the only viable for energy interventions in historical buildings?
2015
Worth aged buildings represent among the existing buildings a special case when it comes to their energy refurbishment. Unfortunately, the available technologies for building components characterized by high level of thermal performances show, not rarely, a limited compatibility with the architectural integrity of the building. In other words, the so-called Best Available Technologies, which are effectively adopted to optimize the building energy performances, in case of buildings to which a certain artistic, historic and/or architectural merit is recognized, i.e. heritage houses, might determine such kind of conflicts. This situation may lead to the selection of “non-invasive” but less per…
Peak Power Demand and Energy Consumption Reduction Strategies for Trains under Moving Block Signalling System
2013
Published version of an article in the journal: Mathematical Problems in Engineering. Also available from the publisher at: http://dx.doi.org/10.1155/2013/940936 Open Access In the moving block signalling (MBS) system where the tracking target point of the following train is moving forward with its leading train, overload of the substations occurs when a dense queue of trains starts (or restarts) in very close distance interval. This is the peak power demand problem. Several methods have been attempted in the literature to deal with this problem through changing train's operation strategies. However, most existing approaches reduce the service quality. In this paper, two novel approaches - …
Transient Modelling of Thermal Conditions in Test Buildings Including Radiation
2015
Abstract To increase the energy efficiency of buildings in Latvia's climate a comparative study with five experimental test buildings have been set up in Riga, Latvia. Different thermo physical quantities such as temperature, humidity, air velocity, etc. were monitored to better understand different behaviour of the building envelope. This gives an excellent validation possibility for the CFD model that in future could predict conditions in buildings with different envelopes. Previously a stationary model and transient model were considered without taking into consideration the thermal radiation. This study continues the previous work that was done and proposes a transient model which takes…
Energy Efficient Resource Allocation for OFDMA Two-Way Relay Networks with Channel Estimation Error
2015
In this work, we consider the practical issues of resource allocation problem in OFDMA two-way relay networks: the inaccuracy of channel-state information (CSI) available to the transmitters. Instead, only the estimated channel status is known by the transmitters. In this context, a joint optimization of subcarrier pairing and allocation, relay selection and transmit power allocation is formulated in the OFDMA two-way amplify-and-forward relay networks. Moreover, to ensure the Quality of Service (QoS) requirement, the energy consumption must be minimized without compromising the QoS. Therefore, by applying convex optimization techniques, energy efficient algorithms are developed with the ob…
Sustainability evaluation of Sicily's lemon and orange production: An energy, economic and environmental analysis
2013
The island of Sicily has a long standing tradition in citrus growing. We evaluated the sustainability of orange and lemon orchards, under organic and conventional farming, using an energy, environmental and economic analysis of the whole production cycle by using a life cycle assessment approach. These orchard systems differ only in terms of a few of the inputs used and the duration of the various agricultural operations. The quantity of energy consumption in the production cycle was calculated by multiplying the quantity of inputs used by the energy conversion factors drawn from the literature. The production costs were calculated considering all internal costs, including equipment, materi…