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The integration of renewable energy systems in buildings leads to a reduction in energy bills for end users and a reduction in the carbon footprint of such buildings, usually referred to as prosumers. In addition, the installation of charging points for the electric vehicles of people working or living in these buildings can further improve the energy efficiency of the whole system if innovative technologies, such as vehicle-to-building (V2B) technologies, are implemented. The aim of this paper is to present an Energy Management System (EMS) based on mathematical programming that has been developed to optimally manage a prosumer building equipped with photovoltaics, a micro wind turbine and several charging points for electric vehicles. Capabilities curves of renewable power plant inverters are modelled within the EMS, as well as the possibility to apply power curtailment and V2B. The use of V2B technology reduces the amount of electricity purchased from the public grid, while the use of smart inverters for the power plants allows zero reactive power to be drawn from the grid. Levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) is used to quantify curtailment costs, while penalties on reactive power absorption from the distribution network are evaluated in accordance with the current regulatory framework. Specifically, the model is applied to a prosumer building owned by the postal service in a large city in Italy. The paper reports the main results of the study and proposes a sensitivity analysis on the number of charging stations and vehicles, as well as on the consideration of different typical days characterized by different load and generation profiles. This paper also investigates how errors in forecasting energy production from renewable sources impact the optimal operation of the whole system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper deals with the energy transition, focusing on the decisions to be taken about the change in the energy conversion capacity of specified portion of the universe, such as industrial or domestic districts, regions, countries, etc. Conversion capacity is intended here as the set of all energy conversion and storage units characterized by type, size and number, and interacting with the natural gas and electricity grids. The goal is to find guidelines for new installations, obtained by simulations of a model able to describe properly the behavior of each energy conversion technology and the interaction with grids. The model is based on a traditional MILNP approach, but contains unique features in the literature, which allow to obtain results of general validity for applications to very different geographical areas, or to countries including very different regions that transmit energy with each other or export/import it from abroad. The main novelty of this work is to identify the best planning for the decarbonisation of energy demand sectors, according to the criterion of minimum cost, both at global and at regional level. The results applied to the case of Italy allow identifying clearly the energy demand sectors to which new installations should be applied first to minimize the cost for the total energy system, and the units that must be foreseen to satisfy these energy demands, i.e. a precise strategy for the energy transition towards a 100% renewable system. • A multi-regional model is built to find the most convenient energy transition path. • General guidelines for Western countries are derived from the Italian case study. • Replacement of boilers with heat pumps allows increasing RES share from 20 to 30%. • For RES share >60%, PtG is the low-carbon strategy for high temperature heat demand. • Transportation is the last energy sector that should be decarbonized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although it is widely accepted that renewable energy consumption is vital for environmental sustainability, the environmental effectiveness of individual renewable energy types is often overlooked. Therefore, this paper examined the multivariate relationship between disaggregated renewable energy (hydroelectricity, wind, solar and biomass) consumption, economic growth and environmental pollution for the period from 1991 to 2014 in G-7 (The Group of Seven) countries. The study used both augmented mean group estimator and panel bootstrap causality method to consider the cross-sectional dependence and country specific heterogeneity across G-7 countries. Empirical findings indicate that increasing biomass energy consumption was efficient to reduce carbon emission in France, Germany, Japan and the United States; increasing hydroelectricity usage was efficient to reduce carbon emission in Italy and the United Kingdom; wind energy consumption reduced emission in Canada and solar energy usage was efficient on reducing emission in France and Italy for observed period. Moreover, in case of panel, it is found that increasing hydroelectricity, biomass and wind energy consumption reduced carbon emissions while the impact of solar energy consumption is statistically insignificant in G-7 countries. In addition, the hydroelectricity consumption was found the most efficient renewable energy source to reduce environmental pollution for the panel of G-7 countries. • Disaggregated renewable usage consumption and carbon emission nexus is investigated. • Increasing hydroelectricity usage reduces emission in Italy, the UK and the US. • Increasing wind energy usage reduces emission in all G-7 countries excluding Japan. • The effect of solar energy consumption on emissions is statistically insignificant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Italy has reconsidered incentives on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) to implement the EU clean energy transition and Renewable Energy Communities (REC). Legislation on RECs shifted the focus of incentives from production to self-consumptions. In this paper, the REC model is studied in a minor island disconnected from the national grid, with strongly seasonal energy load and water demand. This is a typical Mediterranean scenario where energy demand is covered by Diesel gensets and water supply is provided with tankers. The implementation of RES is investigated, exploiting the current REC model of incentives. Two sub-optimal REC configurations were defined using time-dependent simulations on pyRES, an in-house code for energy systems. Results show the economical unfeasibility of REC when there is a poor mix of users. In contrast, REC can achieve economic profitability including industrial demand of a desalination unit (DES). The increase of self-consumption guaranteed from the DES allows to increase the NPV of the community and results in major cuts in CO 2 emissions (60% of those related to water supply and 10% of those from Diesel gensets) and a reduction of fuel costs of 22%. This method can be applied to investigate the performance of a REC in a local environment and help stakeholders in planning the expansions of RECs on the territory. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this paper a thermoeconomic analysis of a novel hybrid Renewable Polygeneration System connected to a district heating and cooling network is presented. The plant is powered simultaneously by solar and geothermal sources, producing electricity, desalinated water, heat and cooling energy. System layout includes Parabolic Through Collector (PTC) field, geothermal wells, Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) unit and a Multi-Effect Desalination (MED) system. Cooling and thermal demands are calculated by suitable building dynamic simulation models, calibrated for Pantelleria Island. Electrical demand is obtained by measured data. A detailed control strategy has been implemented in order to prevent any heat dissipation, to match the appropriate operating temperature levels in each component, to avoid a too low temperature of geothermal fluid reinjected in the wells and to manage the priority of space heating and cooling process. A 1-year dynamic simulation has been performed and results analyzed on daily, monthly and yearly basis. The system achieved an SPB equal to 8.50 and it resulted capable to cover the energy demands of a small community. Moreover, the plant is capable to cover the fresh water demand of the Pantelleria Island. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current paper contributes to the literature on community renewable energy by considering two projects developed in the north-west of Italy, in the Piedmont region. Community renewable energy is increasingly regarded by academic literature and policy discourse as crucial to ensure a socially and environmentally just energy transition. In spite of the growing diffusion of community renewable energy projects, there is still a lack of theoretically informed analyses. Our article tries to address this gap by combining two theoretical perspectives: the multilevel perspective and the socio-technical imaginaries approach. Applying the first perspective helps reconstruct the context and circumstances that have permitted the Piedmont's energy community projects to emerge. Particular attention is given to the windows of opportunity created by the Regional Law 12/2018, which acknowledged the establishment of energy communities for the first time in Italy. The socio-technical imaginaries perspective allows the identification of collective ideas and meanings that emerge when individuals or groups promote a socio-technical innovation. Based on this analysis, three main future changes are associated with community renewable energy: an integral ecology approach, a stronger sense of community, and a local development opportunity for rural areas characterised by depopulation, a low employment rate, and high energy demand. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Electricity and electrification is a viable solution for the energy transition. • Electricity triangle assures a consistent framework for the energy transition. • Multifaceted benefits: energetic, environmental and socio-economic. • Conceptualization of a set of metrics for impact assessment. • A real case study (Italy) considering its evolution up to 2050. Greenhouse gases along with pollution generated by the present energy paradigm widely based on fossil fuels are providing large impacts in terms of climate change and the health of human and biological systems at large. A shift in the energy paradigm, from fossil fuels to renewable energy, is urgently needed for nature and society. This is what we refer to as the energy transition. An old commodity – electricity – can play a new key role in the energy transition. That can happen through what we call the electricity triangle involving electricity generation from Renewable Energy Sources, exploitation of electricity as the main energy vector, and electrification of the final energy uses in all sectors. The possible deployment of the electricity triangle must be carefully assessed in all its possible implications, from technological, economic, societal and environmental perspectives. In this paper, we conceptualize the electricity triangle as a viable approach to the energy transition, and we propose a set of holistic metrics to assess its possible impacts. We apply the electricity triangle framework to the case of Italy based on sectorial studies on RES generation and electrification in building, industry and transport sectors. Our results indicate that Italy in 2050 has the potential to achieve 85.6% penetration of RES in its electricity supply, while 41%, 53% and 42% of the energy consumptions in transport, residential, and industry sectors will be electrified. Ultimately, this would lead to a 68% reduction in CO 2 emissions compared to current levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Renewable energy sources are environmentally friendly and cost-efficient. However, the problem with these renewable resources is their heavy reliance on weather conditions. Thus, at times, these solutions are not guaranteed to meet the required demand all the time. For this, hybrid microgrids are introduced, which have a combination of both renewable energy sources and non-renewable energy resources. In this paper, a cost-efficient optimization algorithm is proposed that minimizes the use of non-renewable energy sources. It maximizes the use of renewable energy resources by meeting the demand for utility grids. Real data based on the load and demand of the utility grids in Italy is used, and a system that determines the optimal sizing of the microgrid and a daily plan is introduced to optimize the renewable resources operations. As part of the proposal, the objective function for the operation and planning of the microgrid in such a way to minimize cost is formulated. Moreover, a variant of the PSO algorithm named recurrent PSO is implemented. The recurrent PSO algorithm solves the proposed optimization objective function by minimizing the cost for the installation and working of the microgrid. Afterwards, the energy management system algorithm lays out a plan for the daily operation of the microgrid. The performance of the system is evaluated using different state-of-the-art optimization methods. The proposed work can help minimize the use of diesel generators, which not only saves financial resources but also contributes toward a green environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• The current and projected Italian electricity demand and supply is described. • Advantages and disadvantages of a possible reintroduction of nuclear are shown. • Waste management and public opinion resulted the main criticalities. • Major efforts need to be put in the waste management policy. • Communication to public on nuclear energy risk and potentiality should be pursued. Nuclear energy was adopted in Italy in the past to deal with the insufficient fossil fuels on the national territory. After a public vote subsequent to the Chernobyl accident, Italy abandoned the use of nuclear energy and nowadays adopts a mix of fossil fuels and renewable energy sources for electricity production. However, the urging environmental pollution and climate change issues are forcing Italy to realize a so-called "energy transition" towards a more sustainable energy production and consumption system. In this framework, following the examples of other countries, it could be re-evaluated the adoption of nuclear to reduce the consumption of fossil fuels. In the present paper, it is presented an overview of the nuclear energy history in Italy and the current and projected electricity demand and supply. Then, with reference to the Italian framework and policies, the main advantages and disadvantages of a hypothetical reintroduction of nuclear energy are presented. The analysis shows that the adoption of nuclear energy would bring several advantages in terms of lower emissions, higher security of supply and enabling of possible other technologies; the main disadvantages are related to the opposing public opinion and the nuclear waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

EU targets for sustainable development call for strong changes in the current energy systems as well as committed protection of environmental resources. This target conflicts if a policy is not going to promote the compatible solutions to both the issues. This is the case of the additional renewable energy sources to be exploited for increasing the share in the electricity mix and in the gross final energy consumption. Solar energy is, currently, the cheapest solution in Southern European Countries, like Italy. In this paper, thanks to the availability of three open databases provided by National Institutions, the authors compared the historic trends and policy scenarios for soil consumption, electricity consumption, and renewable electricity production to check correlations. The provincial scale was chosen as resolution of the analysis. The deviations from the policy scenarios was then addressed to identify the demand for policy recommendations and pathways to promote in order to achieve the target for renewable electricity share as well as the reduction in soli consumption trend in 2030. The role of renewables integrated in the existing contexts, such as building integrated photovoltaics, is considered a key driver for solving this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]