Article
Construction & Building Technology
H. Kennard, T. Oreszczyn, M. Mistry, I Hamilton
Summary: Anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions are causing global temperature increases, leading to a higher demand for cooling. However, population growth in warmer regions of the world is identified as the main driver behind the increasing cooling demand. The research highlights the significant difference between population-weighted and area-weighted degree-days and emphasizes the importance of selecting an appropriate base temperature for accurately predicting future heating and cooling energy demand.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Ina Eileen Peukes, Francesco Pomponi, Bernardino D'Amico
Summary: Rising temperatures and higher energy costs have made it necessary for Australian households to reduce energy consumption through more efficient heating and cooling systems. This research assesses the environmental impacts of 59 gas heater to electric reverse cycle air conditioner upgrades, finding that operational energy savings can offset certain impact categories, but others can only be offset with decarbonisation of the electricity grid. Furthermore, some impacts cannot be offset even with complete decarbonisation, emphasizing the importance of considering materials used in appliances to reduce environmental impact.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2023)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Francesco Guarino, Giovanni Tumminia, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Maria Anna Cusenza
Summary: This study analyzes the impact of climate change on building performance and proposes a simple and free building simulation tool for future climate analysis. Through a case study, the tool's effects on building models under different climate change scenarios are demonstrated.
Article
Biodiversity Conservation
Dan Li, Martin Dorber, Valerio Barbarossa, Francesca Verones
Summary: Water temperature changes related to global warming pose a threat to freshwater fish species, and this study develops spatially explicit characterization factors and sensitivity distribution curves to assess their potential impacts and contribution to global extinction.
ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Sarah M. Kang, Yue Yu, Clara Deser, Xiyue Zhang, In- Sik Kang, Sun- Seon Lee, Keith B. Rodgers, Paulo Ceppi
Summary: Since the satellite era, Southern Ocean sea surface temperatures (SSTs) have been cooling despite global warming. Recent studies have shown that the impact of Southern Ocean cooling on the tropical Pacific is mediated by subtropical cloud feedbacks, which depend on the model used. In our study, we conduct a coupled model intercomparison and reveal a global impact of observed Southern Ocean cooling, including sea-ice expansion in Antarctica, cooling in the southeastern tropical Pacific, northward shift of the Hadley circulation, weakening of the Aleutian low, and warming in the North Pacific. These findings suggest that the observed Southern Ocean cooling may have contributed to cooler conditions in the eastern tropical Pacific in recent decades.
PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
(2023)
Review
Environmental Sciences
Baskaran Abirami, Manikkam Radhakrishnan, Subramanian Kumaran, Aruni Wilson
Summary: Global warming has various effects on ocean ecosystems, including temperature, acidification, oxygen content, circulation, stratification, and nutrient inputs, posing a serious threat to the metabolism and distribution of marine microbes and affecting the overall ecosystem functioning.
SCIENCE OF THE TOTAL ENVIRONMENT
(2021)
Review
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiuqiang Li, Sujin Shao, Meijiao Huang, Shuyuan Zhang, Wanlin Guo
Summary: In recent years, sustainable energy development has become a major theme of research. The combination of solar heating and daytime radiative cooling has the potential to build a competitive strategy to alleviate current environmental and energy problems. However, there are still challenges such as narrow spectrum regulation range, low heating/cooling performance, and poor stability. To further promote this technology for real-world applications, the latest progress, technical features, bottlenecks, and future opportunities for the current integration of daytime radiative cooling and solar heating are summarized.
Article
Environmental Sciences
Katherine Power, Zhengyao Lu, Qiong Zhang
Summary: Installing a large-scale solar farm in the Sahara desert can meet the world's current electricity needs, but it may have unintended consequences on the global carbon cycle. Using a fully coupled Earth System model, researchers found that the solar farm would enhance the carbon sink in Northern Africa but weaken it in the Amazon basin. These changes are caused by competing responses in primary production and respiration rates, driven by changes in climate.
ENVIRONMENTAL RESEARCH LETTERS
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Filipe Batista Ribeiro, Filipe Almeida Correa Do Nascimento, Marcelino Aurelio Viera Da Sliva
Summary: This study aims to analyze the potential global warming impact of railway infrastructure projects through a comprehensive life cycle assessment method. The results show that using sub-ballast without alternative materials is the best choice, and a soil-cement mixture can increase the sub-ballast's support capacity. Hot mix asphalt demonstrates the highest potential global warming effects.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2022)
Article
Thermodynamics
Ali Khalid Shaker Al-Sayyab, Adrian Mota-Babiloni, Joaquin Navarro-Esbri
Summary: The study explores the performance of a novel waste heat-solar driven ejector-solar assisted heat pump for heating and cooling. Utilizing waste heat from different sources boosts COP and decreases carbon dioxide emissions, with R450A being the recommended refrigerant for environmental benefits.
ENERGY CONVERSION AND MANAGEMENT
(2021)
Review
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Xiuqiang Li, Wanrong Xie, Jia Zhu
Summary: Interfacial solar steam/vapor technology uses solar energy and water to achieve heating and cooling, which is a promising solution to environmental and energy issues. By designing and optimizing materials, structures, and devices, higher conversion and utilization efficiency can be achieved. This review summarizes recent developments and future trends in this field and discusses unsolved scientific and technical problems.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Kohei Terashima, Haruki Sato, Toshiharu Ikaga
Summary: A new environmentally-friendly PV/T solar panel is proposed, which uses a CIS PV module and a heat exchanger to convert solar energy into electricity and heat. It achieves a solar energy conversion efficiency of 73.5% in Yokohama, Japan, surpassing the previous experimental panel, and can meet all residential heat demands while reducing environmental thermal load.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2023)
Article
Agricultural Engineering
M. Zgheib, G. Quaranta, V. Tschamber, G. Trouve
Summary: The study aims to assess and compare the environmental and health effects of the wood energy sector at domestic and regional scales. The combustion stage of pellets contributes 67% to the total impact. At the regional scale, old appliances mainly enhance all impacts. Public policies should continue to promote the replacement of old household appliances.
BIOMASS & BIOENERGY
(2023)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Shweta Singh, Priyanka Kajal, Atul Dhar, Nripan Mathews, Pablo P. Boix, Satvasheel Powar
Summary: This study investigates the environmental performance of high temperature and low temperature processed carbon-based perovskite solar modules (CPSMs) and finds that both energy consumption and material selection have significant environmental impacts. High temperature processed CPSMs have a greater environmental impact compared to low temperature processed CPSMs.
JOURNAL OF CLEANER PRODUCTION
(2023)
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Mingna Liao, Debashree Banerjee, Tomas Hallberg, Christina akerlind, Md Mehebub Alam, Qilun Zhang, Hans Kariis, Dan Zhao, Magnus P. Jonsson
Summary: Cellulose is a sustainable material with high thermal emissivity and low solar absorptance. By introducing additives such as carbon black, solar absorptance can be achieved. However, the high thermal emissivity of such materials leads to counteractive radiative cooling when exposed to the sky. To address this issue, a cellulose-carbon black composite with low mid-infrared (MIR) emissivity and a transparent IR-reflecting indium tin oxide coating is used. This composite material provides opposite optical properties compared to solar-reflecting electrospun cellulose, resulting in spontaneous temperature differences when exposed to the sky.
Article
Chemistry, Multidisciplinary
Cristina Baglivo, Marina Bonomolo, Paolo Maria Congedo, Marco Beccali, Simona Antonaci
Summary: This study focuses on designing a new lighting system that takes into account both technical and economic aspects to reduce energy consumption by improving indoor lighting. The results show that replacing fluorescent luminaires with LEDs can reduce energy consumption by 33%, while dimming and modulation of LED lamps can lead to a 95% reduction compared to the current state.
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL
(2021)
Article
Energy & Fuels
Antonino D'Amico, Giuseppina Ciulla, Alessandro Buscemi, Domenico Panno, Michele Zinzi, Marco Beccali
Summary: The combination of renewable energy and storage systems has significant potential in achieving high-energy results with lower costs and emissions. The SMARTEP project aims to create an experimental area to investigate the feasibility of connecting a road solar thermal collector directly to a seasonal low-temperature geothermal storage. The project addresses constraints related to radiative properties and thermal insulation.
Article
Thermodynamics
Marina Bonomolo, Gaetano Zizzo, Simone Ferrari, Marco Beccali, Stefania Guarino
Summary: The paper discusses the advantages of using Building Automation and Control (BAC) systems in reducing electricity consumption and improving the efficiency of lighting systems. It introduces the BAC Factors (BF) method for assessing energy consumption impact and examines its applicability through experimental studies, highlighting the limitations of the method.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Maria Anna Cusenza, Francesco Guarino, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura
Summary: The study assesses the energy and environmental impacts of a residential net zero energy building by expanding the analysis to the full life cycle and various environmental impact categories. The results show that the scenario with cellulose fibers and a battery storage system has the lowest impact in most categories, emphasizing the importance of a life cycle perspective in designing sustainable low energy buildings.
ENERGY AND BUILDINGS
(2022)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ilaria Marotta, Francesco Guarino, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura
Summary: The concept of Positive Energy Districts has gained attention for promoting clean energy transition, but further research is needed for sustainable design optimization. Sustainability aspects like sustainable food and urban heat islands mitigation are not adequately assessed, and fragmented thinking limits circularity potential. Targeted strategies and integrations in Key Performance Indicators framework are suggested for comprehensive environmental design.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Maurizio Cellura, Maria Anna Cusenza, Sonia Longo, Le Quyen Luu, Thomas Skurk
Summary: This paper summarizes the health aspects of protein-rich food alternatives to meat and conducts a literature review on the life-cycle environmental impacts of these alternative foods.
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Giovanni Tumminia, Francesco Sergi, Davide Aloisio, Sonia Longo, Maria Anna Cusenza, Francesco Guarino, Salvatore Cellura, Marco Ferraro
Summary: The study introduces a novel design approach that integrates load match/grid interaction issues and environmental impacts in early design stages to find trade-offs. Results show that an oversized PV system alone may not be the best solution for reducing environmental impact in the building sector, while adding storage systems can decrease grid dependency and increase environmental benefits from renewable energy sources. Conflicting results across specific impact categories highlight the need for a holistic approach in considering different domains and indicators to support the transition towards low-carbon energy technologies.
JOURNAL OF BUILDING ENGINEERING
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Maria Anna Cusenza, Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Francesco Guarino, Antonio Messineo, Marina Mistretta, Maurizio Volpe
Summary: The study assesses the environmental impacts of pyrolysis process for different types of biowastes under various conditions, highlighting the significance of biomass type over pyrolysis temperature in impacting the environmental performance. The research shows that bio-char from orange peels has lower environmental impacts compared to bio-char from olive tree trimmings, emphasizing the importance of using more energy efficient processes to improve the system's environmental performance.
SUSTAINABLE PRODUCTION AND CONSUMPTION
(2021)
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Vincenzo Muteri, Francesco Guarino, Sonia Longo, Letizia Bua, Maurizio Cellura, Daniele Testa, Marco Bonzi
Summary: In this study, an innovative prototype of a photovoltaic smart window that integrates luminescent solar concentrators was analyzed. The device independently regulates the movement of the shading system and allows energy surplus through the electricity generated by modules. The experimental results show that this technology can improve energy efficiency and achieve significant energy savings.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Vincenzo Muteri, Sonia Longo, Marzia Traverso, Elisabetta Palumbo, Letizia Bua, Maurizio Cellura, Daniele Testa, Francesco Guarino
Summary: The study assesses the life cycle environmental impacts of a multifunctional smart window luminescent solar concentrator (SW-LSC) prototype using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology. The manufacturing phase of SW-LSC has the greatest impact, and recycling/landfill scenario can reduce the impacts by 45%. Compared to other PV technologies, LSC modules have 870% lower impacts on a per square meter basis, but have the highest impacts on a per 1 kWh of energy generated basis.
Article
Energy & Fuels
Simone Ferrari, Federica Zagarella, Paola Caputo, Marco Beccali
Summary: In communities with a high tourist influx and warm climate, the energy demands for space cooling and domestic hot water are expected to significantly increase during summer. To reduce the high costs for energy supply in these contexts, the analysis of the variation of energy consumption is fundamental. A Geographic-Information-System-based procedure was implemented to estimate the residential buildings energy demand profiles, focusing on the seasonal variation, which can provide a valid supporting tool for decision makers in implementing smart energy strategies and supporting energy policies in renewable energy communities.
Review
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Sonia Longo, Maurizio Cellura, Le Quyen Luu, Thanh Quang Nguyen, Roberta Rincione, Francesco Guarino
Summary: This paper reviews the application of circular economy and life cycle thinking in the biomass supply chain and identifies the need for comprehensive, life cycle-based tools to assess and improve the circularity and sustainability of bioenergy.
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Maurizio Cellura, Alberto Fichera, Francesco Guarino, Rosaria Volpe
Summary: This paper aims to define a methodology for assessing the sustainability of Positive Energy Districts (PEDs) and neighborhoods in relation to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The focus is on allocating surplus energy from PEDs to target sustainable development and growth in living areas. The implications of SDG7, which refers to modern and reliable energy access for all, are discussed and shaped around the features of PEDs. Interlinkages with other SDGs are proposed and measured using defined indicators.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENERGY AND BUILDINGS 2021
(2022)
Proceedings Paper
Computer Science, Artificial Intelligence
Francesco Guarino, Adriano Bisello, Dorian Frieden, Joana Bastos, Alberto Brunetti, Maurizio Cellura, Marco Ferraro, Alberto Fichera, Emanuela Giancola, Matthias Haase, Julia Kantorovitch, Camilla Neumann, Rose Mankaa, Ivan Luque Segura, Marzia Traverso, Giovanni Tumminia, Rosaria Volpe, Xiaojin Zhang
Summary: This paper investigates the current state of sustainability assessment of Positive Energy Districts, focusing on environmental, social, and economic applications. The study examines each dimension individually, discussing methodological insights, key performance indicators, and quantitative results, as well as providing an integrated perspective.
SUSTAINABILITY IN ENERGY AND BUILDINGS 2021
(2022)
Article
Construction & Building Technology
Asa Hedman, Hassam Ur Rehman, Andrea Gabaldon, Adriano Bisello, Vicky Albert-Seifried, Xingxing Zhang, Francesco Guarino, Steinar Grynning, Ursula Eicker, Hans-Martin Neumann, Pekka Tuominen, Francesco Reda
Summary: The increasing global demand for energy efficiency and renewable energy sources, along with the rapid urbanization rate, has accelerated research on Positive Energy Districts (PED). However, there is still a lack of clarity on the shared definition, technological approaches, and methodological issues related to PED, calling for a global scientific discussion.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Cameron Bracken, Nathalie Voisin, Casey D. Burleyson, Allison M. Campbell, Z. Jason Hou, Daniel Broman
Summary: This study presents a methodology and dataset for examining compound wind and solar energy droughts, as well as the first standardized benchmark of energy droughts across the Continental United States (CONUS) for a 2020 infrastructure. The results show that compound wind and solar droughts have distinct spatial and temporal patterns across the CONUS, and the characteristics of energy droughts are regional. The study also finds that compound high load events occur more often during compound wind and solar droughts than expected.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Ning Zhang, Yanghao Yu, Jiawei Wu, Ershun Du, Shuming Zhang, Jinyu Xiao
Summary: This paper provides insights into the optimal configuration of CSP plants with different penetrations of wind power by proposing an unconstrained optimization model. The results suggest that large solar multiples and TES are preferred in order to maximize profit, especially when combined with high penetrations of wind and photovoltaic plants. Additionally, the study demonstrates the economy and feasibility of installing electric heaters (EH) in CSP plants, which show a linear correlation with the penetration of variable energy resources.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
M. Szubel, K. Papis-Fraczek, S. Podlasek
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
J. Silva, J. C. Goncalves, C. Rocha, J. Vilaca, L. M. Madeira
Summary: This study investigated the methanation of CO2 in biogas and compared two different methanation reactors. The results showed that the cooled reactor without CO2 separation achieved a CO2 conversion rate of 91.8%, while the adiabatic reactors achieved conversion rates of 59.6% and 67.2%, resulting in an overall conversion rate of 93.0%. Economic analysis revealed negative net present worth values, indicating the need for government monetary incentives.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Yang Liu, Yonglan Xi, Xiaomei Ye, Yingpeng Zhang, Chengcheng Wang, Zhaoyan Jia, Chunhui Cao, Ting Han, Jing Du, Xiangping Kong, Zhongbing Chen
Summary: This study investigated the effect of using nanofiber membrane composites containing Prussian blue-like compound nanoparticles (PNPs) to relieve ammonia nitrogen inhibition of rural organic household waste during high-solid anaerobic digestion and increase methane production. The results showed that adding NMCs with 15% PNPs can lower the concentrations of volatile fatty acids and ammonia nitrogen, and increase methane yield.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhong Ge, Xiaodong Wang, Jian Li, Jian Xu, Jianbin Xie, Zhiyong Xie, Ruiqu Ma
Summary: This study evaluates the thermodynamic, exergy, and economic performance of a double-stage organic flash cycle (DOFC) using ten eco-friendly hydrofluoroolefins. The influences of key parameters on performance are analyzed, and the advantages of DOFC over single-stage type are quantified.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Nicolas Kirchner-Bossi, Fernando Porte-Agel
Summary: This study investigates the optimization of power density in wind farms and its sensitivity to the available area size. A novel genetic algorithm (PDGA) is introduced to optimize power density and turbine layout. The results show that the PDGA-driven solutions significantly reduce the levelized cost of energy (LCOE) compared to the default layout, and exhibit a convex relationship between area and LCOE or power density.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Chunxiao Zhang, Dongdong Li, Lin Wang, Qingpo Yang, Yutao Guo, Wei Zhang, Chao Shen, Jihong Pu
Summary: In this study, a novel reversible liquid-filled energy-saving window that effectively regulates indoor solar radiation heat gain is proposed. Experimental results show that this window can effectively reduce indoor temperature during both summer and winter seasons, while having minimal impact on indoor illuminance.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Alessandro L. Aguiar, Martinho Marta-Almeida, Mauro Cirano, Janini Pereira, Leticia Cotrim da Cunha
Summary: This study analyzed the Brazilian Equatorial Shelf using a high-resolution ocean model and found significant tidal variations in the area. Several hypothetical barrages were proposed with higher annual power generation than existing barrages. The study also evaluated the installation effort of these barrages.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Francesco Superchi, Nathan Giovannini, Antonis Moustakis, George Pechlivanoglou, Alessandro Bianchini
Summary: This study focuses on the optimization of a hybrid power station on the Tilos island in Greece, aiming to increase energy export and revenue by optimizing energy fluxes. Different scenarios are proposed to examine the impact of different agreements with the grid operator on the optimal solution.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Peimaneh Shirazi, Amirmohammad Behzadi, Pouria Ahmadi, Sasan Sadrizadeh
Summary: This research presents two novel energy production/storage/usage systems to reduce energy consumption and environmental effects in buildings. A biomass-fired model and a solar-driven system integrated with photovoltaic thermal (PVT) panels and a heat pump were designed and assessed. The results indicate that the solar-based system has an acceptable energy cost and the PVT-based system with a heat pump is environmentally superior. The biomass-fired system shows excellent efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zihao Qi, Yingling Cai, Yunxiang Cui
Summary: This study aims to investigate the operational characteristics of the solar-ground source heat pump system (SGSHPS) in Shanghai under different operation modes. It concludes that tandem operation mode 1 is the optimal mode for winter operation in terms of energy efficiency.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
L. Bartolucci, S. Cordiner, A. Di Carlo, A. Gallifuoco, P. Mele, V. Mulone
Summary: Spent coffee grounds are a valuable biogenic waste that can be used as a source of biofuels and valuable chemicals through pyrolysis and solvent extraction processes. The study found that heavy organic bio-oil derived from coffee grounds can be used as a carbon-rich biofuel, while solvent extraction can extract xantines and p-benzoquinone, which are important chemicals for various industries. The results highlight the promising potential of solvent extraction in improving the economic viability of coffee grounds pyrolysis-based biorefineries.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Luiza de Queiroz Correa, Diego Bagnis, Pedro Rabelo Melo Franco, Esly Ferreira da Costa Junior, Andrea Oliveira Souza da Costa
Summary: Building-integrated photovoltaics, especially organic solar technology, are important for reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the building sector. This study analyzed the performance of organic panels laminated in glass in a vertical installation in Latin America. Results showed that glass lamination and vertical orientation preserved the panels' performance and led to higher energy generation in winter.
Article
Green & Sustainable Science & Technology
Zhipei Hu, Shuo Jiang, Zhigao Sun, Jun Li
Summary: This study proposes innovative fin arrangements to enhance the thermal performance of latent heat storage units. Through optimization of fin distribution and prediction of transient melting behaviors, it is found that fin structures significantly influence heat transfer characteristics and melting behaviors.
