Biomass gasification is a versatile thermochemical process that can be used for direct energy applications and the production of advanced liquid and gaseous energy carriers. In the present work, the results are presented concerning the H₂ production at a high purity grade from biomass feedstocks via steam/oxygen gasification. The data demonstrating such a process chain were collected at an innovative gasification prototype plant coupled to a portable purification system (PPS). The overall integration was designed for gas conditioning and purification to hydrogen. By using almond shells as the biomass feedstock, from a product gas with an average and stable composition of 40%-v H₂, 21%-v CO, 35%-v CO₂, 2.5%-v CH₄, the PPS unit provided a hydrogen stream, with a final concentration of 99.99%-v and a gas yield of 66.4%.

Biomass gasification for energy purposes has several advantages, such as the mitigation of global warming and national energy independency. In the present work, the data from an innovative and intensified steam/oxygen biomass gasification process, integrating a gas filtration step directly inside the reactor, are presented. The produced gas at the outlet of the 1 MW_th gasification pilot plant was analysed in terms of its main gaseous products (hydrogen, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, and methane) and contaminants. Experimental test sets were carried out at 0.25–0.28 Equivalence Ratio (ER), 0.4–0.5 Steam/Biomass (S/B), and 780–850 °C gasification temperature. Almond shells were selected as biomass feedstock and supplied to the reactor at approximately 120 and 150 kg_dry/h. Based on the collected data, the in-vessel filtration system showed a dust removal efficiency higher than 99%-wt. A gas yield of 1.2 Nm³_dry/kg_daf and a producer gas with a dry composition of 27–33%v H₂, 23–29%v CO, 31–36%v CO₂, 9–11%v CH₄, and light hydrocarbons lower than 1%v were also observed. Correspondingly, a Low Heating Value (LHV) of 10.3–10.9 MJ/Nm³_dry and a cold gas efficiency (CGE) up to 75% were estimated. Overall, the collected data allowed for the assessment of the preliminary performances of the intensified gasification process and provided the data to validate a simulative model developed through Aspen Plus software.

Parabolic trough concentrated solar power (CSP) plants are particularly promising renewable sources of energy, whose easy integration with thermal energy storage (TES) systems allows to mitigate the intermittency of electricity generation. Currently, molten nitrates, with two tanks arrangement, are mainly used for sensible heat accumulation. To reduce costs and make the CSP storage systems more manageable, single tank configurations have been proposed, where the cold and hot fluids are stored in the same container and separated because of their density difference. The aim of the present work is to study the storage performances presented by two novel ternary and quaternary mixtures, proposed within the European project IN POWER. An experimental campaign was preliminarily performed to investigate the fluids thermo-physical properties, and the obtained values were utilized as input data to model the discharge phase in a thermocline tank. The simulation results were compared with the ones acquired considering two commercial materials, namely, solar salt and Hitec XL®. Overall, considering same temperature ranges, higher discharging times are obtained for the quaternary and ternary mixtures, with the ternary presenting a smaller thermocline thickness than the solar salt while this parameter is the same considering the quaternary and Hitec XL®.

Among the concentrating solar power (CSP) technologies, the parabolic trough (PT) solar collector is a proven technology mainly used to produce electricity and heat for industrial processes. Since 2003, a stand-alone Molten Salt Parabolic Trough (MSPT) experimental plant, located in the ENEA research centre of Casaccia (PCS plant), has been in operation. In this paper a brief description of the plant, the main plant operation figures, and a report of the main results obtained during the experimental test campaigns are presented. The aim of the tests was the evaluation of the thermal power collected as a function of DNI, mass flow rate, and inlet temperature of molten salt; experimental data were compared with simulation results obtained using a heat transfer software model of the solar receiver.

Italy’s abundant solar resources and its strategic Mediterranean location offer strong opportunities to accelerate the transition to a low-carbon energy system. This study presents a comparative techno-economic assessment of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants with 8 h of thermal energy storage (TES) and a 1 MW photovoltaic (PV) plant to evaluate their roles in exploiting Italy’s solar potential. The analysis covers four representative locations (Montalto, Val Basento, Ferrara, and Priolo) and examines solar availability, seasonal performance, capacity factor, electricity generation, land use, and levelized cost of electricity (LCOE). Both technologies show marked seasonal variability, with lower winter performance and summer peaks. Southern sites outperform the northern ones, with Priolo achieving the highest generation and Ferrara the lowest. CSP benefits from dispatchable operation enabled by TES, providing nearly constant rated output and summer capacity factors up to 78%, with annual production exceeding 4 GWh at the best site. In contrast, PV operates non-dispatchably, with capacity factors below 31% and annual generation between 1.47 and 1.72 GWh. The North–South performance gradient is stronger for CSP due to its dependence on direct normal irradiance. PV technology offers higher land use efficiency, producing over twice the energy per unit area compared to CSP technology, while CSP technology requires larger areas but ensures greater operational flexibility. Economically, PV technology achieves a lower LCOE, whereas CSP technology entails higher costs but adds value through dispatchability and improved grid integration. Overall, combining CSP and PV systems can enhance grid stability, reduce emissions, and strengthen Italy’s energy security, highlighting the importance of coordinated planning and investment in complementary solar technologies for decarbonization and for regions with similar climatic conditions.