The history of the cities shows as disinterest towards suburbs and bad government produced degradation in all the Countries of the planet. The project - Energy of the Memory - is located into the Agricultural Park in the south area of Milan. The project integrates the secular witness of the farms into the landscape by raising awareness of the generations for the culture of safeguard of the park, and for a cutting-edge production. Within this "geographic restoration" there is the integration of a matrix energy linked to water. The project gives indications of territorial policy and involves the re-use of architectural and hydric systems, with a new vocation for workshops and ecoterritorial museums. The project, funded through the production of clean energy, aims to become a research center for energy technology. Small and timely interventions, scattered and culturally incorporated, could produce gains in both environmental and economic, as well as employment and cultural activities. A better future for a magnificent territory, starting from what already exists, imagining a possible world, made of new energy and old memories.
Biomasses and their possible use as energy resource are of great interest today, and the general problem of energy resources as well. In the present study the key questions of the convenience, from both energy and economy standpoints, have been addressed without any bias: the problem has been handled starting from "philosophical" bases disregarding any pre-settled ideology or political trend, but simply using mathematical approaches as logical tools for defining balances in a right way. In this context quantitative indexes such as LCA and EROEI have been widely used, together with multicriteria methods (such as ELECTRE) as decision supporting tools. This approach permits to remove mythologies, such as the unrealistic concept of clean energy, or the strange idea of biomasses as a magic to solve every thing in the field of the energy. As a consequence the present study aims to find any relevant aspect potentially useful for the society, looking at any possible source of energy without prejudices but without unrealistic expectations too. For what concerns biomasses, we studied in great details four very different cases of study, in order to have a scenario as various as much we can. A relevant result is the need to use biomasses together with other more efficient sources, especially recovering by-products from silviculture activities: but attention should be paid to the transportation and environmental costs. Another relevant result is the very difficult possibility of reliable evaluation of dedicated cultures as sources for "biomasses for energy": the problem has to be carefully evaluated case-by-case, because what seems useful in a context, becomes totally disruptive in another one. In any case the concept itself of convenience is not well defined at a level of macrosystem: it seems more appropriate to limit this very concept at a level of microsystem, considering that what sounds fine in a limited well defined microsystem may cause great damage in another slightly different, or even very similar, microsystem. This approach seems the right way to solve the controversy about the concept of convenience.
Nowadays energy transition is a recurring topic, which describes the process of an energy system moving from fossil-based sources towards renewables. The transition can unfold at different levels, from the single initiative of a local com-munity to a complex cross-border agreement. The latter type is well represented by EUSALP, the European macro-regional strategy for the Alpine region. One of its aims is to transform its territory into a model region for energy efficiency and renewable energy. To support a well-informed decision making process, this study provides the first insight about the status quo of energy balances in EUSALP, at local as well as aggregated level. Moreover, it offers an overview on the various energy targets defined by the territorial units that constitute the EUSALP region. Data has been retrieved via a bottom-up quality-oriented process consisting of (i) a survey targeted at responsible person in local energy departments; and (ii) data control and harmonization. We found that the EUSALP region is actually a model region only in clean power production, whereas starting point as well as energy targets of territories are highly heterogeneous. We al-so identified the need of more harmonized data collection methodologies. We conclude that this bottom-up process can support and legitimate policy makers in cross-border cooperation activities under a smart macro-regional energy strategy, which pursues an increment in energy savings, renewable energy production and a broad engagement of relevant stakeholders. DOI: http://dx.medra.org/10.19254/LaborEst.16.13
The Phd thesis undertakes to analyse the regulation of licenses in the setting of alternative-energy law. The research is focused about the tension between the interest in the exploitation of clean resources and the interest in the government of the areas and protection of the landscape. The most important licence for the realization of plants for the production of alternative energy is analysed under the procedural aspects and the aspects of the substantive law, as well does the jurisprudence.
The paper presents a discussion on the role of transport in climate change. Unlike other sectors of economic activity in Europe, we witnessed an increase in the amount of CO2 emissions released in the atmosphere in the last three decades due to transport, pushing European leaders to take actions to counteract this trend. We argue that the decarbonisation of transport can take place by the public decision maker through carbon pricing policies, defining emission standards and stimulating technological innovations, such as the use of biofuels, hydrogen and electromobility. We focus on the case of the European Union which outlined the need to embark on a new economic, social and political paradigm in December 2019 through the European Green Deal, with the ultimate goal of reaching the complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions by 2050. The paper highlights the progress of member states towards decarbonisation in the period between 2015 and 2018 and explains how they plan to achieve the emissions and energy efficiency targets set by the European Commission for 2030. The examination of the National Energy and Climate Plan highlights that the two main paths member states took to achieve carbon neutrality are the use of biofuels and the uptake of electric vehicles. The work underlines how difficult it is to undertake an analysis of possible scenarios towards decar-bonisation because there are factors tightly connected with the possibility to achieve often radical techno-logical innovations. We emphasize how important it is to devote public resources to information campaigns on the evolution of clean technologies and on the need to spread the of environmental sustainability to the broadest share of the population. ; Il contributo presenta una discussione sul ruolo dei trasporti nel cambiamento climatico. A differenza degli altri settori di attività economica, quello dei trasporti ha visto crescere in Europa nel corso degli ultimi tre decenni la quantità di emissioni di CO2 rilasciata nell'atmosfera, ponendo i leader euro-pei di fronte alla necessità di dar vita ad azioni atte a contrastare questa tendenza. Sosteniamo che la decarbonizzazione dei trasporti può avvenire da parte del decisore pubblico attraverso politiche di carbon pricing, definendo standard di emissione e stimolando le innovazioni tecnologiche, come il ricorso ai biocarburanti, l'idrogeno e l'elettromobilità. L'Unione Europea ha delineato la necessità di imboccare un nuovo paradigma economico, sociale e politico nel dicembre 2019 attraverso la reda-zione dello European Green Deal, con l'obiettivo ultimo di giungere al 2050 al completo annullamento delle emissioni di gas ad effetto serra. Il contributo evidenzia i progressi dei Paesi membri verso la decarbonizzazione nel periodo tra il 2015 e il 2018 ed espone come gli stessi contano di raggiungere gli obiettivi di emissioni ed efficientamento energetico stabiliti dalla Commissione Europea per il 2030. L'esame dei Piani Nazionali Integrati per l'Energia e il Clima evidenzia che le due principali strade imboccate dagli stati membri per raggiungere la neutralità carbonica sono il ricorso ai biocarburanti e la diffusione dei veicoli elettrici. Il lavoro sottolinea come sia arduo realizzare un'analisi sui possibili scenari verso la decarbonizzazione perché vi sono fattori fortemente connessi con la possibilità di realizzare innovazioni tecnologiche spesso radicali. Il lavoro sostiene l'importanza di dedicare risorse pubbliche a campagne informative sull'evoluzione delle tecnologie pulite e sulla necessità di diffonde-re la cultura della sostenibilità ambientale ai più ampi strati della popolazione.
Transport processes between aquaculture facilities activate the stress response in fish. To deal with these situations, the hypothalamic-pituitary-interrenal (HPI) axis releases cortisol, leading to an increase in circulating energy resources to restore homeostasis. However, if the allostatic load generated exceeds fish tolerance limits, stress-related responses will compromise health and welfare of the animals. In this context, anesthetics have arisen as potential agents aiming to reduce negative effects of stress response. Here we assessed the effects of a sedative dose of clove oil (CO) and MS-222 on hallmarks involved in HPI axis regulation and energy management after simulated transport, and further recovery, in gilthead seabream (Sparus aurata L.) juveniles. Fish were placed in a mobile setup of water tanks where transport conditions were simulated for 6 h. Sedation doses of either CO (2.5 mg L−1) or MS-222 (5 mg L−1) were added in the water tanks. A control group without anesthetics was also included in the setup. Half of the animals (n = 12 per group) were sampled immediately after transport, while remaining animals were allowed to recover for 18 h in clean water tanks and then sampled. Our results showed that the HPI axis response was modified at peripheral level, with differences depending on the anesthetic employed. Head kidney gene-expressions related to cortisol production (star and cyp11b1) matched concomitantly with increased plasma cortisol levels immediately after transport in CO-sedated fish, but these levels remained constant in MS-222-sedated fish. Differential changes in the energy management of carbohydrates, lipids and amino acids, depending on the anesthetic employed, were also observed. The use of CO stimulated amino acids catabolism, while MS-222-sedated fish tended to consume liver glycogen and mobilize triglycerides. Further studies, including alternative doses of both anestethics, as well as the assessment of time-course HPI activation and longer recovery periods, are necessary to better understand if the use of clove oil and MS-222 is beneficial for S. aurata under these circumstances. ; This work was funded by Spanish Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities - MICINN (AGL2013-48835-C2-1-R and AGL2016-76069-C2-1-R) awarded to JM. IJ-C is currently supported by a contract of Trainee Predoctoral Research Staff from the University of Cádiz (PIF UCA/REC02VIT/2014; 2018-011/PU/AY.PUENTE/CD). The authors (IJ-C, IR-J, JM-S, and JM) belong to the Fish Welfare and Stress Network (AGL2016-81808-REDT), supported by the Agencia Estatal de Investigación (MICINN, Spanish Government).
The problem of atmospheric air pollution, caused by the Internal Combustion Engines (ICEs), has never been greater than today. Car manufacturers, driven by more and more stringent legislations, are continuously forced to find proper technical solutions to deal with this challenge, without giving up on the high standards regarding engine performance. In particular, the new emission limit for the CO2 recently set for the 2026, with a target of 80 g/km of CO2 along the WLTC, has never pushed so much the automotive manufacturers in developing innovative and clean solutions to improve the fuel economy of the vehicle fleets. However, how to solve this problem is still an open debate. On the one hand, the complete disappearance in few years of the ICE-based propulsion systems in the automotive sector, replaced by fuel cell and/or Battery Electric Vehicles (BEVs) seems to be expected. On the other hand, several analyses declare that potential benefits of a BEV cannot be easily defined. Indeed, if the CO2 formed during the entire vehicle life cycle is considered, the emissions from the two antagonist vehicles become comparable, to such an extent that ICE-based vehicles could be even better than the "zero-emission" alternatives. As often happen, the truth is somewhere in-between, hence, it should be expected in the years to come rather than a pure electric or ICE-based mobility a scenario characterized by variegated technologies that are best suited to the contest in which they are employed. This means that ICE-based vehicles, HEVs, PHEVs, BEVs or even Fuel Cell based vehicles, will coexist in the market for a long time, pushing car manufactures to overcome the limits related to each technology. On the light of the above concerns, the topic of this research activity is to numerically investigate, through a hierarchical simulation-level approach, innovative SI engines, eventually suitable for hybrid powertrains, with a strongly reduced CO2 impact. To this aim, two different ICEs are analyzed, assessing their CO2 emission along the WLTC. The former is a downsized turbocharged VVA 2-cylinder engine, for a conventional vehicle application, defining the reference for the state of art of ICE-based propulsion system. The latter is an innovative 4-cylinder SI engine, equipped with an active pre-chamber ignition system, which guarantees an ultra-lean operation all over the engine operating range. Here, HEV/PHEV architectures are considered for the vehicle simulation. Additionally, the potential fuel economy as well as CO2 benefits, coming from Connected and Automated Vehicles (CAV), are investigated through a numerical methodology able to benchmark these last on a real world-scenario. The simulation efforts carried out to assess the previous objectives is mainly effected in a 0D/1D modelling environment, where the whole engine system is schematized through a network of 1D pipes and 0D cylinders, the latter described in term of in-house developed quasi-dimensional models of the in-cylinder phenomena. In particular, the flame propagation in the conventional engine is modeled according to a well-assessed version of the fractal combustion model developed at the University of Naples Federico II. Whereas, for the pre-chamber engine, a dedicated and innovative procedure, still based on the fractal theory, is developed, since, differently from conventional SI ICEs, only a few predictive combustion models were available in the current literature at the beginning of this activity. The reliability of the overall simulation models is checked for both the engines through the comparisons with 3D or experimental data, using a unique engine-dependent set of tuning constants. Once verified that the physics included in the model is accurate enough to guarantee a good agreement, the model is utilized as a predictive tool for deriving the complete performance maps of both a conventional and a pre-chamber engine. To this aim, a Rule-Based (RB) calibration strategy is also implemented in both the models to identify the optimal values of each control variable in whole operating plane. Of course, the reliability of the RB calibration is demonstrated, too, through the comparison with the outcomes of a general-purpose optimizer, for both the engine architectures. The RB methodology demonstrates to furnish control parameter close to the optimizer, in a very limited computational time. Finally, the engine maps are embedded in vehicle simulations to quantify the CO2 emission over a WLTC, for many different engine and vehicles architectures. In parallel to the above activities, a dedicated off-line Energy Management Strategy, named ETESS, for the HEV is also developed aiming to minimize the CO2 emission along a prescribed mission. The ETESS is compared with the well-known Pontryagin Minimum Principle (PMP) in terms of management of the control units and vehicle performance outcomes. Although the ETESS can only furnish a sub-optimal solution, the reduced computational time to the respect of the PMP suggests the possibility to implement it for an on-line application, with limited penalization. The results carried out in this research activity show that the ICE-based system can reach 94.81g/km CO2 along the WTLC. However, this value is still far away from the EU target of 80 g/km CO2 of 2026. On the contrary, PHEV architecture combined with a pre-chamber engine, able to achieve a maximum Indicted Thermal Efficiency (ITE) around 50%, attains a CO2 emission equal to 43.0 g/km along the same regulatory driving cycle. Although this impressive result, it has to remark that in the current regulation the CO2 emissions necessary for charging the battery is not included, leading to a not representative enough results of the real condition. On the contrary, the HEV configuration reaches 88.8 g/km CO2, very close to the EU ambitious target, suggesting that the combination of these two technologies could be a suitable solution for the years to come. Additionally, connected and autonomous vehicle, thanks to the possibility to use the look-ahead information from the route can further improve the CO2 reduction of about 15-17%, respect to a vehicle not equipped with this technology.
