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In this chapter, we try to connect the urban design features with energy consumption and consequent pollution parameters. After a review of a selected set of approaches to Urban Energy Systems study with a special focus on electrical power systems, urban energy systems are proposed as networks of multi-source hybrid energy hubs, where different energy flows are collected at the same bus and can be stored, delivered or transformed as needed. Resources at the hub and infrastructures interact with each other; therefore, both definition and boundaries of such energy systems at urban level are difficult to be clearly outlined. Similarly, the possibility to generate new operational models based on existing critical urban infrastructures is also challenging. This contribution proposes a preliminary study of urban energy hubs. Operations of thermal, electrical and mobility infrastructures are considered as qualifying features of the hub, but still the interconnected operation is not taken into account. The application part shows, indeed, the analysis and optimized design of the energy system serving two different urban districts. The related optimized parametric design of power generation infrastructures is considered as a function of urban features. The results about emissions and costs provide some interesting conclusions about the linkage between energy planning and urban features at district level, thus allowing, as possible application of this work, an energy-based territorial planning for urban contexts.

In this paper, a new low-cost device is proposed for fault location in power distribution system. The device is part of a system that should include several units installed in couples at the two ends of medium voltage (MV) cable lines. Their low cost justifies a widespread installation of these devices, moreover other functionalities could be considered so as to enrich the potential of the system for MV cables monitoring and asset management. The system exploits a two-end traveling wave technique, low complexity, and low-cost solutions both for the analog front end as well as for the communication infrastructure. A LoRa network is indeed considered as wireless modulation technique perfectly suited when communication links with three characteristics are needed: low power, low bit rate, and long range. This paper shows the device that has been set up in Prysmian Electronics with some experimental phases showing the effectiveness of the proposed solution and the further developments expected.

International audience; This chapter describes the research experience of the International Energy Agency-Energy in Buildings and Communities Programme Annex 72 members on the application of multi-objective optimization processes for the selection of design or retrofit actions that allow for improving different aspects (energy, environmental, economic, etc.) of buildings in a life cycle perspective. Thirteen case studies were examined focussing on methodologies, applications and results and deriving generic conclusions and guidelines for building designers and decision-makers.

This paper proposes a new model for short-term forecasting power generation capacity of large-scale solar power plant (SPP) in Vietnam considering the fluctuations of weather factors when applying the Long Short-Term Memory networks (LSTM) algorithm. At first, a configuration of the model based on the LSTM algorithm is selected in accordance with the weather and operating conditions of SPP in Vietnam. Not only different structures of LSTM model but also other conventional forecasting methods for time series data are compared in terms of error accuracy of forecast on test data set to evaluate the effectiveness and select the most suitable LSTM configuration. The most suitable configuration has been selected and applied on Thanh Thanh Cong No 1 (TTC) SPP with 2 input cases: real historical weather data and forecasted weather data. The results show that second case gives a much larger Mean Absolute Percentage Error (MAPE) than that of first case (10.857% versus 3.491%). Based on above experiment, new additional features are proposed to improve the selected LSTM model precision and cope with the problem of error due to weather forecast data. The result of the application of the new prediction model for TTC solar plant indicates that the MAPE is reduced from 10.857% to 9.881%.

In this article, a review of the existing special bonding techniques for medium voltage and high-voltage cables is presented. Special bonding techniques have the purpose of reducing sheath currents, thereby limiting copper losses and the reduction of the ampacity of cables. The literature review shows various bonding techniques and how these have evolved over the years thanks to new technologies. Simulations of each technique are performed in MATLAB/Simulink, to compare their strengths and drawbacks both under normal conditions and in the presence of a single-line-to-ground fault.

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.

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.

Today, the blockchain is synonymous of technological innovation, being recognized among the 10 top strategy technologies in 2018 by the consulting company Gartner, it is more and more adopted in different sectors. However, the initial enthusiasm around this technology is going beyond the peak of inflated expectations, towards more stable applications in money transactions, cryptocurrencies and Digital Commodity Exchanges. Essentially, misguided efforts, the overuse of blockchain, and the Bitcoin's price drop have been the main reasons for this decay in expectations. Nevertheless, the exploitation of the blockchain technology in the power systems area appears largely underexplored, furthermore, the relation to the physical asset makes the blockchain application more complex but also more reliable and related to measurable benefits. The most common applications in the power systems area relate to the energy market. When the blockchain technology is indeed applied to the energy field, the term energy blockchain is used. This article aims to propose a wide perspective about the application of the blockchain technology in the power systems area, clarifying some technical aspects concerning this promising technology, the features and applications developed so far, while focusing on the future of innovative applications in the electrical energy sector.

In an era of technological revolution in which everything becomes smarter and connected, the blockchain can introduce a new model for energy transactions able to grant more simplicity, security and transparency for end-users. The blockchain technology is characterized by a distributed architecture without a trusted and centralized authority, and, therefore, it appears as the perfect solutions for managing exchanges between peers. In this paper, a market algorithm that can be easily transferred to a smart contract for maximizing the match between produced and consumed energy in a micro-grid is presented. The algorithm supports energy transactions between peers (both producers and consumers) and could be one of the main executables implemented using a blockchain platform. The case study presented in this paper shows how the end-users through the blockchain could select among the possible energy transactions those more suitable to offer specific ancillary services to the grid operator without involving the grid operator itself or a third-party aggregator.

With the average solar radiation reaching up to 5 kWh/m2, Vietnam is considered as a country showing an excellent potential for solar power production. Since the year 2000, there have been a lot of studies about the potential of this source in Vietnam. So far, many applications of solar power have been implemented on small, medium, and large scales. In fact, the total capacity of current grid-connected solar power plants has exceeded the planned capacity by 2020 nearly 6 times. However, the studies of solar potential in Vietnam are still incomplete. The policies and mechanisms for developing solar power projects have received attention from the authorities but have not been really satisfactory. The infrastructure is still poor and the power system does not keep up with the development of modern grids. This paper reviewed the potential and actual implementation stage of photovoltaic projects in Vietnam. Moreover, the barriers and challenges of institution, technique, economy, and finance have been considered explicitly for the future development of solar energy in Vietnam.

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&rsquo, bid-up is included in the study, the price variation becomes relevant.

Due to the large number of distribution transformers in the distribution grid, the status of distribution transformers plays an important role in ensuring the safe and reliable operation of the these grids. To evaluate the distribution transformer health, many assessment techniques have been studied and developed. These tools will support the transformer operators in predicting the status of the distribution transformer and responding effectively. This paper will review the literature in the area, analyze the latest techniques as well as highlight the advantages and disadvantages of current methodologies.

In last years, the energy efficiency in non-interconnected islands became an important topic, since the electricity production is often based on diesel generators, thus contributing to the global warming. Italian government recently emitted two decrees to promote the introduction of renewable energy technologies in 21 non-interconnected islands, both for electrical and thermal uses. In this paper, the economic and environmental feasibility of the introduction of renewable energies in the island of Pantelleria was assessed adopting an optimization approach. Furthermore, the flexibility provided from the local desalination plant and the domestic water heaters was evaluated. The final demands for electricity, air conditioning, domestic hot water and freshwater were analyzed, and the island was schematized as a multi-carrier energy hub and optimized through a mixed integer linear programming algorithm. Results prove that the renewable energies may provide a strong reduction of operating costs and greenhouse emissions of diesel generators in non-interconnected islands, although the optimal configurations differ according to the objective function of the optimization.

In this article, the authors discuss a simulation model to study the effect of cross-bonding of metallic sheaths, and/or nonmagnetic armors, of single-core medium- and high-voltage cables in the same circuit. In single-core cables, the resistive losses due to the induced circulating currents in cable sheaths or armors cause an increase of the cable temperature, which therefore reduces its ampacity. This is a serious issue affecting the distribution and transmission lines. In addition, the risk of electric shock due to induced voltages may be present if a person is in contact with the armor/sheath at its unbounded end. For these reasons, special bonding techniques of metal sheaths are employed to reduce these currents. The simulation model to assess the magnitude and distribution of induced armor/sheath currents of medium- and high-voltage cables that is herein proposed may be used to optimize the cross-bonding configuration of single-core cables employed in high-current industrial applications or in transmission/distribution power grids. The model has been experimentally validated by means of actual data from a high-voltage underground line and field measurements performed by Prysmian Electronics.

In this paper, the implementation of a simulation model for studying the effect of cross-bonding of metallic sheaths and/or non-magnetic armor of single-core medium voltage cables in the same circuit is discussed. With the use of single-core cables, the resistive losses due to the induced circulating currents in cable sheaths or armors causes an increase of cable temperature that reduces its ampacity. In addition, the risk of electric shock due to induced voltages may be present if a person is exposed to the armor/sheath at the unbounded end. For this reason, special bonding techniques are used to significantly reduce these currents. The authors have implemented a model that could be used to help optimize the cross-bonding configuration for single-core cables employed in high-current industrial applications. The model has been experimentally validated thanks to actual data from a medium-voltage underground line.

The PEA method is currently widespread used for space charge measurements in mini-cables in order to qualify the behavior of semicon-dielectric-semicon compound under electric and thermal stress. The main goal of this research is to quantitatively evaluate the relationship between the thermal boundary conditions applied to cables or mini-cables and the maximum local electric field due to the accumulated space charge. Hitherto, several research groups have obtained thermal gradients over the dielectric's radius heating the conductor by Joule effect due to an induced current. In this paper, a numerical approach is offered to calibrate the heat exchange boundary conditions to apply to a sample during PEA space charge measurements. This method aims to reproduce in mini-cables the same operative electric field levels reached in full size HVDC cables.

Under DC stress, the space charge accumulation is believed one of the most responsible of dielectrics ageing. For this reason, due to the increase of the HVDC transmission, a recommendation has been proposed. The latter want to introduce the space charge measure, with the PEA method, in cable specimens during the prequalification or type tests. Considering the several issues related to this kind of measures the aim of the proposed work is find a measurement setup for mini cable specimens which is able to provide a clear and clean space charge profile. Therefore, different tests have been made in this work. In particular, the length of the cable specimen, the width of the pulse electrodes, as well as the distance between the pulse electrodes position and the cell measuring point, have been evaluated. Measurement results shown that the best solution is for a mini cable 2 m length and when the pulse electrodes width and its distance from the measuring point is equal to 20 cm.

The paper proposes a methodology to assess the potential impact of salinity gradient power technology in urban contexts. The idea to employ such energy source in urban contexts derives from the observation that, among the energy districts outputs, low-salinity treated wastewater can be used to produce electricity if a suitable source of high salinity feed (seawater of a salt-works) is also available. The methodology uses the HOMER software for assessing the district’s electric energy production, consumption and exchange with the main grid. Then, starting from the total gross surface and the number of inhabitants of the district, some possible realistic scenarios characterized by different wastewater flow rate are defined. Finally, for each scenario the size and the yearly energy production of the salinity gradient power system are calculated thanks to a simulator carried out by the same authors. An application example, considering three different scenarios, shows that urban density plays a crucial role in the process and that the most promising realistic scenarios are those including treated wastewater and brine and unlimited seawater and brine. The economic feasibility of the salinity gradient power technology is evaluated by a comparison with classical renewable technologies such as photovoltaic and wind systems.

In this work, the minimum losses optimal power dispatch problem for islanded microgrids with distributed energy resources (DER) is solved by means of a distributed heuristic approach. Optimal power management is performed almost in real time, with a predefined schedule, i.e. every 5 min, and the solution is applied to generators when the current operating solution violates voltage or current constraints or when the current configuration produces too large power losses. The operating point of both inverter-interfaced generation units as well as rotating production systems can be modified simply using local information. The latter are voltage measurements and power injections or loads data of local and nearby nodes, therefore information processed at each bus derive from communications between adjacent nodes. The distributed algorithm is iterative but also fast and easy to understand, since it is based on the use of power flow equations. It can be employed for small and medium size networks showing tens of nodes and test results prove that convergence happens in few iterations.

Blockchain technology has found several innovative applications in the electricity industry. However, its potential has still to be discovered. This is partly due to the role that regulation plays in electricity markets. To be introduced, experimented with, and eventually adopted on a commercial scale, blockchain-supported innovations need to fit the existing regulatory framework or the rules to be reshaped or updated. We focus on energy regulators' possible responses to the blockchain-enhanced market operations (both from the incumbents and potential newcomers), suggesting a monitoring mechanism that can support innovation.

The paper presents a study, conceived within the GEYSER FP7 co-funded European research project, on the ancillary services that Green Data Centres (GDCs) can provide, focusing, in particular, on spinning reserve. More in detail, the main contribution of the paper is to show how GDCs can be involved in the secondary frequency regulation process of a smart distribution grid, for contrasting the disturbing effects of unexpected variation of the energy production. With this aim, a real data centre, owned by Engineering S.p.A., is simulated as connected to the Medium Voltage IEEE 14-bus test grid where some RES-based generators are supposed to exist. Simulations are carried out in order to evaluate the impact of power management actions to be executed by the data centre during under-frequency transients, due to an event of renewable energy facilities power production decrease. During this event, the effects of the spinning reserve provided by the data centre are deeply analysed.

In the last decade, remarkable developments have concerned the methods of space charge measurement in the field of insulation systems diagnostic. In particular, methods based on acoustic and thermal phenomena have been largely used. The present review provides a broad overview on the different techniques used describing, for each of them, the working principle, the main features and the most relevant applications. Further details are provided for the Pulsed Electro-Acoustic (PEA) method, as it seems to be the most used. This article provides more details on its historical evolution, showing evidence for its technological limits and taking into consideration the advantages and drawn from the different configurations of the measuring cell. A similar approach has been used for the group of thermal methods, whereas for the optical methods only the basic working principle and latest applications are reported.

The paper presents the study of the 500-kV Vietnamese power system. The oscillatory response of the system is analyzed both with a modal analysis and a time domain analysis. The 500-kV system of Vietnam is modeled in details, including all the power plants with the corresponding regulators. The model is developed in collaboration with the Institute of Energy Science IES-VAST of Vietnam and it is validated with the data provided by the National Load Dispatch Centre (NLDC) of Vietnam. The simulation results reveal a clear identification of potential inter-area oscillations between North and South of the Country. A worsening of the observed phenomenon should be considered as possible, especially in the perspective of the new installation of a significant amount of power from renewable sources into the Vietnamese system.

The energy blockchain is a distributed Internet protocol for energy transactions between nodes of a power system. Recent applications of the energy blockchain in microgrids only consider the energy transactions between peers without considering the technical issues that can arise, especially when the system is islanded. One contribution of the paper is, thus, to depict a comprehensive framework of the technical and economic management of microgrids in the blockchain era, considering, for the first time, the provision of ancillary services and, in particular, of the voltage regulation service. When more PV nodes are operating in the grid, large reactive power flows may appear in the branches. In order to limit such flows, a reactive optimal power flow (R-OPF) is solved, setting the voltage at the PV buses as variables within prescribed limits. Each PV generator will thus contribute to voltage regulation, receiving a remuneration included in the transaction and certified by the blockchain technology. For showing how this system can work, a test microgrid, where some energy transactions take place, has been considered. For each transaction, the R-OPF assigns the reactive power to the PV buses. The R-OPF is solved by a glow-worm swarm optimizer. Finally, the paper proposes a method for remuneration of reactive power provision; this method, integrated into the blockchain, allows evaluating the contribution to voltage regulation and increases the transparency and cost traceability in the transactions. The application section shows the implementation of a Tendermint-based energy transaction platform integrating R-OPF and the earlier cited technical assessments.

The paper presents the analysis of some potentially suitable actions for reducing the energy losses of an islanded Medium Voltage distribution network, with the aim of improving electricity distribution efficiency. For this purpose, four actions are considered: 1) increasing the network's rated voltage; 2) reactive power compensation through static capacitor banks; 3) reactive power compensation through switchable capacitor banks; 4) installation of distributed photovoltaic (PV) generation. The first two measures are typically taken into account by the distribution system operators and can be examined by means of classical design methods, whereas the latter two more innovative actions are tested here using specialized software based on the NSGA-II multi-objective optimization algorithm. The fourth action, expanding distributed PV generation, can be motivated through public or private incentives. It is investigated here using an innovative approach to the optimization problem formulation considering the perspectives of both the utility and the consumer. A case study on a small Mediterranean island real existing network is also presented.

Islanded microgrids are small networks that work independently from the main grid. The frequency and voltage in islanded microgrids are affected directly by the output power of distributed generators and power demand variations. In this work, a real-time driven primary regulation, which relies on optimized P-f droop coefficients, is proposed. In all operating conditions, it minimizes the power losses for islanded microgrids. The proposed configuration will allow the optimization modules to interact with each other and adjust parameters producing a suitable power sharing among generators. The methodology is tested based on a hardware-in-the-loop experimental set-up where distributed generators are connected to a group of loads. A parametric analysis is implemented for verification of the effectiveness of the proposed configuration as well as the improvement of the system reliability.

This paper describes the possibility to use the blockchain technology for load and generation aggregation in a new distributed Demand Response (DR) service and customers remuneration system. The blockchain technology and the use of smart contracts for DR allow the creation of a distributed system in which customers can communicate directly, in a transparent, secure and traceable way, with the grid operator to provide their flexibility. In this paper, the DR problem formulation takes into account several aspects, which are periodically executed. First, the blockchain records customers’ energy consumption or production, then, the smart contract starts calculating the baseline and the potential support provided by each customer to fulfil the requested load adaptation. Customers’ availability for generation and load profile modulation is also taken into account, as well as their privacy and an updated definition of the roles of grid and market operators in a new Demand-Response scenario supported by the blockchain technology. The blockchain used is Hyperledger Fabric, since it turned to be flexible for smart contracts implementation while supporting multi-tenancy. Results show the possibility to successfully apply the blockchain technology to this particular topic, even considering privacy-preserving issues.

Cable manufacturing industries are constantly trying to improve the electrical performance of power cables. During the years, it was found that one of the most relevant degradation factors influencing the cable lifetime is the presence of space charge in the insulation layer. To detect the accumulated charge, the pulsed electro-acoustic (PEA) method is the most used technique. Despite the wide use of the PEA cell, several issues are still present. In particular, the PEA output signal is strongly disturbed by the acoustic waves reflections within the PEA cell. This causes the distortion of the output signal and therefore the misinterpretation of the charge profiles. This, in turn, may result in an incorrect cable characterization from the space charge phenomenon point of view. In 2017, due to the proved degradation effect of the space charge accumulation phenomenon, the IEEE Std 1732 was developed. This standard describes the steps to be followed for the space charge measurement in cables specimens during pre-qualification or type tests. Therefore, cable manufacturing industries started to take a particular interest in these measures. In the light of this, the aim of the present work is to highlight that the enacted standard is not easily applicable since various problems are still present in the PEA method for cables. In particular, in this work, the effect of multiple reflected signals due to the different interfaces involved, but also the effect of the signal attenuation due to cable dielectric thickness, as well as the effect of the PEA cell ground electrode thickness in the output charge profile, are reported. These issues have been demonstrated by means of an experimental test carried out on a full-size cable in the Prysmian Group High Voltage laboratory. To better understand the PEA cell output signal formation, a PEA cell model was developed in a previous work and it has been experimentally validated here. In particular, simulations have been useful to highlight the effect of the reflection phenomena due to the PEA cell ground electrode thickness on the basis of the specimen under test features. Moreover, by analyzing the simulation results, it was possible to separate the main signal from the reflected waves and, in turn, to calculate the suitable ground electrode thickness for the cable specimen under test.

Growing home comfort is causing increasing energy consumption in residential buildings and a consequent stress in urban medium and low voltage distribution networks. Therefore, distribution system operators are obliged to manage problems related to the reliability of the electricity system and, above all, they must consider investments for enhancing the electrical infrastructure. The purpose of this paper is to assess how the reduction of building electricity consumption and the modification of the building load profile, due to load automation, combined with suitable load control programs, can improve network reliability and distribution efficiency. This paper proposes an extensive study on this issue, considering various operating scenarios with four load control programs with different purposes, the presence/absence of local generation connected to the buildings and different external thermal conditions. The study also highlights how different climatic conditions can influence the effects of the load control logics.

With the increase of load demand and distributed photovoltaic (PV) systems on the electric grid, maintaining the required voltage tolerance at the point delivery (customer homes/businesses) is becoming more challenging for electric power utilities. In a residential neighborhood, the peak load typically occurs in the early evening hours while maximum PV generation occurs during mid day. As a result, the lowest voltage operating points occur in the evening hours; whereas the highest voltage operating point occur during the day, when the PV systems are injecting more power than what is locally consumed. Static VAR Compensators (SVCs) can be used to mitigate voltage violations and smooth out the overall profile of a distribution feeder by managing the voltage at the secondary side of distribution service transformers. In this paper, a new method to optimize the placement of SVC devices in a residential neighborhood on the island of Maui, Hawaii, USA with highly distributed PV penetration is presented as a case study using real data to show the efficiency of the proposed optimal placement methodology.

The aim of the present work is to evaluate the acoustic waves behavior within the Pulsed Electro-Acoustic (PEA) cell, in case of a multilayer specimen, in order to avoid misinterpretation of the output signal. Due to the reflection phenomenon of the acoustic waves travelling within the PEA cell, the output signal could be distorted. Because this aspect, for a given PEA cell with certain ground electrode and absorber thicknesses, depends on the sound velocity and thickness of the specimen under test, the latter must be carefully sized. For this aim, some useful relationships, that must be taken into account are given and described. In particular, a three layers sample simulating an air void defect within an insulating material has been realized, and the space charge pattern has been detailed analyzed. Measurement result, shown that despite the specimen layers thicknesses has been chosen in accordance to the provided relationships, a reflection within the specimen itself overlaps one the main charge peak.

This paper shows how minimum cost energy management can be carried out for islanded micro-grids considering an expanded state that also includes the system's frequency. Each of the configurations outputted by the energy management system at each hour are indeed technically sound and coherent from the point of view of generation-consumption balancing by exploiting a frequency dependent load flow algorithm. A Glow-worm Swarm Optimization (GSO) algorithm carried out in a 24 hour time frame provides optimized results. A test has been carried out for a residential PV-Storage-Microturbine islanded micro-grid to show the feasibility as well as the efficiency of the proposed approach and results are compared to an existing solution method recently proposed by the authors.

Recently, DC power distribution is gaining more and more importance over its AC counterpart achieving increased efficiency, greater flexibility, reduced volumes and capital cost. In this paper, a 24-120-325V two-level DC distribution system for home appliances, each including three parallel DC-DC converters, is modeled. An active load sharing technique is proposed for the on-line optimization of the global efficiency of the DC distribution network. The algorithm aims at the instantaneous efficiency optimization of the whole DC network, based on the on-line load current sampling. A Look Up Table, is created to store the real efficiencies of the converters taking into account components tolerances. A MATLAB/Simulink model of the DC distribution network has been set up and a Genetic Algorithm has been employed for the global efficiency optimization. Simulation results are shown to validate the proposed solution.

In this paper, an on-line management system for the optimal efficiency operation of a multi-bus DC home distribution system is proposed. The operation of the system is discussed with reference to a distribution system with two conversion stages and three voltage levels. In each of the conversion stages, three paralleled DC/DC converters are implemented. A Genetic Algorithm performs the on-line optimization of the DC network’s global efficiency, generating the optimal current sharing ratios of the concurrent power converters. The overall DC/DC conversion system including the optimization section is modelled using MATLAB/Simulink. Thanks to the implemented online algorithm, considering the system modelling as dynamic master/slave configuration, reliability, robustness and flexibility of the whole conversion system is enhanced. Since an online algorithm is implemented, several variables are accounted for, such as: components loss parameters, components ageing, load currents, switching frequency and input voltage. Simulation results considering several case studies are presented and the benefits brought by the optimization algorithm in terms of power saving are widely discussed for each case study. &nbsp

Both EN 50522 and IEEE Std. 81 propose the Fall of Potential Method (FPM) to carry out the measurement of the resistance to earth of an Earthing System (ES). However, in urban areas, the recommended distances between the ES and auxiliary electrodes are not easy to respect, due to the presence of buildings and tarmac. Moreover, unknown buried metallic parts, as well as the interconnection among the ESs made by the Distributor System Operator, could modify the earth potential profile of the area, affecting the measurement results. In this paper, the issues that could affect the measurement result if FPM is used in an urban context are presented. A parametric analysis, carried out with Comsol Multiphysics, quantifies the errors due to wrong positioning of the auxiliary electrodes with reference to the ES under test. In addition, a field measurement is described, emphasizing the main aspects that could compromise the results. Finally, practical suggestions to reduce errors are provided.

The paper focuses on the hazardous situations that can rise in urban areas in case of earth fault inside a High Voltage/Medium Voltage station. IEEE and IEC/EN Standards and technical documents are examined and discussed, in order to propose some practical guidelines for a safe integration of such installations in contexts characterized by the presence of low voltage systems and not trained persons.

A recent report from the German Energy Agency analyzes the possible introduction of the blockchain technology in energy transactions in power distribution. The issue deserves attention since the extensive digitalization of business models puts new challenges to utilities in the power sector. The German decision makers in the energy field claim that blockchain appears as a close perspective and, at the same time, the Gartner hypecycle puts this technology at the peak of inflated expectations in 2016. Diffuse perception however provides hints for further investigation on the topic. This paper provides insight into the problem of peer-to-peer energy exchange from a technical perspective, providing evidence about an impossible guarantee for the so-called ‘transparency’ in energy transactions. A generic customer that buys energy from his neighbor that produces clean energy cannot have any guarantee about the origin of the energy he consumes, since it depends from the voltage distribution across the network. This assumption is even more realistic when different generation sources are distributed in the power distribution network, providing also voltage regulation services. It will be proved through some easy examples that, differently from other digital business models, such as Airbnb and Uber, the physical asset here plays a crucial role that cannot so easily be neglected.

International Standards define a Global Earthing System as an earthing net created interconnecting local Earthing Systems (generally through the shield of MV cables and/or bare buried conductors). In Italy, the regulatory authority for electricity and gas requires distributors to guarantee the electrical continuity of LV neutral conductor. This requirement has led to the standard practice of realizing “reinforcement groundings” along the LV neutral conductor path and at users’ delivery cabinet. Moreover, in urban high-load scenarios (prime candidates to be part of a Global Earthing System), it is common that LV distribution scheme creates, through neutral conductors, an effective connection between grounding systems of MV/LV substations, modifying Global Earthing System consistency. The aim of this paper is to evaluate the effect, in terms of electrical safety, of the aforementioned LV neutral distribution scheme when an MV-side fault to ground occurs. For this purpose, simulations are carried out on a realistic urban test case and suitable evaluation indexes are proposed.

The paper presents a complete technique, based on the combination of algorithms, devoted to minimize losses and increase efficiency of Total Cross Tied (TCT) connected photovoltaic (PV) systems under non-homogeneous solar irradiation, based on irradiance equalization criterion. Irradiance equalization is achieved by changing the connections of the solar panels adaptively by a dynamic switching matrix so that total solar radiation on parallel circuits is the most equalized. In this paper, the authors introduce two algorithms. The first one is SmartChoice (SC) algorithm, which is combined with Dynamic Programming (DP) in order to create a hybrid method and obtain better results as compared to established methods for irradiance equalization. The second one is the control algorithm improvement method from Munkres' Assignment Algorithm (MAA) that helps to increase processing speed and lengthen the lifetime of the solar power system by 56% compared with the older MAA. By emulating and experiencing the operation of the PV system under non-homogeneous irradiation condition, obtained results show efficiency and benefits of the proposed method applied to the solar power system operation while lengthening the lifetime of the switching matrix.

This chapter outlines the concept of intelligent and multi-service infrastructures, addressing the interesting aspects of multi operability, potential of cogeneration and multi-carrier energy hubs, whose basic concepts were only recently described in [1]. The infrastructures that serve a community, such as energy distribution, water and waste piping, mobility and ICT networks are, in fact, the most important means for efficient operation of cities. The chapter, after outlining the contents of the document ISO TR 37150: 2014 concerning the Smart Community Infrastructures, highlights the different approaches needed to implement them within existing cities and newly built cities. At the end, the chapter presents the concept of Energy Hub and some cases study of urban districts (existing district and new built district) modelled as Energy Hubs.

This paper presents the performance comparison of PV windows with the purpose of tracing the behavior of next-generation systems, which could favor architectonical integration. More in detail, a dye sensitized solar cell (DSSC) and blue and grey thin film silicon panels have been analyzed. The systems can be placed behind a window or behind a wall of glass blocks. The three generation systems are then compared in terms of both efficiency and Fill Factor.

This paper presents a combined optimal energy and power flow management for islanded microgrids. The highest control level in this case will provide a feasible and optimized operating point around the economic optimum. In order to account for both unbalanced and balanced loads, the optimal power flow is carried out using a Glow-worm Swarm Optimizer. The control level is organized into two different sub-levels, the highest of which accounts for minimum cost operation and the lowest one solving the optimal power flow and devising the set points of inverter interfaced generation units and rotating machines with a minimum power loss. A test has been carried out for 6 bus islanded microgrids to show the efficiency and feasibility of the proposed technique.

In the paper an optimal management procedure for a system composed of a renewable energy source, storage batteries and a load, permanently connected to a distribution network, is presented. The issue follows two objectives: a) maximum economic benefit for the system, and b) minimum energy exchange with the network. The operation cost of storage facilities, as well as the technical and economic constraints on power exchanges between the system and the network and the technical constraints about charging and discharging cycles of the batteries are considered. The effectiveness of the management procedure is numerically tested and the results are presented.

In this paper, a distributed intelligence algorithm is used to manage the optimal power flow problem in islanded microgrids. The methodology provides a suboptimal solution although the error is limited to a few percent as compared to a centralized approach. The solution algorithm is multi-agent based. According to the method, couples of agents communicate with each other only if the buses where they are located are electrically connected. The overall prizing system required for learning uses a feedback from an approximated model of the network. Based on the latter, a distributed reiforcement learning algorithm is implemented to minimize the joule losses while meeting operational constraints. Simulation studies with a small microgrids show that the method is computationally efficient and capable of providing sub-optimal solutions. Due to the limited computational complexity, the proposed method has great potential for online implementation.

In this paper, a modeling approach of a three phase power inverter based on an electrostatic synchronous machine is presented. By the proposed approach, any inverter-based distributed generator in a microgrid can be replaced by an equivalent electrostatic machine. This paper aims to promote the use of the proposed modeling approach in the analysis of microgrid stability. Thanks to the proposed modeling approach, transient performances of on-grid operation of converter-based distributed generators could be easily analyzed by multi-machine models. Parameters of the equivalent synchronous electrostatic machine model are derived to achieve equivalence with the inverter model. Small signal models in the d-q synchronous reference frame of both the inverter and the machine are compared. An integrated simulation setup including the electrical power inverter with a sinusoidal Pulse Width Modulation scheme and the small signal models of both the inverter and the electrostatic machine is implemented. Simulation results are shown to validate the modeling approach.

Town Administrations are increasingly facing the challenge to identify smart planning actions to reduce the cities' energy demand by improving the efficiency of the urban energy systems. Buildings play an important role in this regarding both the demand and supply energy. In this scenario, the neighborhood or district scale seems to be the most appropriate to implement a multi-disciplinary approach on which smart planning relies. This paper shows the application, to a district of the city of Palermo (Sicily, Italy), of a methodology for architectural-energy classification of existing buildings. Such methodology provides, regarding the building sector, an easy tool that can support smart planning at district scale using data available to the municipalities. The work also shows a first experimental approach for the neighborhoods' characterization. The basic idea guiding this work is to identify possible features and subsequent intervention actions for energy refurbishment in neighborhoods clusters.

When a single line to ground fault happens on the MV side of a HV/MV system, only a small portion of the fault current is injected into the ground by the ground-grid of the faulty substation. In fact the fault current is distributed between grounding electrodes and MV cables sheaths. In systems with isolated neutral or with resonant earthing this may be sufficient to provide safety from electric shock. Experimental measurements were performed on a real MV distribution network: a real single line to ground fault was made and fault currents were measured in the faulty substation and in four neighboring substations. In this paper the problem of fault current distribution is introduced, the test system is described and the measurements results are presented.

This paper describes a way to include the end users of the electrical network in the Demand Response mechanism using the Blockchain technology and the Smart Contract concepts, thus developing a distributed system where customers can communicate directly with the system operator to provide their flexibility in a transparent, secure and traceable way.The historical data on energy consumption and production of the customers is recorded on the Blockchain, with the Smart Contract evaluating the baseline and the potential support that each customer can provide to fulfill the requested load adaptation communicated by the grid operator. The baseline and the optimal power reduction for a customer (evaluated by the Smart Contract) are provided as input data to an Energy Management System developed by the Authors with the aim of shifting the consumption of each user in response to the Demand Response event in an automated way, satisfying the demand for reduction in the best possible way for customer and grid operator at the same time.The Energy Management System is based on historical trends and performs an economic optimization minimizing the energy supply cost for the end user. Results confirm the possibility to successfully integrate the Blockchain technology to this particular application, and the cooperation with an Energy Management System automates the process by improving the speed and effectiveness of the customer response.