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Mr. Francesco Montana
Università degli studi di Palermo

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0 HVAC
0 Optimization
0 Renewable Energy Systems
0 Ventilation
0 LCA

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Optimization
Ventilation
renewable energy sources
microgrid
Renewable energies

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Journal article
Published: 22 September 2020 in Sustainability
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While the operational energy use of buildings is often regulated in current energy saving policies, their embodied greenhouse gas emissions still have a considerable mitigation potential. The study aims at developing a multi-objective optimization method for design and renovation of buildings incorporating the operational and embodied energy demands, global warming potential, and costs as objective functions. The optimization method was tested on the renovation of an apartment building in Denmark, mainly focusing envelope improvements as roof and exterior wall insulation and windows. Cellulose insulation has been the predominant result, together with fiber cement or aluminum-based cladding and 2-layered glazing. The annual energy demand has been reduced from 166.4 to a range between 76.5 and 83.7 kWh/(m2 y) in the optimal solutions. The fact that the legal requirements of 70 kWh/(m2 y) are nearly met without building service improvements indicates that energy requirements can be fulfilled without compromising greenhouse gas emissions and cost. Since the method relies on standard national performance reporting tools, the authors believe that this study is a preliminary step towards more cost-efficient and low-carbon building renovations by utilizing multi-optimization techniques.

ACS Style

Francesco Montana; Kai Kanafani; Kim Bjarne Wittchen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Sonia Longo; Maurizio Cellura; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe. Sustainability 2020, 12, 7807 .

AMA Style

Francesco Montana, Kai Kanafani, Kim Bjarne Wittchen, Harpa Birgisdottir, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (18):7807.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Francesco Montana; Kai Kanafani; Kim Bjarne Wittchen; Harpa Birgisdottir; Sonia Longo; Maurizio Cellura; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. 2020. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Building Life Cycle Performance. A Housing Renovation Case Study in Northern Europe." Sustainability 12, no. 18: 7807.

Journal article
Published: 04 September 2020 in Energies
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Although decarbonisation is one of the most important macro-trends of this century, electricity generation from coal power plants is still broadly common. The main goal of this study is to evaluate the impact of a premature coal power plants phase-out on the Italian day-ahead electricity market. For this purpose, two electricity price forecasts, related to different scenarios between 2019 and 2030, and two different hypotheses for the creation of electricity spot price, were compared. The results from the different scenarios show that coal power plants phase-out determines a small variation in electricity price when bid-up is not considered; instead, when operators’ bid-up is included in the study, the price variation becomes relevant.

ACS Style

Michele Fiorelli; Dogan Keles; Francesco Montana; Giovanni Lorenzo Restifo; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino; Gaetano Zizzo. Evaluation of the Administrative Phase-Out of Coal Power Plants on the Italian Electricity Market. Energies 2020, 13, 4596 .

AMA Style

Michele Fiorelli, Dogan Keles, Francesco Montana, Giovanni Lorenzo Restifo, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, Gaetano Zizzo. Evaluation of the Administrative Phase-Out of Coal Power Plants on the Italian Electricity Market. Energies. 2020; 13 (18):4596.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Michele Fiorelli; Dogan Keles; Francesco Montana; Giovanni Lorenzo Restifo; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino; Gaetano Zizzo. 2020. "Evaluation of the Administrative Phase-Out of Coal Power Plants on the Italian Electricity Market." Energies 13, no. 18: 4596.

Conference paper
Published: 01 June 2020 in 2020 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2020 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe)
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Vietnam energy demand is currently growing at a very high annual rate, with the government being very interested in investments in renewable energies. Since the region with the highest solar and wind potential is far away from the big load centers, an investigation of offshore energy resources is here proposed. In this study, a review of previous energy potential assessments is provided. Moreover, the minimum feed-in-tariff to make the investments profitable is evaluated, showing that the current tariff for offshore wind plants is largely unattractive.

ACS Style

Domenico Curto; Binh Van Doan; Vincenzo Franzitta; Francesco Montana; Ninh Quang Nguyen; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Wave and Wind Energy Systems Integration in Vietnam: Analysis of Energy Potential and Economic Feasibility. 2020 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2020 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) 2020, 1 -6.

AMA Style

Domenico Curto, Binh Van Doan, Vincenzo Franzitta, Francesco Montana, Ninh Quang Nguyen, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Wave and Wind Energy Systems Integration in Vietnam: Analysis of Energy Potential and Economic Feasibility. 2020 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2020 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe). 2020; ():1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Curto; Binh Van Doan; Vincenzo Franzitta; Francesco Montana; Ninh Quang Nguyen; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. 2020. "Wave and Wind Energy Systems Integration in Vietnam: Analysis of Energy Potential and Economic Feasibility." 2020 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2020 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) , no. : 1-6.

Journal article
Published: 10 September 2019 in Energies
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The design of multi-carrier energy systems (MESs) has become increasingly important in the last decades, due to the need to move towards more efficient, flexible, and reliable power systems. In a MES, electricity, heating, cooling, water, and other resources interact at various levels, in order to get optimized operation. The aim of this study is to identify the optimal combination of components, their optimal sizes, and operating schedule allowing minimizing the annual cost for meeting the energy demand of Pantelleria, a Mediterranean island. Starting from the existing energy system (comprising diesel generators, desalination plant, freshwater storage, heat pumps, and domestic hot water storages) the installation of solar resources (photovoltaic and solar thermal) and electrical storage were considered. In this way, the optimal scheduling of storage units injections, water desalination operation, and domestic hot water production was deduced. An energy hub model was implemented using MATLAB to represent the problem. All equations in the model are linear functions, and variables are real or integer. Thus, a mixed integer linear programming algorithm was used for the solution of the optimization problem. Results prove that the method allows a strong reduction of operating costs of diesel generators also in the existing configuration.

ACS Style

Manfredi Crainz; Domenico Curto; Vincenzo Franzitta; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Rossano Musca; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino; Enrico Telaretti; Riva Sanseverino. Flexibility Services to Minimize the Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels. A Case Study in a Mediterranean Small Island. Energies 2019, 12, 3492 .

AMA Style

Manfredi Crainz, Domenico Curto, Vincenzo Franzitta, Sonia Longo, Francesco Montana, Rossano Musca, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino, Enrico Telaretti, Riva Sanseverino. Flexibility Services to Minimize the Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels. A Case Study in a Mediterranean Small Island. Energies. 2019; 12 (18):3492.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Manfredi Crainz; Domenico Curto; Vincenzo Franzitta; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Rossano Musca; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino; Enrico Telaretti; Riva Sanseverino. 2019. "Flexibility Services to Minimize the Electricity Production from Fossil Fuels. A Case Study in a Mediterranean Small Island." Energies 12, no. 18: 3492.

Conference paper
Published: 01 June 2019 in 2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe)
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This work describes a methodology for the identification of the optimal features for the envelope of a residential building. The optimization process allows minimizing operating energy consumption, investment costs and life cycle energy and environmental embodied impacts. A dynamic model for the estimation of building energy consumption during its use phase has been employed, while literature data were adopted for embodied energy and global warming potential impacts. The considered variables refer to the envelope of the building, i.e. external walls and roof insulation and external walls thermal mass. The model was obtained combining EnergyPlus building energy simulator and MOBO, a versatile freeware that allows running the optimization of building features. The optimization was solved using NSGA II, a widespread adopted multi-objective genetic algorithm available in MOBO. The same building was simulated in two different climatic zones, namely Palermo (Italy) and Copenhagen (Denmark), in order to compare differences attained in the optimal solutions. The case study shows that the adoption of glass wool for the roof insulation and small concrete layers for external walls are to be preferred, providing optimal results in both climates. The present work was developed within the framework of IEA EBC Annex 72.

ACS Style

Maurizio Cellura; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Building Envelope Optimization through a Life Cycle Assessment Approach. 2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) 2019, 1 -6.

AMA Style

Maurizio Cellura, Sonia Longo, Francesco Montana, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. Multi-Objective Building Envelope Optimization through a Life Cycle Assessment Approach. 2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe). 2019; ():1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Maurizio Cellura; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. 2019. "Multi-Objective Building Envelope Optimization through a Life Cycle Assessment Approach." 2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) , no. : 1-6.

Conference paper
Published: 01 June 2019 in 2019 IEEE Milan PowerTech
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This study is focused on the optimization of the annual cost and greenhouse impact related to the supply of natural gas and electricity of an urban microgrid through the installation of components as renewable energy sources, energy storage units and converters. As input parameters of the optimization model, the energy demand of a medium density urban district was estimated, while average costs and emissions of equipment were collected in market reports and literature. The outputs of the model are the optimal size and the schedule of each component. Moreover, optimization analysis was carried out for two different scenarios, comparing Italian and Vietnamese energy system cost and environmental features, in order to understand how the optimization process is affected by different climatic and socio-economic input conditions.

ACS Style

N. Cannata; M. Cellura; S. Longo; Francesco Montana; E. Riva Sanseverino; Q. L. Luu; N. Q. Nguyen. Multi-Objective Optimization of Urban Microgrid Energy Supply According to Economic and Environmental Criteria. 2019 IEEE Milan PowerTech 2019, 1 -6.

AMA Style

N. Cannata, M. Cellura, S. Longo, Francesco Montana, E. Riva Sanseverino, Q. L. Luu, N. Q. Nguyen. Multi-Objective Optimization of Urban Microgrid Energy Supply According to Economic and Environmental Criteria. 2019 IEEE Milan PowerTech. 2019; ():1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

N. Cannata; M. Cellura; S. Longo; Francesco Montana; E. Riva Sanseverino; Q. L. Luu; N. Q. Nguyen. 2019. "Multi-Objective Optimization of Urban Microgrid Energy Supply According to Economic and Environmental Criteria." 2019 IEEE Milan PowerTech , no. : 1-6.

Journal article
Published: 11 May 2019 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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This paper investigates energy saving measures for the ventilation system of large shopping centers. This kind of buildings is characterized by high yearly energy consumptions, because of the high level of operating hours and the frequent use of obsolete technologies. In the analyzed case studies, three big Do It Yourself (DIY) shops, located in Italy, are considered. Two different approaches are considered, they are aimed at reducing the annual energy consumption for the indoor air exchange of the sales area. The first considered retrofit solution consists in the installation of heat recovery exchangers, reducing the energy demand for the air thermal treatment without changing the airflow value. In the second scenario, smart air quality sensors are inputs for the modulation of the air exchange rate according to the actual requirement for indoor air quality. In a third scenario, the application of both retrofit solutions is considered. For each scenario, the paper reports the yearly energy savings, the avoided CO2 emissions and cost saving indicators. Furthermore, as the three shops are equipped with different heating systems and are located in different parts of Italy, a technological and climatic comparison is provided.

ACS Style

Domenico Curto; Vincenzo Franzitta; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Elenora Riva Sanseverino. Investigating energy saving potential in a big shopping center through ventilation control. Sustainable Cities and Society 2019, 49, 101525 .

AMA Style

Domenico Curto, Vincenzo Franzitta, Sonia Longo, Francesco Montana, Elenora Riva Sanseverino. Investigating energy saving potential in a big shopping center through ventilation control. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2019; 49 ():101525.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Curto; Vincenzo Franzitta; Sonia Longo; Francesco Montana; Elenora Riva Sanseverino. 2019. "Investigating energy saving potential in a big shopping center through ventilation control." Sustainable Cities and Society 49, no. : 101525.

Review
Published: 23 November 2018 in Sustainable Cities and Society
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The topic of low-energy buildings received a widespread and growing interest in last years, thanks to energy saving policies of developed countries. The design of a low-energy building is addressed with energy saving measures and renewable energy generation, but the correct assessment of phenomena occurring in a building usually requires to perform dynamic simulations and to analyze multiple scenarios to attain the optimal solution. The optimality of a technical solution may be subject to contrasting constraints and objectives. For this reason, designers may employ mathematical optimization techniques, a non-familiar topic to most of building designers. In this paper, a review on optimization of low-energy buildings design is provided, in order to collect the results of previous works and to guide new designers. The topic received an increasing interest in last years, with multi-objective optimization and genetic algorithms being the most popular. The most common objective functions are the costs and the operating energy consumption, while the environmental aspects are often neglected. As low-energy buildings should reduce the global energy demand, their design may benefit enormously from the assessment of energy consumption and environmental impacts in the whole life cycle, even in a simplified way.

ACS Style

Sonia Longo; Sonia Longo Francesco Montana; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. A review on optimization and cost-optimal methodologies in low-energy buildings design and environmental considerations. Sustainable Cities and Society 2018, 45, 87 -104.

AMA Style

Sonia Longo, Sonia Longo Francesco Montana, Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. A review on optimization and cost-optimal methodologies in low-energy buildings design and environmental considerations. Sustainable Cities and Society. 2018; 45 ():87-104.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Sonia Longo; Sonia Longo Francesco Montana; Eleonora Riva Sanseverino. 2018. "A review on optimization and cost-optimal methodologies in low-energy buildings design and environmental considerations." Sustainable Cities and Society 45, no. : 87-104.

Conference paper
Published: 01 September 2018 in 2018 IEEE 4th International Forum on Research and Technology for Society and Industry (RTSI)
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This paper aims to perform the minimization of the yearly energy supply cost from the main electricity and natural gas grids related to an energy district, considering the installation of different equipments. The case study refers to energy consumption of a medium density urban district and involves the exploitation of different energy sources and devices (photovoltaic systems, electrical energy storage, heat pumps and cogenerators). The analysis of the district energy supply is accomplished through an energy hub model. After a cost analysis related to the considered energy systems, a MILP algorithm was used for the optimization of a cost function and the simulation of various scenarios. Moreover, a study about CO 2 emissions is reported. The same study is then repeated considering the Vietnamese economic and environmental context, keeping constant the energy losses and performance of the equipment, in order to compare these countries and provide useful conclusions about the improvement of energy supply systems in developed and developing countries.

ACS Style

G. Attardo; S. Longo; Francesco Montana; E. Riva Sanseverino; Q. T. T. Tran; G. Zizzo. Urban Energy Hubs Economic Optimization and Environmental Comparison in Italy and Vietnam. 2018 IEEE 4th International Forum on Research and Technology for Society and Industry (RTSI) 2018, 1 -6.

AMA Style

G. Attardo, S. Longo, Francesco Montana, E. Riva Sanseverino, Q. T. T. Tran, G. Zizzo. Urban Energy Hubs Economic Optimization and Environmental Comparison in Italy and Vietnam. 2018 IEEE 4th International Forum on Research and Technology for Society and Industry (RTSI). 2018; ():1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Attardo; S. Longo; Francesco Montana; E. Riva Sanseverino; Q. T. T. Tran; G. Zizzo. 2018. "Urban Energy Hubs Economic Optimization and Environmental Comparison in Italy and Vietnam." 2018 IEEE 4th International Forum on Research and Technology for Society and Industry (RTSI) , no. : 1-6.

Conference paper
Published: 01 June 2018 in 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe)
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The paper investigates the potential energy savings in the context of big shopping centers, thanks to the introduction of innovative technologies able to control the ventilation according the real requirement for comfort and health of indoor spaces. The case study analyses a big shopping center, where the ventilation is realized with a centralized air-conditioning plant, working with fixed air flows. Two solutions are proposed to reduce the energy consumption for ventilation. The first considers the installation of heat recovery exchangers, the second the introduction of a control system able to modulate the air exchange, according to the real requirements. An energetic and economic evaluation is reported.

ACS Style

Domenico Curto; Francesco Montana; Daniele Milone. Energy Saving Optimizing the Ventilation Control in a Big Shopping Center. 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) 2018, 1 -6.

AMA Style

Domenico Curto, Francesco Montana, Daniele Milone. Energy Saving Optimizing the Ventilation Control in a Big Shopping Center. 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe). 2018; ():1-6.

Chicago/Turabian Style

Domenico Curto; Francesco Montana; Daniele Milone. 2018. "Energy Saving Optimizing the Ventilation Control in a Big Shopping Center." 2018 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2018 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe) , no. : 1-6.

Conference paper
Published: 01 September 2016 in 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC)
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The paper main issue is the evaluation of the influence of the air density value on the electricity production capability of a wind generator. Two different density air mathematical models, where the density has not a constant value, are here taken into account and compared in terms of reliability, accuracy and computational burden. Evaluations are carried out thanks to a horizontal axis wind generator full model built by the Authors in Matlab/Simulink environment. Simulation results are compared with real data.

ACS Style

G. Ciulla; V. Di Dio; D. La Cascia; V. Lo Brano; Francesco Montana. Effects of the air density value on a wind generator electricity production capability. 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC) 2016, 1 -5.

AMA Style

G. Ciulla, V. Di Dio, D. La Cascia, V. Lo Brano, Francesco Montana. Effects of the air density value on a wind generator electricity production capability. 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC). 2016; ():1-5.

Chicago/Turabian Style

G. Ciulla; V. Di Dio; D. La Cascia; V. Lo Brano; Francesco Montana. 2016. "Effects of the air density value on a wind generator electricity production capability." 2016 IEEE 16th International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering (EEEIC) , no. : 1-5.