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This paper describes a modelling approach suitable for assessments of future scenarios for renewable energy integration in large and interconnected power systems, based on sequential optimal power flow computations that take into account variability in power consumption, in renewable power production, energy storage, and flexible demand. The approach and the implementation as an open source Python package called Power Grid And Market Analysis is described in some detail. Particular emphasis is put on the modelling of energy storage systems, and the use of storage values as a means to define storage utilisation strategies. A case study representing a 2030 scenario for the Western Mediterranean region is then analysed using this approach. The main aim of this study is to assess the benefit for the system of adding flexibility in terms of storage associated with concentrated solar power or flexible demand. But other results are also presented, such as the resulting energy mix, generation costs, price variations, and grid congestion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This work focuses on projecting wind resources over a marine area that was shortlisted as a possible offshore wind farm site in inshore Maltese territorial waters. Wind measurements conducted over the 24 calendar month period from November 2009 to October 2011 were sourced from an 80 metre wind monitoring mast installed onshore close to the proposed offshore wind farm's location. This study uses a combination of Measure-Correlate-Predict (MCP) techniques in conjunction with commercial Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) software. MCP routines were conducted between an inland reference wind measurement station possessing a long-term wind speed and direction time series and the shorter-term 80 metre wind mast's database; with the latter assuming the role of candidate site. A procedure was followed to generate a long-term wind climatology at the candidate site. This climatology was subsequently used to calibrate CFD flow modelling software to generate a wind resources map within a coastal environment of an island archipelago in the central Mediterranean region. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The most recent European (Directive 2006/32/CE of April 5/2006 relating to the efficiency of the final uses of the energy and the energetic services) and national (Decree 311/06) normatives impose the use of energetic systems more efficient that minimize the use of fossil fuels in comparison to the use of renewable energy. In this research a comparison was developed between the traditional electric equipments (which use vapour compression) and the absorption equipments (powered by solar thermal energy). This comparison was implemented considering the energetic, economic and environmental aspects. This research explores the technical - economic potentialities of solar HVAC systems, with particular reference to those based on the absorption cycles, verifying the possible applications in regions of the Mediterranean area (in particular Madrid, Palermo and Athens). In particular we define an economic index and an environmental-energetic index. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]