Search results for "saving"
showing 10 items of 192 documents
Evaluation of the Thermodynamic Performance of the Traditional Passive Systems
2013
The energy consumption of buildings in urban areas is one of the greatest source of energy wasting and, consequently, of increasing of CO2 emission. Research is currently focused on the reduction of this consumption through the use of passive air-conditioning systems, that can be integrated with conventional systems and give rise to the so-called hybrid systems. Historically, these passive systems were developed in the Mediterranean and Middle East area. The research approach on this topic involves the application of design strategies and the development of computational tools and control systems. The development of the hybrid systems is the result of the synergy between current scientific …
Integration of Dye-Sensitized Solar Cells with Glassblock
2012
The paper will show the first results of a research (included in a larger work about the Improvement of glassblocks performance in order to use them for the construction of sustainable translucent building envelops even in Mediterranean and Tropical Areas) aimed to the integration of glassblock with the DSC technology. Glassblock is a high-performance type of glass in the field of sustainable architectural claddings: the process of deposition of the cells on the single glassblock, their best position and the performance of this new kind of glassblock, DSC integrated, will be discussed in the paper in terms of transmittance, light transmission and aesthetical effects, together with the probl…
Software for the heat flow evaluation of the nearly-zero houses
2015
The windows in a building are the weakest part for energy saving and reduced consumption. In particular, the choice of window frames and glazing systems directly influences the amount of heat loss through a houses envelope. The paper will show the results of a work developed by PADesign srl company (Accademic Spin off of the Università degli Studi di Palermo). This is a software tool that allows a rapid comparison about the windows thermal performances, by calculating the global thermal transmittance and by showing the trend of the heat flow. The tool has a simple graphical interface that allows the users to select the climate data, the window typologies, the geometric features and the mate…
“Hypotheses of Integration of DSC into the Glassblock for teh Construction of Translucent Building Envelope”
2012
New configurations of the glassblock have been designed at the Department of Architecture of the University of Palermo in order to reduce its U value responding to the latest national and international regulation limits for the thermal insulation of the buildings with glass façades. One of these new configurations consists in the insertion of a special plastic "belt" between the two glass shells composing the glassblock, which have to be glued to it (cold assembly); the plastic belt effectively interrupts the thermal bridge between the two glass shells. Thanks to the particular design of its shape, the "thermal belt" can be also used for the insertion of one or more additional sheets of dif…
Energy savings in building restoration - an applicative case
2012
Italy has a historical and architectural heritage which consists mainly of buildings built in different historical period. These buildings are today characterized by some aspects of functional distribution and comfort, which need rehabilitation. This is related to the change thinking on a more comfortable distribution of spaces, and improving the sustainability of buildings. These issues have spurred the study of methods to improve the distribution of spaces, the performance of indoor comfort and the energy efficiency in the full respect of materiality and aesthetics of the building. Therefore, the aim of this rehabilitation is improving the indoor comfort, the energy efficiency and the env…
OPTIMIZATION OF COGENERATION PLANT FOR APPLICATIONS IN FOOD INDUSTRY
2013
Cogeneration systems represent an effective solution for optimizing energy performance of users with contemporary thermal and electrical energy demand. An energy audit of an industrial pasta factory equipped with a cogeneration system natural gas fuelled has carried out along last two years. This CHP plant, with a 650 kWe capacity, currently covers a relevant fraction of the electric and high-temperature heat loads during peak hours, while it is switched off during off-peak hours because of the much lower electricity price. Heat content of flue gases is recovered by two cascaded gas-diathermic oil and diathermic oil- water heat exchangers; the superheated water obtained is then supplied to …
Fostering the energy efficiency through the energy savings: The case of the University of Palermo
2019
This paper reports the strategy implemented by the Palermo University (Italy) aimed at fostering the energy performance of its campus, particularly towards financing energy saving measures. The basic idea is that the money saved through the energy efficiency actions, constitute the main flywheel to fund further savings and energy efficiency interventions. Results of this paper might bring a useful contribution to the energy planning of cities, since campuses may be regarded as emblematic case study of what can be done in cities because they reproduce, at a little scale, the functioning of wider urban contexts.
An Innovative Photovoltaic Luminescent Solar Concentrator Window: Energy and Environmental Aspects
2022
Over the years, different types of smart windows have been tested and developed. In this study, an innovative prototype of a photovoltaic smart window, that integrates luminescent solar concentrators, was analysed. The device independently regulates the movement of the shading system and allows energy surplus, through the electricity generated by modules. Considering the peculiar structure (characterized by the presence of a light shelf) and the thermal characteristics of the device, the analyses focused on optical, thermal, and electrical performances, comparing them with those of a traditional window. The analysis followed an experimental approach that involved lighting and electrical mon…
Energy Saving Optimizing the Ventilation Control in a Big Shopping Center
2018
The paper investigates the potential energy savings in the context of big shopping centers, thanks to the introduction of innovative technologies able to control the ventilation according the real requirement for comfort and health of indoor spaces. The case study analyses a big shopping center, where the ventilation is realized with a centralized air-conditioning plant, working with fixed air flows. Two solutions are proposed to reduce the energy consumption for ventilation. The first considers the installation of heat recovery exchangers, the second the introduction of a control system able to modulate the air exchange, according to the real requirements. An energetic and economic evaluat…
Monitoring the urban environment: developing a mixed (fix and mobile) observatory on the urban quality control
2005
An integrated network of monitoring was developed by the authors from 2002. A wide knowledge of the space and time distribution of the environmental data can be acquired integrating the network of fixed stations (were each environmental parameter is collected) with a number of sensors installed on public transport means (were, at the present time, only some parameters are collected). All citizens of the involved local governments will benefit from an increased awareness of environmental quality and their effects on health. The system could be considered as a decision support system and a tool of knowledge dissemination. The aims of the system is to define a standard protocol for monitoring …