Search results for "jel:Q41"
showing 5 items of 15 documents
Thermoeconomic optimization of a renewable polygeneration system serving a small isolated community
2015
During the last years, special attention has been paid to renewable polygeneration technologies, able of simultaneously producing thermal, cooling, electrical energy and desalinated water from seawater. This paper focuses on an innovative polygeneration system driven by renewable energy sources, including the following technologies: hybrid photovoltaic/thermal collectors, concentrating parabolic trough (CPVT), a biomass heater, a single-stage absorption chiller and a multiple-effect distillation desalination system. The system is designed to cover the base load of an isolated small community. In previous papers, the dynamic simulation model about plant operation is discussed. In this paper,…
A Self-Adapting Approach for Forecast-Less Scheduling of Electrical Energy Storage Systems in a Liberalized Energy Market
2013
In this paper, an original scheduling approach for optimal dispatch of electrical Energy Storage Systems (ESS) in modern distribution networks is proposed. The control system is based on fuzzy rules and does not use forecasts since it repairs the past history according to the real time data on the electrical energy cost, renewable energy production and load. When the system detects a worsening of performances, the fuzzy logic rule-based control system self-adapts its membership functions using an economic indicator. The common use, in the relevant literature, of forecasted values in such systems can lead to large errors and economic losses. Moreover the speed of calculation guaranteed by th…
Banki-Michell Optimal Design by Computational Fluid Dynamics Testing and Hydrodynamic Analysis
2013
In hydropower, the exploitation of small power sources requires the use of small turbines that combine efficiency and economy. Banki-Michell turbines represent a possible choice for their simplicity and for their good efficiency under variable load conditions. Several experimental and numerical tests have already been designed for examining the best geometry and optimal design of cross-flow type machines, but a theoretical framework for a sequential design of the turbine parameters, taking full advantage of recently expanded computational capabilities, is still missing. To this aim, after a review of the available criteria for Banki-Michell parameter design, a novel two-step procedure is de…
Energy poverty in Italy
2014
Despite the existence of two targeted national programmes (�Bonus gas� and �Bonus energia�) in Italy there is no official definition of energy poverty (EP). The purpose of this study is to provide the reader with a set of indicators to fill this gap. We present a range of poverty measures which estimate that between 5 and 20 per cent of households was in EP in 2012. A selection based on qualitative criteria suggests the use of a low-income/high-costs indicator modified to include the economically vulnerable households with no heating expenses. According to this statistic the proportion of households in EP during the period 1997-2012 was broadly stable at around 8 per cent. Our simul…
Energy Management and Smart Grids
2013
The paper outlines energy management concepts and the smart grid evolution. The necessity of considering energy management as a crucial innovation in load supplying to permit a more powerful penetration of renewable energy usage at the building and city level and to perform energy savings and CO2 emissions reduction is pointed out. The driving factors to enhance the current power distribution are presented, and the benefits concerning smart grids are underlined. In the paper, a specific energy management analysis is reported by considering all the electric value chain, and the demand-side management and distributed on site control actions are described. To verify the benefit of energy manag…