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In order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in the residential sector, low-carbon-footprint technologies such as heat pumps should be used. To fully exploit solar-assisted heat pumps, an effective control strategy is required. This study employs a low-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant for a water-to-water reversible heat pump, which is assisted by a thermal energy storage tank, photovoltaic (PV) installation, and battery storage system using a dedicated control strategy. The heat pump’s operation is validated against the experimental data. Simulations are carried out for three different climates to analyze the performance of reversible heat pumps across Europe. The reversible heat pump fully meets the summer cooling demand in all three climates, while the heating demand is covered with the help of a backup source. An economic analysis is carried out for three different PV sizes and the results are compared with the reference energy systems. The inclusion of a battery storage system results in high payback times but increases overall flexibility and self-sufficiency. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation program under grant agreement No 814945 (SolBio-Rev). This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia e Innovación de España (PID2021-123511OB-C31-MCIN/AEI/10.13039/501100011033/FEDER, UE).

Il capitolo si sofferma sull’azione rispetto alle norme spiegando come le aspettative sociali ricoprano un ruolo cruciale nella gestione delle informazioni utili per muoverci nell’ambiente in cui viviamo, giacchè ci consentono di ridurre l’incertezza derivante dall’assunzione di determinate scelte, di stimare quali possibili effetti avrà una nostra azione in un determinato tempo e in uno specifico contesto, o ancora di valutare quali possono essere le strategie che possiamo mettere in campo per ridurre la probabilità di una risposta indesiderata da parte degli altri. The chapter focuses on action with respect to the rules, explaining how social expectations play a crucial role in the management of information useful for moving in the environment in which we live, since they allow us to reduce the uncertainty deriving from the assumption of certain choices, of to estimate what possible effects our action will have in a given time and in a specific context, or to evaluate what strategies we can use to reduce the probability of an unwanted response from others.

Introduzione al volume: Legalità, violenza e criminalità organizzata, Centro di studi ed iniziative culturali Pio La Torre, 2020. Introduction to the volume: Legalità, violenza e criminalità organizzata, Centro di studi ed iniziative culturali Pio La Torre, 2020.

The efficient utilization of renewable energy sources should rely on the exploitation of a mix of thermal and electric energy rather than relying on a single energy source. One way to apply this shared generation concept to space heating/cooling and refrigeration in both residential and industrial sector is through hybrid sorption-compression chillers. However, the experience on these systems is still limited and therefore their design and optimization require some efforts. Starting from the experimental experience on the testing of different hybrid cascade chillers, and integrating the measurement with a dynamic model, some considerations on the sizing, design and optimization of hybrid thermal-electric chillers are reported. In particular, design conditions of pre-commercial or commercial systems are evaluated and optimization at different levels is proposed, i.e. on the core components (through the proper design of relative capacities of the units in the cascade and through proper selection of the refrigerant), on the auxiliaries, to reduce their electricity consumption, and on the overall management of the hybrid chiller. Results demonstrated that the higher is the operating temperature lift between evaporator and condenser the higher are the achievable energy savings of a cascade chiller.

Hybrid systems that integrate one or more renewable sources have the potential to increase the share of renewables to satisfy the energy needs of buildings. The EU-funded project SolBio-Rev is developing a novel system based on the use of solar and biomass for heating, cooling, domestic hot water (DHW), and electricity in different building typologies with high flexibility to be adapted in different climates. The system is made of advanced components including solar collectors with thermoelectric generators, a reversible ORC/heat pump, an high efficient biomass boiler and an adsorption chiller. This study includes an assessment of the potential of this system in residential buildings considering both standards and renovated buildings. Results show that the SolBio-Rev systems can cover the demand with a share of renewable of more than 80%, for heating, 100% for DHW and more than 90% for cooling in Mediterranean climates. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 814945 (SolBio-RevThis work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. The authors form University of Lleida would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia.

The present paper analyzed the thermal performance and control optimization of a solar system based on seasonal sorption storage for domestic applications. The system control, which could choose between 41 operational modes, was optimized based on operational costs and maximization of sorption system use. The system was composed by 17.5 m2 of evacuated tube collectors, 3.6 m3 of composite sorbents based on lithium chloride and a stratified water tank. High efficiency of a sorption storage system was obtained when continuous charges or discharges occur, which, in this study, depended on weather conditions (ambient temperature and solar irradiation). The operational economic benefits were maximized using a sorption system with 9% less capacity and, therefore, less storage volume. The sorption thermal energy storage system obtained energy densities of 90 and 106 kWh/m. The whole system could supply 35% of the total thermal demand of a single family house in Nuremberg. The study concluded that the control optimization of a seasonal sorption system is a key factor to make the technology competitive, define its optimal size and, therefore, maximize its energy density in further designs. This project was funded by the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Research and Innovation Programme under grant agreement No. 764025 (SWS-HEATING). This work was partially funded by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación Universidades de España, Spain (RTI2018-093849-B-C31–MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación Universidades–Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (RED2018-102431-T). The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia. This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. Alicia Crespo would also like to acknowledge the financial support of the FI-SDUR grant from the AGAUR of the Generalitat de Catalunya and Secretaria d’Universitats i Recerca del Departament d’Empresa i Coneixement de la Generalitat de Catalunya.

Hybrid energy systems applied to buildings are an effective solution to increase the share of energy produced by renewable sources to satisfy both thermal end electrical energy demand. In this study, the environmental impact of an innovative energy system based on the use of solar energy and biomass for heating, cooling, DHW, and electricity production was evaluated through life-cycle assessment (LCA) and compared to a reference standard system to be used in a multi-family house building located in a continental climate. This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 814945 (SolBio-Rev). This work was partially funded by Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades de España (RTI2018-093849-B-C31 - MCIU/AEI/FEDER, UE) and by the Ministerio de Ciencia, Innovación y Universidades-Agencia Estatal de Investigación (AEI) (RED2018-102431- T- AEI). This work is partially supported by ICREA under the ICREA Academia programme. The authors would like to thank the Catalan Government for the quality accreditation given to their research group (2017 SGR 1537). GREiA is certified agent TECNIO in the category of technology developers from the Government of Catalonia.

The article focuses on some of the dynamics related to the Coronavirus emergency, with particular reference to the effects on mafia-type organisations. The paper also reviews the main income support measures and highlights the trend of some crimes during the pandemic.

The contribution focuses on the analysis of the distribution of skills in the Sicilian Region and the effects of smart working. The objective are: 1) the analysis of the distribution of implicit competences; 2) the evaluation they themselves attribute to the quality of these competences; 3) the relationship existing between these competences, the awareness of them, the evaluation of them and SW.

This paper presents a 12 bit, 4.7 MS/s Digital Feed-Forward Incremental $\Sigma \!\Delta $ - Successive Approximation Register (DFF I- $\Sigma \!\Delta $ -SAR) Analog-to-Digital Converter (ADC) for column readout of image sensors. An input range detection phase and a new switching scheme for the DAC in the first stage allow reaching the desired 4 bit resolution of the I- $\Sigma \!\Delta $ stage with an Over Sampling Ratio (OSR) of 8. A second stage SAR converts the I- $\Sigma \!\Delta $ residue voltage resolving the 8 Least Significant Bits (LSBs). The ADC is integrated in a test chip with a Source Follower (SF) test unit that emulates a pixel array and is fabricated using 2-Poly-4-Metal 130 nm CMOS technology. The ADC operates under 3.3 V/1.2 V supply voltages, achieving a DNL of −0.43/0.62 12 bit LSBs, $356~\mu \text{V}$ rms noise, equivalent to 9.2 bit ENOB at a sampling frequency of 4.7 MS/s with an OSR of 8. The proposed ADC consumes $260.5~\mu \text{W}$ of power, yielding a Walden Figure-of-Merit 94 fJ/c.s.. The core area is $18400~\mu \text{m}^{2}$ .

The need for retrofitting of residential buildings with energy efficient solutions requires for the development of a wide range of solutions, suitable for different climates and buildings. In the present paper, a concept based on a gas-driven sorption heat pumpusinggeothermal source for evaporation is presented. A dynamic lupedparameter model was implemented in Dymola and used to verify the flexibility of the system in terms of response to variable load and comfort conditions. The outcomes of the activity will be used to propose an improved design of the system.

The lack of robust and low-cost sorbent materials still represents a formidable technological barrier for long-term storage of (renewable) thermal energy and more generally for Adsorptive Heat Transformations—AHT. In this work, we introduce a novel approach for synthesizing cement-based composite sorbent materials. In fact, considering the number of available hygrosopic salts that can be accommodated into a cementitious matrix—whose morphological properties can be also fine-tuned—the new proposed in situ synthesis paves the way to the generation of an entire new class of possible sorbents for AHT. Here, solely focusing on magnesium sulfate in a class G cement matrix, we show preliminary morphological, mechanical and calorimetric characterization of sub-optimal material samples. Our analysis enables us to theoretically estimate one of the most important figures of merit for the considered applications, namely the energy density which was found to range within 0.088–0.2 GJ/m3 (for the best tested sample) under reasonable operating conditions for space heating applications and temperate climate. The above estimates are found to be lower than other composite materials in the literature. Nonetheless, although no special material optimization has been implemented, our samples already compare favourably with most of the known materials in terms of specific cost of stored energy. Finally, an interesting aspect is found in the ageing tests under water sorption-desorption cycling, where a negligible variation in the adsorption capability is demonstrated after over one-hundred cycles.

Questo capitolo esamina la consultazione all'interno del processo di policy, presentandone le caratteristiche generali. Vengono trattate nello specifico alcune tecniche di consultazione, evidenziando per ciascuna di esse i punti di forza e di debolezza definiti anche sulla base degli obiettivi conoscitivi che ci si propone di raggiungere e indicando un percorso alquanto pragmatico e operativo. This chapter examines the consultation within the policy process, presenting its general characteristics. Specific consultation techniques are dealt with, highlighting for each of them the strengths and weaknesses defined also on the basis of the cognitive objectives that we intend to achieve and indicating a rather pragmatic and operational path.

In questo capitolo si passano in rasegna i principali concetti che devono essere padroneggiati dal buon valutatore delle politiche pubbliche e gli strumenti che devono far parte della sua cassetta degli attrezzi. Trattando la causazione e l'esperimento vedremo come nel campo delle scienze sociali sia necessario avvalersi di alcuni accorgimenti per disegnare una buona ricerca valutativa. In this chapter we review the main concepts that must be mastered by the good public policy evaluator and the tools that must be part of his toolbox. In dealing with causation and experiment we will see how in the field of social sciences it is necessary to use some precautions to design good evaluative research.

Questo capitolo tratta la valutazione in itinere e il monitoraggio delle policies distinguendone i vari ambiti: parlamentare, normativo, organizzativo ( del personale e delle strutture), finanziario dell'implementazione, dei risultati di prodotto e dei risultati d'impatto. Ci si sofferma inoltre sugli interventi di correzione in corso di attuazione delle politiche pubbliche e infine sul benchmarking. This chapter deals with the ongoing evaluation and monitoring of policies, distinguishing the various areas: parliamentary, regulatory, organizational (of personnel and structures), financial implementation, product results and impact results. We also focus on corrective measures in the course of implementation of public policies and finally on benchmarking.

The present paper reports about the experimental characterization of a recently developed composite sorbent of water, LiCl/vermiculite, for thermal energy storage applications. The sorption ability as well as the thermal storage capacity (TSC) of the material itself were tested in a dedicated TG/DSC apparatus, under two relevant boundary conditions, namely, seasonal (SS) and daily (DS) storage applications. The dynamic behavior of the composite sorbent was tested by means of a G-LTJ apparatus in flat-plate adsorber configuration, under both SS and DS working conditions. Finally, preliminary tests on a lab-scale TES configuration were performed and reported. The main outcomes confirm that the composite is promising for TES applications, reaching the TSC up to 2.15 kJ/g under SS conditions. The stability of the composite was proven for 14 consecutive sorption/desorption cycles under conditions similar to those at real SS and DS cycles. The kinetic adsorption tests confirmed a slowdown of the sorption dynamics when passing from 1.7–2.0 mm to 2.36–2.80 mm of the grain size. Furthermore, the adsorption kinetic under SS mode is faster than of DS one. The preliminary testing in the lab-scale TES at SS cycle allowed getting TSC up to 1.25 kJ/g with a specific power up to 2.1 kW/kg.

The importance of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) inside efficient and renewables-driven systems is growing. While different technologies from traditional sensible TES are entering the market or moving towards commercialisation, a common basis for fair comparison and evaluation of these systems is lacking. Aim of the present paper is the definition of a set of KPIs that can be used for the comparative analysis of different TES. A review of methodologies used for the definition of KPIs in different sectors was realised and a novel methodology, based on the comparative assessment of literature analysis and evaluation of technology roadmaps was proposed. According to this methodology, the technical, socio-economic and environmental constraints defined by researchers and policy makers were identified and translated into KPIs. The set of parameters suggested was then applied to different cases studies within the same application, namely covering heating demand in residential buildings. The different technologies were compared and the results evaluated: a significant non-uniformity in the data available and the way they are presented was found, mainly linked to the different level of maturity of the technologies investigated. This strongly confirmed the need for a shared framework of data definition and reduction. Nonetheless, it was possible to calculate the majority of parameters and derive some general trends, thus proving the effective usefulness of the KPIs defined. (C) 2019 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Aim of the present work is the experimental characterization of a heat exchanger for application in hybrid sorption-compression cycles for air conditioning and refrigeration purposes. An asymmetric plate heat exchanger was evaluated through a dedicated testing rig under combined evaporator-condenser conditions: the condensation heat released by the compression cycle is then used for evaporation of the refrigerant of the sorption cycle. The effect of operating conditions was evaluated and the experimental results, in terms of achievable heat exchanged and overall heat transfer coefficient are here presented