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Buses account for almost 60% of the total public transport services in Europe, and most of the vehicles are diesel fuelled. Regional transport administrators, under pressure by governments to introduce zero-emission buses, require analytical tools for identifying optimal solutions. In literature, few models combine location analysis, least cost planning, and emission assessment, taking into account multiple technologies which might achieve emission reduction goals. In this paper, an existing optimal location model for electric urban transport is adapted to match the needs of regional transport. The model, which aims to evaluate well-to-wheel carbon emissions as well as airborne emissions of NOx and PM10, is applied to a real case study of a regional bus transport service in North Eastern Italy. The optimization has identified electric buses with relatively small (60 kWh) batteries as the best compromise for reducing carbon equivalent emissions; however, under current economic conditions in Italy, the life cycle cost of such vehicles is still much higher than those of Euro VI diesel buses. In this context, our model helps in identifying ways to minimize infrastructure costs and to efficiently allocate expensive resources such as electric buses to the routes where the maximum environmental benefit can be achieved.
Damiana Chinese; Piero Pinamonti; Caterina Mauro. A spatially explicit optimization model for the selection of sustainable transport technologies at regional bus companies. Optimization and Engineering 2021, 1 -34.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Piero Pinamonti, Caterina Mauro. A spatially explicit optimization model for the selection of sustainable transport technologies at regional bus companies. Optimization and Engineering. 2021; ():1-34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Piero Pinamonti; Caterina Mauro. 2021. "A spatially explicit optimization model for the selection of sustainable transport technologies at regional bus companies." Optimization and Engineering , no. : 1-34.
Low-grade waste heat is an underutilized resource in process industries, which may consider investing in urban symbiosis projects that provide heating and cooling to proximal urban areas through district energy networks. A long distance between industrial areas and residential users is a barrier to the feasibility of such projects, given the high capital intensity of infrastructure, and alternative uses of waste heat, such as power generation, may be more profitable, in spite of limited efficiency. This paper introduces a parametric approach to explore the economic feasibility limits of waste heat-based district heating and cooling (DHC) of remote residential buildings depending on network extension. A parametric model for the comparative water–energy–carbon nexus analysis of waste heat-based DHC and Organic Rankine Cycles is also introduced, and applied to an Italian and to an Austrian setting. The results show that, for a generic 4 MW industrial waste heat flow steadily available at 95 °C, district heating and cooling is the best option from an energy–carbon perspective in both countries. Power generation is the best option in terms of water footprint in most scenarios, and is economically preferable to DHC in Italy. Maximum DHC feasibility threshold distances are in line with literature, and may reach up to 30 km for waste heat flows of 30 MW in Austria. However, preferability threshold distances, above which waste heat-to-power outperforms DHC from an economic viewpoint, are shorter, in the order of 20 km in Austria and 10 km in Italy for 30 MW waste heat flows.
Maurizio Santin; Damiana Chinese; Alessandra De Angelis; Markus Biberacher. Feasibility limits of using low-grade industrial waste heat in symbiotic district heating and cooling networks. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 2020, 22, 1339 -1357.
AMA StyleMaurizio Santin, Damiana Chinese, Alessandra De Angelis, Markus Biberacher. Feasibility limits of using low-grade industrial waste heat in symbiotic district heating and cooling networks. Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy. 2020; 22 (6):1339-1357.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaurizio Santin; Damiana Chinese; Alessandra De Angelis; Markus Biberacher. 2020. "Feasibility limits of using low-grade industrial waste heat in symbiotic district heating and cooling networks." Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy 22, no. 6: 1339-1357.
Multi-tier supply chain sustainability is paramount to achieve corporate sustainability, due to the significant impacts from organisations beyond the focal firm boundaries and its direct suppliers. However, including environmental considerations within the dominant profit-centric logic of supply chain related decisions is prone to generate sustainability tensions. This work aims to support organisations address tensions between sustainability dimensions by adopting an integrative approach for sustainable supply chain management performance assessment thanks to an innovative eco-intensity based performance assessment method, which achieves a balanced consideration of environmental and economic performance in a weak sustainability perspective. The method, using primary data sourced from actual practice and featuring an indirect multi-tier approach with decentralised responsibilities across organisations, is applied to a case study of a machinery supply chain. The proposed integrative approach can support addressing sustainability tensions in the area of sustainable supply chain management, facilitate sustainable supplier evaluation and identify supply chain hotspots for operational improvement.
Andrea Tuni; Athanasios Rentizelas; Damiana Chinese. An integrative approach to assess environmental and economic sustainability in multi-tier supply chains. Production Planning & Control 2019, 31, 861 -882.
AMA StyleAndrea Tuni, Athanasios Rentizelas, Damiana Chinese. An integrative approach to assess environmental and economic sustainability in multi-tier supply chains. Production Planning & Control. 2019; 31 (11-12):861-882.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAndrea Tuni; Athanasios Rentizelas; Damiana Chinese. 2019. "An integrative approach to assess environmental and economic sustainability in multi-tier supply chains." Production Planning & Control 31, no. 11-12: 861-882.
Modern electric and electronic equipment in energy-intensive industries, including electric steelmaking plants, are often housed in outdoor cabins. In a similar manner as data centres, such installations must be air conditioned to remove excess heat and to avoid damage to electric components. Cooling systems generally display a water–energy nexus behaviour, mainly depending on associated heat dissipation systems. Hence, it is desirable to identify configurations achieving both water and energy savings for such installations. This paper compares two alternative energy-saving configurations for air conditioning electric cabins at steelmaking sites—that is, an absorption cooling based system exploiting industrial waste heat, and an airside free-cooling-based system—against the traditional configuration. All systems were combined with either dry coolers or cooling towers for heat dissipation. We calculated water and carbon footprint indicators, primary energy demand and economic indicators by building a TRNSYS simulation model of the systems and applying it to 16 worldwide ASHRAE climate zones. In nearly all conditions, waste-heat recovery-based solutions were found to outperform both the baseline and the proposed free-cooling solution regarding energy demand and carbon footprint. When cooling towers were used, free cooling was a better option in terms water footprint in cold climates.
Maurizio Santin; Damiana Chinese; Onorio Saro; Alessandra De Angelis; Alberto Zugliano. Carbon and Water Footprint of Energy Saving Options for the Air Conditioning of Electric Cabins at Industrial Sites. Energies 2019, 12, 3627 .
AMA StyleMaurizio Santin, Damiana Chinese, Onorio Saro, Alessandra De Angelis, Alberto Zugliano. Carbon and Water Footprint of Energy Saving Options for the Air Conditioning of Electric Cabins at Industrial Sites. Energies. 2019; 12 (19):3627.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaurizio Santin; Damiana Chinese; Onorio Saro; Alessandra De Angelis; Alberto Zugliano. 2019. "Carbon and Water Footprint of Energy Saving Options for the Air Conditioning of Electric Cabins at Industrial Sites." Energies 12, no. 19: 3627.
Co-firing of solid biomass in existing large scale coal power plants has been supported in many countries as a short-term means to decrease CO2 emissions and rapidly increase renewable energy shares. However, many countries face challenges guaranteeing sufficient amounts of biomass through reliable domestic biomass supply chains and resort to international supply chains. Within this frame, novel pre-treatment technologies, particularly pelletization and torrefaction, emerged in recent years to facilitate logistics by improving the durability and the energy density of solid biomass. This paper aims to evaluate these pre-treatment technologies from a techno-economic and environmental point of view for two reference coal power plants located in Great Britain and in Italy. Logistics costs and carbon emissions are modelled for both international and domestic biomass supply chains. The impact of pre-treatment technologies on carbon emission avoidance costs is evaluated. It is demonstrated that, for both cases, pre-treatment technologies are hardly viable for domestic supply. However, pre-treatment technologies are found to render most international bioenergy supply chains competitive with domestic ones, especially if sourcing areas are located in low labour cost countries. In many cases, pre-treatment technologies are found to guarantee similar CO2 equivalent emissions performance for international compared to domestic supply chains.
Caterina Mauro; Athanasios A. Rentizelas; Damiana Chinese. International vs. domestic bioenergy supply chains for co-firing plants: The role of pre-treatment technologies. Renewable Energy 2018, 119, 712 -730.
AMA StyleCaterina Mauro, Athanasios A. Rentizelas, Damiana Chinese. International vs. domestic bioenergy supply chains for co-firing plants: The role of pre-treatment technologies. Renewable Energy. 2018; 119 ():712-730.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCaterina Mauro; Athanasios A. Rentizelas; Damiana Chinese. 2018. "International vs. domestic bioenergy supply chains for co-firing plants: The role of pre-treatment technologies." Renewable Energy 119, no. : 712-730.
Alessandra De Angelis; Damiana Chinese; Onorio Saro. Free-cooling potential in shopping mall buildings with plants equipped by dry-coolers boosted with evaporative pads. International Journal of Heat and Technology 2017, 35, 853 -862.
AMA StyleAlessandra De Angelis, Damiana Chinese, Onorio Saro. Free-cooling potential in shopping mall buildings with plants equipped by dry-coolers boosted with evaporative pads. International Journal of Heat and Technology. 2017; 35 (4):853-862.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAlessandra De Angelis; Damiana Chinese; Onorio Saro. 2017. "Free-cooling potential in shopping mall buildings with plants equipped by dry-coolers boosted with evaporative pads." International Journal of Heat and Technology 35, no. 4: 853-862.
Damiana Chinese; Maurizio Santin; Onorio Saro. Water-energy and GHG nexus assessment of alternative heat recovery options in industry: A case study on electric steelmaking in Europe. Energy 2017, 141, 2670 -2687.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Maurizio Santin, Onorio Saro. Water-energy and GHG nexus assessment of alternative heat recovery options in industry: A case study on electric steelmaking in Europe. Energy. 2017; 141 ():2670-2687.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Maurizio Santin; Onorio Saro. 2017. "Water-energy and GHG nexus assessment of alternative heat recovery options in industry: A case study on electric steelmaking in Europe." Energy 141, no. : 2670-2687.
In Italy biogas support schemes are being revised to include subsidies for the production of biomethane. Energy policies should foster environmentally optimal solutions, especially because social acceptance issues often arise in the case of biogas. In this paper we use the external cost methodology to quantify the environmental impact of airborne emissions associated with biogas-based energy vectors and their corresponding fossil substitutes These are evaluated at supply chain level and incorporated in a spatially explicit optimization model. The method is applied to northern Italy to compare the potential impact of alternative policy options. It is found that, while the external costs of biogas-based pathways are always lower than corresponding fossil fuel based pathways, the differences are generally so small that policies based on internalization of external costs alone would not lead to further development of biogas-based technologies. For all utilization pathways, consideration of local externalities leads to a less favourable evaluation of biogas-based technologies, which results in external costs even higher than the substituted fossil fuel if biogas is allocated to local heating
P. Patrizio; Sylvain Leduc; D. Chinese; Florian Kraxner. Internalizing the external costs of biogas supply chains in the Italian energy sector. Energy 2017, 125, 85 -96.
AMA StyleP. Patrizio, Sylvain Leduc, D. Chinese, Florian Kraxner. Internalizing the external costs of biogas supply chains in the Italian energy sector. Energy. 2017; 125 ():85-96.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP. Patrizio; Sylvain Leduc; D. Chinese; Florian Kraxner. 2017. "Internalizing the external costs of biogas supply chains in the Italian energy sector." Energy 125, no. : 85-96.
The Italian Ministry for Economic Development recently started a new incentive program for biomethane grid injection and biomethane for transportation. This opens up new opportunities for more efficient utilization of agricultural biogas, which in the past was mainly used in Italy for power only solutions. Because of the wider range of feasible options, entrepreneurs and local authorities need support tools to identify optimal alternatives, from an economic and environmental viewpoint, respectively. Thus, a biomass supply chain optimization model, including current costs and new incentives for biogas exploitation, is introduced in this paper. The model is used to explore the impact of Italian energy policies on the profitability of alternative biogas utilization pathways in two regional cases studies, characterized by different penetration of CNG refueling stations. The effect of local factors on energy vectors share and on GHG emission reduction are investigated with factor analysis. It is found that CBM production represents the most profitable choice for entrepreneurs under current levels of bio-methane incentives, however because of the small Italian CBM market size it risks to be overly subsidized. Allocating funds to promote a further expansion of CNG would probably help CBM development and benefits more than increasing specific incentives
P. Patrizio; Damiana Chinese. The impact of regional factors and new bio-methane incentive schemes on the structure, profitability and CO 2 balance of biogas plants in Italy. Renewable Energy 2016, 99, 573 -583.
AMA StyleP. Patrizio, Damiana Chinese. The impact of regional factors and new bio-methane incentive schemes on the structure, profitability and CO 2 balance of biogas plants in Italy. Renewable Energy. 2016; 99 ():573-583.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP. Patrizio; Damiana Chinese. 2016. "The impact of regional factors and new bio-methane incentive schemes on the structure, profitability and CO 2 balance of biogas plants in Italy." Renewable Energy 99, no. : 573-583.
Italy is a large producer of biogas from anaerobic digestion, which is mainly used for power generation with limited use of cogenerated heat. Other utilization pathways, such as biomethane injection into the natural gas grid or biomethane used as a vehicle fuel, remain unexplored. Given the dense grid of natural gas pipelines and existing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refueling stations in northern Italy, significant market opportunities for biogas could also arise in the heating and transport sectors. The main objectives of this paper are to explore the potential role of agricultural biogas in different utiliztion pathways. Biogas combustion for simultaneous production of heat and power in small Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facilities is also assessed, as is upgrading to biomethane for transport or natural gas grid injection in the specific context of northern Italy. The spatially explicit optimization model BeWhere is used to identify optimal locations where greenfield biogas plants could be installed and to determine the most economic and environmentally beneficial mix of conversion technologies and plant capacities. Carbon price, for instance in the form of tradable emission permits, is assessed as a policy instrument and compared with other options such as price premiums on biomethane or electricity costs. Results show that starting from a carbon price of 15 EUR/tCO2, the cogeneration option is preferable if plants are located in the proximity of existing district heating infrastructure. CNG plants are only competitive starting at a carbon price of 70 EUR/tCO2 in areas with high feedstock availability. The sensitivity analysis for energy prices reveals that a larger number of CNG facilities are included in the optimal mix at higher gas wholesale prices. This further indicates that specific premiums are neeeded to expand the biomethane market share, while greenhouse gas emission reductions would primarily be achieved by fostering cogeneration of electricity and heat supported by carbon price-basd policy instruments
P. Patrizio; S. Leduc; D. Chinese; E. Dotzauer; F. Kraxner. Biomethane as transport fuel – A comparison with other biogas utilization pathways in northern Italy. Applied Energy 2015, 157, 25 -34.
AMA StyleP. Patrizio, S. Leduc, D. Chinese, E. Dotzauer, F. Kraxner. Biomethane as transport fuel – A comparison with other biogas utilization pathways in northern Italy. Applied Energy. 2015; 157 ():25-34.
Chicago/Turabian StyleP. Patrizio; S. Leduc; D. Chinese; E. Dotzauer; F. Kraxner. 2015. "Biomethane as transport fuel – A comparison with other biogas utilization pathways in northern Italy." Applied Energy 157, no. : 25-34.
Italy is a large producer of biogas from anaerobic digestion, which is mainly used for power generation with limited use of cogenerated heat. Other utilization pathways, such as biomethane injection into the natural gas grid or biomethane used as a vehicle fuel, remain unexplored. Given the dense grid of natural gas pipelines and existing Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) refueling stations in northern Italy, significant market opportunities for biogas could also arise in the heating and transport sectors. The main objectives of this paper are to explore the potential role of agricultural biogas in different utilization pathways. Biogas combustion for simultaneous production of heat and power in small Combined Heat and Power (CHP) facilities is also assessed, as is upgrading to biomethane for transport or natural gas grid injection in the specific context of northern Italy. The spatially explicit optimization model BeWhere is used to identify optimal locations where greenfield biogas plants could be installed and to determine the most economic and environmentally beneficial mix of conversion technologies and plant capacities. Carbon price, for instance in the form of tradable emission permits, is assessed as a policy instrument and compared with other options such as price premiums on biomethane or electricity costs. Results show that starting from a carbon price of 15 EUR/tCO(2), the cogeneration option is preferable if plants are located in the proximity of existing district heating infrastructure. CNG plants are only competitive starting at a carbon price of 70 EUR/tCO(2) in areas with high feedstock availability. The sensitivity analysis for energy prices reveals that a larger number of CNG facilities are included in the optimal mix at higher gas wholesale prices. This further indicates that specific premiums are needed to expand the biomethane market share, while greenhouse gas emission reductions would primarily be achieved by fostering cogeneration of electricity and heat supported by carbon price-based policy instruments
D. Chinese; P. Patrizio; G. Nardin. Effects of changes in Italian bioenergy promotion schemes for agricultural biogas projects: Insights from a regional optimization model. Energy Policy 2014, 75, 189 -205.
AMA StyleD. Chinese, P. Patrizio, G. Nardin. Effects of changes in Italian bioenergy promotion schemes for agricultural biogas projects: Insights from a regional optimization model. Energy Policy. 2014; 75 ():189-205.
Chicago/Turabian StyleD. Chinese; P. Patrizio; G. Nardin. 2014. "Effects of changes in Italian bioenergy promotion schemes for agricultural biogas projects: Insights from a regional optimization model." Energy Policy 75, no. : 189-205.
CNG is an example of alternative gaseous fuel whose market development requires supply infrastructure (pipelines), refuelling stations and alternative vehicles to exist at the same time, which is known as the ‘‘chicken and egg dilemma’’. In this chapter, a case study of limited or locally nonexistent market development for CNG in an Italian frontier region is analyzed and a mixed integer non linear programming model is introduced to evaluate the effect of incentive measures envisaged by the regional government to foster refuelling station development. It is found that, taking an entrepreneurs’ perspective of maximizing profits, even with substantial capital grants investors are more likely to choose higher demand areas, in spite of fiercer competition, rather than areas without stations. Subsidies should be more specifically targeted to critical areas to be efficient
Damiana Chinese; Piera Patrizio; Monica Bonotto. A Service Station Location Model to Explore Prospects and Policies for Alternative Transport Fuels: A Case of CNG Distribution in Italy. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing 2014, 71 -84.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Piera Patrizio, Monica Bonotto. A Service Station Location Model to Explore Prospects and Policies for Alternative Transport Fuels: A Case of CNG Distribution in Italy. Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing. 2014; ():71-84.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Piera Patrizio; Monica Bonotto. 2014. "A Service Station Location Model to Explore Prospects and Policies for Alternative Transport Fuels: A Case of CNG Distribution in Italy." Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing , no. : 71-84.
Decisions on space heating of industrial buildings involve several conflicting objectives and solutions prospected by economic optimization (e.g. life cycle cost minimization) models may be far from the real preferences of decision makers. To overcome this limit, multi-criteria decision analysis which has hardly been used at single building level, especially in industrial contexts, could be a helpful methodology. This paper presents the application of a well-known multi-criteria approach, the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), to the selection of space heating systems for an industrial building. We discuss the technologies available for industrial heating, criteria elicited from the decision maker and the ranking of alternatives identified with our AHP model. As very little is reported in literature about industrial energy system choices, our study, although focused on an individual case, may shed some light on decision making in this sector. To this end, we also compare our results with evidence on residential heating systems choices derived from literature. Investment costs are the most important criterion for industry, whereas qualitative attributes and operational costs are most important for homes. Qualitative attributes also significantly affect industrial heating system choices and, as the AHP is particularly effective in handling these aspects, we suggest it could be used for tactical energy planning models.
Damiana Chinese; Gioacchino Nardin; Onorio Saro. Multi-criteria analysis for the selection of space heating systems in an industrial building. Energy 2011, 36, 556 -565.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Gioacchino Nardin, Onorio Saro. Multi-criteria analysis for the selection of space heating systems in an industrial building. Energy. 2011; 36 (1):556-565.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Gioacchino Nardin; Onorio Saro. 2011. "Multi-criteria analysis for the selection of space heating systems in an industrial building." Energy 36, no. 1: 556-565.
Cooperation by the Industrial Union of Pordenone and of Udine is gratefully acknowledged. The authors also wish to thank Mr Rudy Lunardelli and Mr Marco Bettiol for collaboration in data collection, as well as all organizations, which took part in this survey.
Damiana Chinese; Gianni Ghirardo. Maintenance management in Italian manufacturing firms. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering 2010, 16, 156 -180.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Gianni Ghirardo. Maintenance management in Italian manufacturing firms. Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering. 2010; 16 (2):156-180.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Gianni Ghirardo. 2010. "Maintenance management in Italian manufacturing firms." Journal of Quality in Maintenance Engineering 16, no. 2: 156-180.
Designing and building new biofuel supply chains is an emerging theme in the present world energy situation. This paper considers a real-life problem of supplying a bioenergy plant with forest fuel. A mixed-integer linear programming model is proposed to determine the optimal configuration of that supply chain. The model proves helpful in resolving trade-offs between decentralised early treatment of biofuel, resulting in lower transportation costs, and centralised final treatment, allowing to reap economies of scale. It is therefore advisable to apply integrated supply chain planning concepts to design biofuel logistics systems and to support policy making in the energy field.
Damiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti. Design of forest biofuel supply chains. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 2009, 5, 525 .
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Antonella Meneghetti. Design of forest biofuel supply chains. International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management. 2009; 5 (5):525.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti. 2009. "Design of forest biofuel supply chains." International Journal of Logistics Systems and Management 5, no. 5: 525.
Optimal size and layout planning for district heating and cooling networks with distributed generation options
Damiana Chinese. Optimal size and layout planning for district heating and cooling networks with distributed generation options. International Journal of Energy Sector Management 2008, 2, 385 -419.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese. Optimal size and layout planning for district heating and cooling networks with distributed generation options. International Journal of Energy Sector Management. 2008; 2 (3):385-419.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese. 2008. "Optimal size and layout planning for district heating and cooling networks with distributed generation options." International Journal of Energy Sector Management 2, no. 3: 385-419.
A mixed integer linear programming model combined with a more traditional design by scenarios is proposed to optimize facilities size and operation mode of a municipal energy system involving significant civil centres and a hospital. Moving from the need of a new heat and power station for the local hospital due to the construction of new pavilions, the opportunity of involving other centres in the neighbourhood in a distributed cogeneration system is analysed, increasing system complexity step by step. Smaller cogeneration units tailored to hospital needs are rewarding ventures with relatively low risks but, in a country whose traditional power generation systems heavily rely on fossil fuels and where energy policy and market conditions can make it profitable to sell surplus power, district heating systems foster the installation of larger cogenerators and lead thereby to higher profits and to better performance as for primary energy savings and greenhouse gases emission reduction
Damiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti; Gioacchino Nardin; Patrizia Simeoni. From hospital to municipal cogeneration systems: an Italian case study. International Journal of Energy Research 2007, 31, 829 -848.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Antonella Meneghetti, Gioacchino Nardin, Patrizia Simeoni. From hospital to municipal cogeneration systems: an Italian case study. International Journal of Energy Research. 2007; 31 (9):829-848.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti; Gioacchino Nardin; Patrizia Simeoni. 2007. "From hospital to municipal cogeneration systems: an Italian case study." International Journal of Energy Research 31, no. 9: 829-848.
Distributed generation (DG) appears to be the state of the art solution to meet growing energy demand efficiently, especially if combined with heat recovery (cogeneration) and in urban areas, where cogeneration systems can be optimized by the combination with district heating. Reduction in overall fossil fuel consumption and associated global emissions – especially in terms of greenhouse gases (GHG) – are most important benefits associated with district heating. However, in public decision making concerns often arise as regards local air emissions, which are frequently neglected in preliminary feasibility studies. Models adopted in early design stages, in fact, mainly aim at cost optimisation and emissions are usually calculated afterwards, often focusing on GHG only. More articulated approaches, typical of regional and national energy planning, are seldom used for local small scale projects. In the present study, an extended model pursuing both economic and environmental objectives by means of external costs is developed to support the synthesis of optimal cogeneration and district heating systems in terms of economic, local and global environmental performances. The approach is applied to a project of natural gas engine based cogeneration and district heating in North-Eastern Italy. Optimal sizing and foreseen operation of the system, including several cogeneration units and serving, among others, a large hospital, will be presented and compared with the results of economic optimisation models, thus assessing the effect of pursuing compromise solutions aiming at more satisfactory environmental performances. The issue of uncertainty in externalities modeling is discussed, and a sensitivity analysis of optimization results to ranges of external cost values is presented.
Damiana Chinese; Gioacchino Nardin; Patrizia Simeoni; Naim H Afgan; Željko Bogdan; Neven Duić; Zvonimir Guzović. INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES IN THE DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION AND DISTRICT HEATING PLANTS THROUGH EXTERNALITIES: DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY. Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems 2007, 206 -220.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Gioacchino Nardin, Patrizia Simeoni, Naim H Afgan, Željko Bogdan, Neven Duić, Zvonimir Guzović. INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES IN THE DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION AND DISTRICT HEATING PLANTS THROUGH EXTERNALITIES: DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY. Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems. 2007; ():206-220.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Gioacchino Nardin; Patrizia Simeoni; Naim H Afgan; Željko Bogdan; Neven Duić; Zvonimir Guzović. 2007. "INCORPORATING ENVIRONMENTAL AND ECONOMIC OBJECTIVES IN THE DESIGN OF DISTRIBUTED GENERATION AND DISTRICT HEATING PLANTS THROUGH EXTERNALITIES: DEALING WITH UNCERTAINTY." Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems , no. : 206-220.
A system optimisation approach is proposed to design biomass-based district-heating networks in the context of industrial districts, which are one of the main successful productive aspects of Italian industry. Two different perspectives are taken into account, that of utilities and of policy makers, leading to two optimisation models to be further integrated. A mixed integer linear-programming model is developed for a utility company’s profit maximisation, while a linear-programming model aims at minimising the balance of greenhouse-gas emissions related to the proposed energy system and the avoided emissions due to the substitution of current fossil-fuel boilers with district-heating connections. To systematically compare their results, a sensitivity analysis is performed with respect to network size in order to identify how the optimal system configuration, in terms of selected boilers to be connected to a multiple energy-source network, may vary in the two cases and to detect possible optimal sizes. Then a factorial analysis is adopted to rank desirable client types under the two perspectives and identify proper marketing strategies. The proposed optimisation approach was applied to the design of a new district-heating network in the chair-manufacturing district of North-Eastern Italy.
Damiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti. Optimisation models for decision support in the development of biomass-based industrial district-heating networks in Italy. Applied Energy 2005, 82, 228 -254.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Antonella Meneghetti. Optimisation models for decision support in the development of biomass-based industrial district-heating networks in Italy. Applied Energy. 2005; 82 (3):228-254.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti. 2005. "Optimisation models for decision support in the development of biomass-based industrial district-heating networks in Italy." Applied Energy 82, no. 3: 228-254.
An optimisation approach is proposed in order to assess the technical and economic feasibility of a renewable-energy-based greenhouse in North-Eastern Italy. A floor heating system that can exploit a low-temperature heat flow coming from the condenser of a waste-to-energy plant is chosen for the greenhouse and designed developing a non-linear optimisation model, solved by a genetic algorithm. In order to determine under what conditions the combination of a floor-heating-based greenhouse with a waste-to-energy plant can be profitable, a mixed integer optimisation model is introduced to allow selection of the minimum cost fuel solution as a function of different design variables of the greenhouse, such as indoor temperature settings and floor area. The ranges within which the renewable energy solution can lead to significant savings in comparison to traditional fossil fuel are identified both from the point of view of costs and of environmental impact. Furthermore, the sales prices for waste heat that would make investment in the renewable energy solution attractive for potential entrepreneurs are given.
Damiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti; Gioacchino Nardin. Waste-to-energy based greenhouse heating: exploring viability conditions through optimisation models. Renewable Energy 2005, 30, 1573 -1586.
AMA StyleDamiana Chinese, Antonella Meneghetti, Gioacchino Nardin. Waste-to-energy based greenhouse heating: exploring viability conditions through optimisation models. Renewable Energy. 2005; 30 (10):1573-1586.
Chicago/Turabian StyleDamiana Chinese; Antonella Meneghetti; Gioacchino Nardin. 2005. "Waste-to-energy based greenhouse heating: exploring viability conditions through optimisation models." Renewable Energy 30, no. 10: 1573-1586.