The energy policy approach is carrying out a long-time renewal process of the electric and in general energy framework. The energy spent in commercial, residential, and institutional buildings is a great amount (in EU is estimated about 40% of total energy consumption and about 90% in high-density urban areas) [1]. The general encouragement of the rational use of energy, also for residential users, introduced the new approach of the nearly zero-energy buildings (NZEBs) by the European energy performance of buildings directive (EPBD) [3]. NZEB means a building that has a very high energy performance, as determined in accordance with Annex I of Directive [3]. The nearly zero or very low amount of energy required should be covered to a very significant extent by energy from renewable sources, favoring energy from renewable sources produced on-site or nearby. Let us note that the major appliances (both white and brown goods) and other electric loads not fixed (equipment supplied by plugs) are not taken into account in the NZEB qualification. The EPBD requires all new buildings to be NZEBs by the end of 2020 (public buildings must be NZEBs by 2018). A building may reach the NZEB qualification through a complex of efficient technical building systems (TBSs), building automation control system (BACS), and renewable sources, besides a very high energy performance given by envelope insulation and other passive measures [4] . The TBSs that must be provided vary with the type of building, but will generally include a building electric service and power distribution system to serve the loads, a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system, a domestic hot water (DHW) system, electronic safety and security systems, and a communication system (ICT). The extremely low amount of energy that NZEBs require (energy spent ES2) comes mostly from renewable local sources (energy generated ERES) like: photovoltaic (PV), ground-source heat pumps (GSHP) or thermal solar systems

No abstract

This paper deals with the relevance of analyzing the necessary development and of proposing a plan for research and remodeling the electrical infrastructures of port facilities. Good energy management principles, as well as electrical distribution architecture have a vital impact on performance of the installed system throughout its life cycle. The ports are the interface of maritime transport and are integrated in the surrounding land. They are required to arrange their electrical power distribution system, possibly in microgrids, that is, as a “utility” system, appropriate and adequate even to power the ship from shore. Harbors must have an energy master plan and their areas have to be considered as a unique customer. The energy management of a port area may be a great business opportunity for the port authority, which until now was not, involving different stakeholders who may benefit from service, including the same power utility company that benefits from the optimization and control of the energy flows

No abstract

No abstract

Contrary to expectations, the development of smart (mini) grids is slow. Due to drastic improvements in innovative technologies, the reasons are not strictly technical but the problem mainly lies in regulatory barriers. The current business models are centric to utilities rather than customers. Net metering is a key enabling factor for smart (mini) grids. This paper addresses the economic benefits of net metering for individual residential customers. Energy demand for the individual apartments and common areas is calculated using the daily energy consumption behavior of occupants for typical days of each month of the year. Photovoltaic generation is estimated via PVGIS for a residential building in Italy. The proposed net metering scheme is applied on the aggregate energy demand of selected building without any modification in the current energy billing and net metering tariffs. Results show the noticeable difference in the savings of individual apartments

The use of energy storage with high power density and fast response time at container terminals (CTs) with a power demand of tens of megawatts is one of the most critical factors for peak reduction and economic benefits. Peak shaving can balance the load demand and facilitate the participation of small power units in generation based on renewable energies. Therefore, in this paper, the economic efficiency of peak demand reduction in ship to shore (STS) cranes based on the ultracapacitor (UC) energy storage sizing has been investigated. The results show the UC energy storage significantly reduce the peak demand, increasing the load factor, load leveling, and most importantly, an outstanding reduction in power and energy cost. In fact, the suggested approach is the start point to improve reliability and reduce peak demand energy consumption.

No abstract