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European Union identified the battery value chain as strategic for achieving a sustainable and decarbonized economy. Focusing on the environmental sustainability of batteries, this paper presents an application of the Life Cycle Assessment methodology to three flow-redox cells characterized by electrodes made by different materials. The results are referred to one kWh of energy supplied by the cell during its useful life and are calculated following a “from cradle to grave” approach. Negligible differences (lower than 1.5%) are observed in the energy and environmental impacts of the three types of cells, mainly due to the type of electrode and the use phase. A dominance analysis shows that the cell manufacturing (including the raw materials supply) is responsible of more than 58% of most of the impact categories examined

Fuel cells (FCs) are among the key technologies that Europe will have to rely on in order to comply with the most recent environmental targets inspired by decarbonization and circular economy. The assessment of the real advantages of using FCs for producing energy must include a reliable analysis of the energy and environmental impacts during the life cycle of these systems, including the raw materials supply, production, use, and disposal. In this context, the life cycle assessment (LCA) is a well-established methodology for assessing the eco-profile of products and services and for identifying the components and the life cycle steps having the largest contribution to energy and environmental impacts. In the chapter, authors focus on the analysis of two types of FCs: solid oxide FCs and polymer electrolyte membrane FCs. Authors describe the FC technology, the sectors of application, and the FC materials and components. A literature review of available LCA researches is also discussed to point out the environmental impacts of the FCs and the methodological issues that can arise in the study of a FC.

To support the global transition towards a climate-neutral economy by 2050, countries all over the world are implementing low carbon and energy effi ciency policies. This is leading to a rapid increase in the installations of distributed generation technologies. A hybrid system consisting of two or more energy sources could provide a more reliable supply of energy and mitigate storage require ments. In this context, this paper develops an environmental early analysis by the employment of a simplified Life Cycle Assessment approach. The above mentioned approach is used to investigate the environmental performances of the hybrid energy system of the smart polygeneration micro-grid of the University Campus of Savona, which integrates photovoltaics and combined heat and power generators with an electricity storage system. Moreover, two further compari son scenarios are analyzed: electricity demand met by importing energy from the electricity grid (Scenario 1) and management of cogeneration plants to primarily satisfy thermal demand (Scenario 2). An early environmental assessment analysis shows that the cogeneration systems have a predominant weight on the majority of the environmental impact categories analyzed. On the other hand, the PV sys tems are the most responsible for the impacts on human toxicity cancer effects (35%), freshwater ecotoxicity (60%), and resource depletion (72%); while the energy imported from the grid has a predominant weight on freshwater eutrophi cation (55%). Finally, the results show that the alternative scenarios investigated are responsible for higher environmental impacts than the case study. The only exceptions are represented by the resource depletion for Scenario 1 and the global warming potential for Scenario 2. In fact, for these indicators, the base case shows higher environmental impacts than those of the alternative scenarios.

Ventilated Façades integrated with photovoltaic panels have become a popular way to improve both the thermal-physical performances of the existing built environment. The increased usage of not-programmable renewable energy sources implies the adoption of energy storage systems to mitigate the mismatch between the power generation and the building’s demand. Aiming at properly integrates a photovoltaic panel and a battery (Lithium based) as a module of an active ventilated façade, the prototype design has been carried out in terms of thermo-fluid dynamics performance. Based on experimental setup, a numerical study of flow through the air cavity of the active ventilated façade has been carried out by the fluid-dynamics Finite Volume code-Ansys-Fluent. The calibrated model was lastly used to perform a wide range of parametric analyses on different climate and boundary conditions to explore the viability of the prototype.

In this study, in order to transform the exit-streams of the solid oxide electrolyzer cells (SOECs) into methane, the nickel-iron supported on ceria-doped gadolinia (GDC) have been tailored to obtain high activity and durability for simultaneous methanation of carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide. The catalysts were prepared by impregnation and characterized by usual analytical techniques. The effects of metals loading and reaction temperature (ranging from 200 to 600 °C) on the catalytic activity and selectivity were examined. The catalysts have a total metal loading of 50% wt/wt with respect the support. The high load of metal is due to the foreseen use of the catalyst in the SOECs. The results highlight the superior activity of monometallic Ni/GDC with respect to bimetallic Ni-Fe/GDC catalysts that was ascribed to the paramount role of the GDC support.

A composite cermet consisting in a Ni–Fe alloy and Ce0.9Gd0.1O2-x (CGO) was prepared and used as an electrocatalytic pre-layer in a conventional solid oxide electrolyser (SOEC) for the co-electrolysis of H2O and CO2. The electrocatalyst showed two main phases ascribed to trevorite (NiFe2O4, 78 wt %) and metallic Ni (22 wt %) and an average crystallite size of 27 nm. The role of the Ni–Fe electrocatalyst in promoting CH4 formation was analysed by comparing gas-chromatographic and electrochemical results obtained for coated and bare cells. A slight increase of series resistance was observed for the coated cell (0.85 vs 0.53 Ω cm2) at 525 °C. However, the coated cell demonstrated an enhanced CH4 production in the entire temperature range investigated (525–800 °C). Contrarily to what observed for the bare cell which mainly produced syngas, the coated cell allowed to achieve a high yield of methane (between 67% at 525 °C and 35% at 800 °C) with selectivity to CH4 between 94% at 525 °C and 51% at 800 °C. The selectivity to CO for the coated cell was relatively low (between 6% at 525 °C and 48% at 800 °C). Whereas, the bare cell showed 98–100% selectivity to CO along the entire temperature range). Durability studies showed the possible occurrence of delamination issues as consequence of carbon formation at the interface between the supporting cathode and the electrolyte as observed from the morphological analysis of SOEC cells after operation.

7 Figures, 2 Tables.-- This article also appears in: Giornate dell’Elettrochimica Italiana (GEI 2019)., Transition‐metal‐based materials are among the most active and durable catalysts for the effective electrocatalysis of oxygen‐related reactions. Herein, we present a study on bifunctional catalysts as air electrodes aimed at metal‐air batteries based on nickel and cobalt spinel (NiCo2O4) supported on electrospun carbon nanofibers. The physicochemical features of these transition‐metal‐based catalysts are essential for the understanding of their electrochemical activity. Results show that the major presence of oxidized Ni and Co species (Ni3+ and Co3+) produces higher activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER), whereas lower oxidation states of the metals (Ni2+, Co2+, Ni0 and Co0) together with the presence of N‐doped carbon lead to enhanced oxygen reduction reaction (ORR) performance. This study highlights the importance of designing catalysts in terms of crystallographic structure and proper oxidation states of the elements for maximizing their performance., The research leading to these results has received funding from the “Accordo di Programma CNR‐MiSE, Gruppo tematico Sistema Elettrico Nazionale e Progetto: Sistemi elettrochimici per l′accumulo di energia”.

The European Union is moving towards a sustainable, decarbonized, and circular economy. It has identified seven key value chains in which to intervene, with the battery and vehicle value chain being one of them. Thus, actions and strategies for the sustainability of batteries need to be developed. Since Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is a strategic tool for evaluating environmental sustainability, this paper investigates its application to two configurations of a sodium–nickel chloride cell (planar and tubular), focusing on the active material and the anode, with the purpose of identifying the configuration characterized by the lowest environmental impacts. The results, based on a “from cradle to gate” approach, showed that the tubular cell performs better for all environmental impact categories measured except for particulate matter, acidification, and resource depletion. With nickel being the main contributor to these impact categories, future sustainable strategies need to be oriented towards the reduction/recovery of this material or the use of nickel coming from a more sustainable supply chain. The original contribution of the paper is twofold: (1) It enriches the number of case studies of LCAs applied to sodium/nickel chloride cells, adding to the few studies on these types of cells that can be found in the existing scientific literature. (2) The results identify the environmental hot spots (cell configuration and materials used) for improving the environmental footprint of batteries made from sodium/nickel chloride cells.

The transition to a sustainable society and a carbon-neutral economy by 2050 requires extensive deployment of renewable energy sources that, due to the aleatority and non-programmability of most of them, may seriously affect the stability of existing power grids. In this context, buildings are increasingly being seen as a potential source of energy flexibility for the power grid. In literature, key performance indicators, allowing different aspects of the load management, are used to investigate buildings’ energy flexibility. The paper reviews existing indicators developed in the context of theoretical, experimental and numerical studies on flexible buildings, outlining the current status and the potential future perspective. Moreover, the paper briefly reviews the range of grid services that flexible buildings can provide to support the reliability of the electric power system which is potentially challenged by the increasing interconnection of distributed variable renewable generation.

An efficient, reliable and cost-effective energy storage is necessary to increase the use of renewables and to contribute in reducing the carbon footprint of the electricity grid. A novel iron-air battery characterized by high performance, safety and reliability for operation at intermediate temperatures (500–650 °C) is demonstrated. The iron-air rechargeable battery is based on a new configuration where both the nickel-electrode and the hydrogen/water redox processes, generally utilized in high temperature ceramic batteries, are avoided in this system completely operating in the solid state. This can increase the durability and reliability of the battery while providing excellent performance (specific energy of 0.46 Wh g−1, specific capacity of 0.5 Ah g−1, faradaic efficiency 80%). These characteristics favourably compare to low temperature iron-air batteries. Excellent performance and cyclability are achieved at 650 °C for the iron-air solid-state battery showing no relevant degradation after more than 100 cycles. The concept is based on a composite iron-ceria anode in contact with an oxygen anion-conducting lanthanum gallate electrolyte and a mixed conductivity lanthanum ferrite perovskite-based cathode. This combines both simplicity of operation and intrinsic safety with high energy density and durability. The excellent dynamic behaviour, the absence of influence of external environmental conditions and the use of cost-effective ceramic materials, with the possibility to produce high quality heat to cover the chain of electrical and thermal energy, make such systems largely appealing for applications related to renewable power sources.

This paper deals with the issue of the production of electricity required for an electric delivery van to carry out its daily mission. In particular, the technical solutions adopted for the generation and management of energy from renewable energy sources will be illustrated. Subsequently a vehicle routing problem with time windows is formulated in order to optimize the freight distribution at urban level completing the exploration of two aspects, infrastructures and management of the service, considered fundamental for dealing with the distribution of freight in a system scenario. The article describes a case study for the delivery of freight within the last mile in which the installation of renewable energy production plants is proposed in the same place where the urban distribution center has been planned. The area dedicated to freight handling is thus proposed in the work as an energy platform as well as logistics. The optimization of a freight delivery service is performed in order to reduce the energy used by the vehicle in its daily travels and some aspects related to the governance (i.e. time windows allowed for the delivery/pick-up operations) are included in the problem constraints. A test application, considering a set of 84 retailers, has been carried out as case study in the Capo d'Orlando municipality (Sicily, Italy).

Test di caratterizzazione elettrochimica su membrane Solvay per applicazione in batteria redox a flusso di vanadio

Climate Change is a priority, due to the large variety of implications and importance that it may cause in the next decades. In this context, the building sector is a significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions. For this reason, buildings should be designed in such a way that they are responsible for fewer GHG emissions. In this context, the paper analyses the potential impact of climate change on the energy performances of buildings, with and without onsite generation from renewable energy, using a prototype building located in Messina (Italy) as case study. The analysis is based on Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change RCP scenarios and the results confirm the already known overall increase in total energy consumption of a building due to climate change, with a relative decrease in heating demand and increase in cooling demand. The analysis highlights that an active building (including onsite renewable energy generation) responds better to climate change than a passive building in terms of Global Warming Potential. The use of local energy storage will greatly improve the flexibility of the building to load-match and at the same time it could reduce CO2eq emissions.

A change in the logistics sector in terms of environmental sustainability is necessary to support the achievement of the social challenges associated with freight transport. Unfortunately, the policy responses to solving congestion and emissions issues are mainly dedicated to the movement of people. The most valued opportunities to reduce the negative effects of freight delivery (the goal of EU policy is CO2 free urban logistics by 2030) regards both the use of electric vehicles to perform the distribution and the introduction of distribution centres that encourage the use of light commercial vehicles. However, the combination of zero emission vehicles in logistic and transportation activities requires some additional challenges from the organizational and operational point of view. In order to avoid the delocalization of polluting emissions it is necessary that the production of electricity related to the new needs comes from renewable sources preferably distributed throughout the territory. This paper explores the integration of electric vehicles in logistics operations executed through light commercial vehicles, taking into consideration, during the design phase of a new concept delivery van, the technical connections with the production systems and its possible applications also in areas other than urban. The results of the case study presented encourage the development of a type of vehicle with features not yet covered by the market and which are of particular relevance for sustainable logistics applied to small towns or small islands, which are widespread in Italy.

State of charge estimation and ageing evolution of lithium ion (Li-Ion) batteries are key points for their massive applications in the market. However, the battery behavior is very complex to understand because many parameters act in determining their ageing evolution. Therefore, traditional analytical models employed for this purpose are often affected by inaccuracy. In this context, machine learning techniques can provide a viable alternative to traditional models and a useful tool to characterize the batteries behavior. In this work, different machine learning techniques were applied to model the impedance evolution over time of an aged cobalt based Li-Ion battery, cycled under a stationary frequency regulation profile for grid application. The different ML techniques were compared in terms of accuracy to determine the state of charge and the state of health over the battery ageing phenomena. Experimental results showed that ML based on Random Forest algorithm can be profitably used for this purpose.

One of the ambitious objectives of the European Commission is the development of sustainable strategies to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, from power conversion and energy-intensive industrial processes, to reaching climate neutrality by 2050. In this scenario, the conversion of the renewable electrical power into a high-value gaseous (Power to Gas) chemical storage medium such as the Synthetic Natural Gas (SNG), through the hydrogenation of CO2 with renewable H2, represents an important tool to create new opportunities to reuse the captured CO2 as well as to manage the fluctuation of renewable energy. At ITAE in the framework of the RDS project, the activities have been focused on the development of novel conductive structured catalysts and compact Multi-tubular Heat Exchanger Reactor optimized for smaller plant sizes and intermittent or dynamic operation. The results show that structured catalysts based on heat conductive Silicon carbide (SiC) Open Cell Foam can contribute to enhances the methanation process maximizing the specific surface areas for reaction at a high flow rate (GHSV = 47000 h-1 ). Moreover the conductive nature of the foam support help to enhance the axial and the radial heat transport along the reactor allowing easier management of the heat generated by the exothermic reaction (figure 1 b). A CO2 conversion of 71.1% and a CH4 selectivity of 94,2% were achieved, while overall methanation productivity of 260 NL h-1 (11.1 NL h-1gcat.-1 ) was attained. Moreover, an operating pressure of 3 bar slightly improves the SiC based catalyst performances, a CO2 conversion of 77.1% and a CH4 selectivity of 95,6% were obtained while the overall CH4 productivity increase up to 285 NL h-1 (12.1 NL h-1 gcat.-1 ).

The co-electrolysis of CO2 and H2O at intermediate temperature is a viable approach for the power-to-gas conversion that deserves for further investigation, considering the need for green energy storage. The commercial solid oxide electrolyser is a promising device, but it is still facing to solve issues concerning the high operating temperatures and the improvement of gas value. In this paper we reported the recent findings of a simple approach that we have amply suggested for solid oxide cells consisting in the addition of a functional layer coated to the fuel electrode of commercial electrochemical cells. This approach simplifies the transition to the next generation of cells manufactured with the most promising materials currently developed and improves the gas value in the outlet stream of cell. Here, the material in use as a coating layer consisted of a Ni-modified La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2O3 which was developed and demonstrated as promising fuel electrode for solid oxide fuel cells. The results discussed in this paper proved the positive role of Ni-modified perovskite as a coating layer for the cathode, since an improvement of about twice was obtained about the quality of gas produced.

The co-electrolysis of CO2 and H2O at an intermediate temperature is a viable approach for the power-to-gas conversion that deserves further investigation, considering the need for green energy storage. The commercial solid oxide electrolyser is a promising device, but it is still facing issues concerning the high operating temperatures and the improvement of gas value. In this paper we reported the recent findings of a simple approach that we have suggested for solid oxide cells, consisting of the addition of a functional layer coated to the fuel electrode of commercial electrochemical cells. This approach simplifies the transition to the next generation of cells manufactured with the most promising materials currently developed, and improves the gas value in the outlet stream of the cell. Here, the material in use as a coating layer consists of a Ni-modified La0.6Sr0.4Fe0.8Co0.2O3, which was developed and demonstrated as a promising fuel electrode for solid oxide fuel cells. The results discussed in this paper prove the positive role of Ni-modified perovskite as a coating layer for the cathode, since an improvement of about twofold was obtained as regards the quality of gas produced.

Methanation of carbon oxides (CO and CO2) was studied over Ni-based catalysts supported on CeO2, Al2O3, and Y2O3 oxides. Catalysts were synthesized by solution combustion synthesis and characterized by N2-physisorption, XRD, H2-TPR, TEM, CO-chemisorption, UV–vis DRS, XPS, and CO2-TPD. The effect of reaction temperature (250−500 °C) was investigated under atmospheric pressure, space velocity (GHSV) of 10,000 h−1, and stoichiometric reactants ratio of (H2-CO2)/(CO+CO2)=3. It can be concluded that the nature of Ni-support interactions played a crucial role in enhancing CO and CO2 hydrogenation at low reaction temperature. Ni/CeO2 catalyst deactivated rapidly due to coke deposition, while the formation of NiAl2O4 spinel explained the lower activity of the Al2O3-supported system. Activity data for Ni/Y2O3 catalysts were closely related to the degree of Ni dispersion as well as to the medium-strength basicity. Good anti-coking and anti-sintering ability were observed after 200 h of lifetime test.

9 figures, 3 tables; © 2020. This manuscript version is made available under the CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 license http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/, In the present work, an iron-cobaltite spinel supported on N-containing carbon nanofibers (CNFs) shows a remarkable activity for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) in alkaline solution, with an overpotential (η10mAcm-2) of 130 mV, one of the lowest values in literature so far. This material is also an excellent catalyst for the oxygen reduction reaction (ORR), what leads to an extraordinary reversible behavior (ΔE = EOER – EORR=480 mV), being an economic and easy scalable candidate for the air electrode of metal-air batteries or for electrochemical devices where the oxygen evolution or the oxygen reduction is involved. In the present research, Fe partially replaces Co atoms in the Co3O4 spinel structure to obtain a more economically feasible material, leading to a FeCo2O4/CNF, by using an electrospinning preparation procedure previously adopted for the Co3O4/CNF synthesis. The substitution of iron in the Co3O4/CNF spinel entails an outstanding onset potential toward the OER of 1.36 V vs. reversible hydrogen electrode, which is 120 mV lower compared with the pure spinel (Co3O4/CNF). An optimal distribution of the FeCo2O4 particles on the CNF surface, with 3-nm-size particles, allows exposing abundant active sites, mainly Co3+ and Fe3+, responsible for the enhanced activity toward the OER, and Fe-Nx moieties and N-sites (N-graphitic/pyridinic), more active for the ORR. Besides, FeCo2O4/CNF shows a well-developed porous structure, favoring the mass transfer, a parameter particularly important for the ORR. To assess the stability of the catalysts for rechargeable alkaline metal-air batteries, cycling operation and chronopotentiometric experiments are carried out, showing a stable potential for 24 h., The research leading to these results has received funding from the ‘Accordo di Programma CNR-MiSE, RdS PTR 2019–2021 - Progetto 1.2 Sistemi di accumulo, compresi elettrochimico e power to gas, e relative interfacce con le reti’. C.A. thanks the Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness for her research contract Juan de la Cierva (IJCI-2017-32354).

With the aim to follow the National and European regulations related to the transport field numerous initiatives have given rise to studies and analyses of low/zero environmental impact powertrain. Many investments have been made in the electric vehicles (BEVs-Batteries Electric Vehicles) field although these still present limits related to low range of autonomy and long charging times. The minibus realized by CNR ITAE within the "i-NEXT" project (funded by Italian Ministry of Educational, University and Research) has a hybrid electric powertrain based on fuel cell (FC) technology and lithium batteries (FCHEV - Fuel Cell Hybrid Electric Vehicle). The present work reports the tests drive in which different conditions of the operating range have been verified. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Il presente documento racchiude la sintesi delle attività sperimentali condotte all'interno della I semestralità di progetto 2019 - "Sistemi di accumulo, compresi elettrochimico e power to gas, e relative interfacce con le reti". L'attività è stata rivolta alla sintesi di materiali e componenti per le diverse tecnologie di accumulo in studio e preliminari studi LCA finalizzati alla valutazione degli impatti in funzione delle scelte tecnologie attuate.

A novel cermet based on CuSn-CGO is synthesized and used as a coating layer in the cathode of a conventional Solid Oxide Electrolyser for the co-electrolysis of H2O and CO2. Electrochemical experiments are carried out in the temperature range 525-600 degrees C by feeding reagents with a stoichiometry of 2:1 with respect to the operating current density (i.e. 150 mA cm(-2)). Outlet gas is analysed under OCV and operating conditions. The results are discussed in comparison with the theoretical values achievable under equilibrium. A stable electrochemical behaviour is observed in the studied temperature range. Although the performance of cell is affected by activation constraints in the temperature range 525-550 degrees C, minimal differences are observed with regard to the reduction kinetics of H2O and CO2. The analytical treatment of gas analysis data reveals that the coated layer promotes an increase of methane produced through the simultaneous reduction of H2O and CO2.

A composite material based on nickel manganite and carbon nanofibers (NiMn2O4/CNF) is synthesized by electrospinning method and investigated as a symmetric electrode for vanadium redox flow battery (VRFB). The X-ray diffraction pattern shows the formation of NiMn2O4/CNF, characterized by a cubic spinel-type structure and a high graphitization degree of the carbon nanofiber. XPS analysis reveals the presence of mixed oxidation state of nickel and manganese as Ni2+/Ni3+ and Mn2+/Mn3+, respectively. As evident by scanning electron microscope analysis (SEM), a complete covering of carbon nanofibers surface by NiMn2O4 nanoparticles occurs. Charge-discharge curves are carried out from 80 mA/cm(2) up to 500 mA/cm(2). The best result shows an energy efficiency (EE) of about 68% with corresponding deep of discharge (DoD) of about 55% at 500 mA/cm(2). The high electrical conductivity as well as the high hydrophilicity, useful for improving the active surface area utilization, could be responsible for the remarkable results of the electrospun electrodes. In fact, thanks to the structural defects of the NiMn2O4/CNF and the presence of hydroxyl (OH), carboxyl (COOH) and nitrogen functional groups, the electrocatalytic activity increases at the electrode/electrolyte interface. Therefore, a remarkable power density at very high current density was achieved, 550 mW/cm(2) at 500 mA/cm(2). (c) 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Resilient microgrids have been the subject of growing interest from information and communications technology (ICT) service providers to assure service availability (and therefore revenue) even in the case of grid fault due to bad weather conditions, as an internal storage capacity as uninterruptible power supply is used. However, such storage equipment represents an unavoidable cost in terms of initial investment, maintenance, and operational efficiency. In this work, starting from a previous development of a prototype supply system for a landline station, the control algorithm of the storage devices was investigated to optimize the cost/benefit ratio. A fuzzy logic system controller was developed to exploit the revenue opportunities offered by the energy market, converting a landline station into an active system that exchanges power through the grid. Besides this, a fuel cell generator was integrated to achieve further benefits (system resiliency and battery size reduction). The simulation results indicated a well-reactive behavior for energy price, battery state of charge, and grid fault probability variations.

La presente relazione tecnica costituisce il documento consuntivo relativo all'attività scientifica del I anno del PT 2019-21, svolta dagli Istituti di ricerca CNR ITAE ed ICCOM coinvolti nel progetto "Sistemi di accumulo, compresi elettrochimico e power to gas, e relative interfacce con le reti", svolta all'interno del PTR 2019-21 (Gennaio 2019-Dicembre 2019). Le attività sono relative allo sviluppo di materiali e componentistica, fino alla loro ingegnerizzazione, di dispositivi di accumulo avanzati e all'identificazione di processi di accumulo innovativi. L'attività scientifica coordinata dal CNR ITAE si articola in n°4 pacchi di lavoro o WP, così denominati: WP1-Accumulo Elettrochimico, WP2-Accumulo Termico, WP3-Power to Gas e WP4-Aspetti Ambientali. Ogni WP si sviluppa attraverso definite linee di attività (LA), descrittive della specifica tematica che verrà svolta durante la singola annualità. L'obiettivo generale del progetto è rivolto al miglioramento della qualità del servizio di fornitura dell'energia elettrica, attraverso il miglioramento delle tecnologie di accumulo elettrochimico (WP1), termico (WP2) e power to gas (WP3) puntando all'ottimizzazione dei materiali e componenti delle specifica tecnologia investigata all'interno di ogni WP, nell'ottica di una riduzione dei costi guardando ad una economia circolare attraverso studi di life cycle assessment (LCA) (WP4). Il dettaglio di ogni singola LA viene rimandato alle specifiche deliverable, prodotte separatamente dal presente documento.

Scheduling of energy storage systems of distributed generation is a key element for optimal renewable energy sources (RES) exploitation in smart grids, demand side response strategies implementation and prosumers interaction with Distribution System Operators (DSOs). In this context, this paper presents the implementation of a management system for energy storage scheduling, which allows taking appropriate account of the storage system behavior in real cases. To properly consider the real system operation, the employed battery model is modified, in order to include also the hysteresis phenomena in state of charge estimation in both charging and discharging operation. The validation of the proposed methodology is supported by experimental tests which allow comparing two different battery models. The obtained results show that better results can be obtained with the model including the hysteresis effect.

Gradual electrification is widely considered as a feasible strategy for reducing the oil dependency and CO2 emissions of road transportation. In chase of these aims increasing importance has been attributed to Electric Vehicles (EVs). Although the European Commission has strongly supported sustainable mobility initiatives in recent years, with the purpose of decarbonizing road transport and mitigating urban air pollution, results are below expectations. Among the initiatives that can be implemented the most important is certainly the use of electric vehicles on a large scale but it will be necessary, in parallel, to plan an appropriate system of infrastructures that will be able to support the expansion. In this paper a methodology to provide optimal locations of electric vehicle infrastructures in a highway network is proposed. The procedure can also be used to support the implementation of the DAFI (Directive on the Deployment of Alternative Fuels Infrastructure). The goal is to estimate the basic number of charging stations and determine their correct allocation on the road network by analyzing the supply and demand and considering the psychological component of the driver. In Part 1, the subject of this research article, a model is presented to detect how many charging infrastructures are required within the service areas and to identify their location. After the description of the solution algorithm, a test application is performed in order to assess model and technique. With the aim of analysing a high-level system, the model will be used, in Part 2 of the work, to calculate and distribute the charging point on the Italian case study.

The methanation of CO2 via the Sabatier process is gaining interest for power-to-gas (P2G) application. In this work, CO2 methanation activity and stability were investigated over Ni/GDC (gadolinium-doped-ceria) catalysts at atmospheric pressure varying reaction temperature (TSET = 300–600 °C) and space velocity (GHSV = 10,000–50,000 h−1). Powder catalysts with different Ni content (15–50 wt.%) were synthesized by the solution combustion synthesis (SCS). The same method was adopted to in situ deposit the Ni/GDC (50 wt.%Ni) coating layer on the cordierite monolith (500 cpsi). The catalysts were characterized by N2 adsorption-desorption, X-ray diffraction (XRD), H2 temperature programmed reduction (H2-TPR), CO2 temperature programmed desorption (CO2-TPD), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), transmission electron microscopy (TEM) and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Temperature profiles along the structured catalytic bed were discussed to interpret the experimental results. Catalytic performance increased by increasing the Ni content due to enhanced metal-to-support interaction, basicity and oxygen vacancies. Uniform, thin and high-resistance catalytic layers were in situ deposited on the cordierite monoliths by the fully reproducible SCS method. Structured catalysts showed high methane productivity per unit weight of catalyst due to simultaneous low catalytic loading and high flow rate. Excellent stability was observed over 200 h of time-on-stream. The results reported in this manuscript pinpointed on the important aspects of realizing CO2 methanation on structured catalysts, providing a platform for further optimization studies.

This paper reports about the combined experimental and numerical investigation of a novel small size multi-generation system, for electric (i.e.

Electrodes based on electrospun nickel carbon nanofibers (Ni/CNF) are investigated as highly active both for anodic and cathodic reaction. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) aswell as transmission electron microscopy (TEM) analyses showmetal nanoparticles embedded in graphitic carbon nanofibers. A high surface area due to large mesoporous structure formation is calculated for the Ni/CNF by BET analysis. Cyclic voltammetry (CV) results indicate the higher electrocatalytic activity toward the [VO](2+)/[VO2](+) as well as V2+/V3+ redox reactions for Ni/CNF with respect to the bare CNF. Charge-discharge tests show energy efficiency (EE) value of 68%, voltage efficiency (VE) of 72% and a coulomb efficiency (CE) of 94% for Ni/CNF at 160 mA center dot cm(-2). The electrochemical performance recorded at high current density could be ascribed to the high electrical conductivity as well as the polarity on the carbon surface due to the nickel nanoparticles. In particular, an increment in terms of wettability improves the accessibility to the aliphatic and carboxyl groups on the composite surface sample enhancing the reversibility at the electrode/electrolyte interface. (c) 2018 The Electrochemical Society.

The implementation of a charging infrastructure network is the necessary prerequisite for the diffusion of Electric Vehicles (EVs). In this paper a methodology to calculate the required number of charging stations for EVs and to set their position in a road network is proposed. The aim is to planning the distribution of services area to host charging infrastructures. Using the demand (the flow of EVs) and the supply (the road network where they will be positioned) through a two-level model were the locations initially identified (first level) and thereafter the number of charging stations for each service area (second level) evaluated. The paper deals with the intersection of three main topics: the vehicle technologies (engine and battery pack specifications), the charging station characteristics and the EVs flow. After verifying the model and the solution procedure on a test road network, the methodology is applied in a high dimension case, considering the Italian highway network.