IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/energy/v68y2014icp92-103.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Modelling the Italian household sector at the municipal scale: Micro-CHP, renewables and energy efficiency

Author

Listed:
  • Comodi, Gabriele
  • Cioccolanti, Luca
  • Renzi, Massimiliano

Abstract

This study investigates the potential of energy efficiency, renewables, and micro-cogeneration to reduce household consumption in a medium Italian town and analyses the scope for municipal local policies. The study also investigates the effects of tourist flows on town's energy consumption by modelling energy scenarios for permanent and summer homes. Two long-term energy scenarios (to 2030) were modelled using the MarkAL-TIMES generator model: BAU (business as usual), which is the reference scenario, and EHS (exemplary household sector), which involves targets of penetration for renewables and micro-cogeneration. The analysis demonstrated the critical role of end-use energy efficiency in curbing residential consumption. Cogeneration and renewables (PV (photovoltaic) and solar thermal panels) were proven to be valuable solutions to reduce the energetic and environmental burden of the household sector (−20% in 2030). Because most of household energy demand is ascribable to space-heating or hot water production, this study finds that micro-CHP technologies with lower power-to-heat ratios (mainly, Stirling engines and microturbines) show a higher diffusion, as do solar thermal devices. The spread of micro-cogeneration implies a global reduction of primary energy but involves the internalisation of the primary energy, and consequently CO2 emissions, previously consumed in a centralised power plant within the municipality boundaries.

Suggested Citation

  • Comodi, Gabriele & Cioccolanti, Luca & Renzi, Massimiliano, 2014. "Modelling the Italian household sector at the municipal scale: Micro-CHP, renewables and energy efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 68(C), pages 92-103.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:92-103
    DOI: 10.1016/j.energy.2014.02.055
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0360544214001893
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.energy.2014.02.055?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kelly, S., 2011. "Do homes that are more energy efficient consume less energy?: A structural equation model for England's residential sector," Cambridge Working Papers in Economics 1139, Faculty of Economics, University of Cambridge.
    2. Wiesmann, Daniel & Lima Azevedo, Inês & Ferrão, Paulo & Fernández, John E., 2011. "Residential electricity consumption in Portugal: Findings from top-down and bottom-up models," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(5), pages 2772-2779, May.
    3. Liso, Vincenzo & Olesen, Anders Christian & Nielsen, Mads Pagh & Kær, Søren Knudsen, 2011. "Performance comparison between partial oxidation and methane steam reforming processes for solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) micro combined heat and power (CHP) system," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(7), pages 4216-4226.
    4. Kannan, Ramachandran & Strachan, Neil, 2009. "Modelling the UK residential energy sector under long-term decarbonisation scenarios: Comparison between energy systems and sectoral modelling approaches," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 86(4), pages 416-428, April.
    5. van Ruijven, Bas & de Vries, Bert & van Vuuren, Detlef P. & van der Sluijs, Jeroen P., 2010. "A global model for residential energy use: Uncertainty in calibration to regional data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(1), pages 269-282.
    6. Colmenar-Santos, Antonio & Campíñez-Romero, Severo & Pérez-Molina, Clara & Castro-Gil, Manuel, 2012. "Profitability analysis of grid-connected photovoltaic facilities for household electricity self-sufficiency," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 749-764.
    7. Kelly, Scott, 2011. "Do homes that are more energy efficient consume less energy?: A structural equation model of the English residential sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 36(9), pages 5610-5620.
    8. Ó Broin, Eoin & Mata, Érika & Göransson, Anders & Johnsson, Filip, 2013. "The effect of improved efficiency on energy savings in EU-27 buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 134-148.
    9. Allen, S.R. & Hammond, G.P., 2010. "Thermodynamic and carbon analyses of micro-generators for UK households," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 35(5), pages 2223-2234.
    10. Shimoda, Yoshiyuki & Asahi, Takahiro & Taniguchi, Ayako & Mizuno, Minoru, 2007. "Evaluation of city-scale impact of residential energy conservation measures using the detailed end-use simulation model," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 32(9), pages 1617-1633.
    11. Wada, Kenichi & Akimoto, Keigo & Sano, Fuminori & Oda, Junichiro & Homma, Takashi, 2012. "Energy efficiency opportunities in the residential sector and their feasibility," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 48(1), pages 5-10.
    12. Comodi, Gabriele & Cioccolanti, Luca & Polonara, Fabio & Brandoni, Caterina, 2012. "Local authorities in the context of energy and climate policy," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 737-748.
    13. Daioglou, Vassilis & van Ruijven, Bas J. & van Vuuren, Detlef P., 2012. "Model projections for household energy use in developing countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 37(1), pages 601-615.
    14. Cellura, M. & Di Gangi, A. & Longo, S. & Orioli, A., 2012. "Photovoltaic electricity scenario analysis in urban contests: An Italian case study," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(4), pages 2041-2052.
    15. Rogdakis, E.D. & Antonakos, G.D. & Koronaki, I.P., 2012. "Thermodynamic analysis and experimental investigation of a Solo V161 Stirling cogeneration unit," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 45(1), pages 503-511.
    16. Caresana, Flavio & Brandoni, Caterina & Feliciotti, Petro & Bartolini, Carlo Maria, 2011. "Energy and economic analysis of an ICE-based variable speed-operated micro-cogenerator," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(3), pages 659-671, March.
    17. Barbieri, Enrico Saverio & Spina, Pier Ruggero & Venturini, Mauro, 2012. "Analysis of innovative micro-CHP systems to meet household energy demands," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 97(C), pages 723-733.
    18. Swan, Lukas G. & Ugursal, V. Ismet, 2009. "Modeling of end-use energy consumption in the residential sector: A review of modeling techniques," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 13(8), pages 1819-1835, October.
    19. Gouveia, João Pedro & Fortes, Patrícia & Seixas, Júlia, 2012. "Projections of energy services demand for residential buildings: Insights from a bottom-up methodology," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 47(1), pages 430-442.
    20. Bianco, Vincenzo & Manca, Oronzio & Nardini, Sergio, 2009. "Electricity consumption forecasting in Italy using linear regression models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 34(9), pages 1413-1421.
    21. van Ruijven, Bas J. & van Vuuren, Detlef P. & de Vries, Bert J.M. & Isaac, Morna & van der Sluijs, Jeroen P. & Lucas, Paul L. & Balachandra, P., 2011. "Model projections for household energy use in India," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 39(12), pages 7747-7761.
    22. Comodi, G. & Cioccolanti, L. & Gargiulo, M., 2012. "Municipal scale scenario: Analysis of an Italian seaside town with MarkAL-TIMES," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 41(C), pages 303-315.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Roberto Tascioni & Alessia Arteconi & Luca Del Zotto & Luca Cioccolanti, 2020. "Fuzzy Logic Energy Management Strategy of a Multiple Latent Heat Thermal Storage in a Small-Scale Concentrated Solar Power Plant," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(11), pages 1-16, May.
    2. Mitterrutzner, Benjamin & Callegher, Claudio Zandonella & Fraboni, Riccardo & Wilczynski, Eric & Pezzutto, Simon, 2023. "Review of heating and cooling technologies for buildings: A techno-economic case study of eleven European countries," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 284(C).
    3. Michał Gliński & Carsten Bojesen & Witold Rybiński & Sebastian Bykuć, 2019. "Modelling of the Biomass mCHP Unit for Power Peak Shaving in the Local Electrical Grid," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-14, January.
    4. Assoumou, Edi & Marmorat, Jean-Paul & Roy, Valérie, 2015. "Investigating long-term energy and CO2 mitigation options at city scale: A technical analysis for the city of Bologna," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 92(P3), pages 592-611.
    5. Comodi, Gabriele & Rossi, Mosè, 2016. "Energy versus economic effectiveness in CHP (combined heat and power) applications: Investigation on the critical role of commodities price, taxation and power grid mix efficiency," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 109(C), pages 124-136.
    6. Yanxia Li & Chao Wang & Sijie Zhu & Junyan Yang & Shen Wei & Xinkai Zhang & Xing Shi, 2020. "A Comparison of Various Bottom-Up Urban Energy Simulation Methods Using a Case Study in Hangzhou, China," Energies, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-23, September.
    7. Li, Wenliang & Zhou, Yuyu & Cetin, Kristen & Eom, Jiyong & Wang, Yu & Chen, Gang & Zhang, Xuesong, 2017. "Modeling urban building energy use: A review of modeling approaches and procedures," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 141(C), pages 2445-2457.
    8. Wang, Jialong & Wu, Jingyin & Wang, Hongbin, 2015. "Experimental investigation of a dual-source powered absorption chiller based on gas engine waste heat and solar thermal energy," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 88(C), pages 680-689.
    9. Murugan, S. & Horák, Bohumil, 2016. "A review of micro combined heat and power systems for residential applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 144-162.
    10. González-Pino, I. & Pérez-Iribarren, E. & Campos-Celador, A. & Las-Heras-Casas, J. & Sala, J.M., 2015. "Influence of the regulation framework on the feasibility of a Stirling engine-based residential micro-CHP installation," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 84(C), pages 575-588.
    11. Pavel Atănăsoae, 2020. "Technical and Economic Assessment of Micro-Cogeneration Systems for Residential Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(3), pages 1-19, February.
    12. Arteconi, Alessia & Del Zotto, Luca & Tascioni, Roberto & Cioccolanti, Luca, 2019. "Modelling system integration of a micro solar Organic Rankine Cycle plant into a residential building," Applied Energy, Elsevier, vol. 251(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Guillermo Rey & Carlos Ulloa & Jose Luis Míguez & Elena Arce, 2016. "Development of an ICE-Based Micro-CHP System Based on a Stirling Engine; Methodology for a Comparative Study of its Performance and Sensitivity Analysis in Recreational Sailing Boats in Different Euro," Energies, MDPI, vol. 9(4), pages 1-14, March.
    14. Di Leo, Senatro & Caramuta, Pietro & Curci, Paola & Cosmi, Carmelina, 2020. "Regression analysis for energy demand projection: An application to TIMES-Basilicata and TIMES-Italy energy models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 196(C).

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Kavousian, Amir & Rajagopal, Ram & Fischer, Martin, 2013. "Determinants of residential electricity consumption: Using smart meter data to examine the effect of climate, building characteristics, appliance stock, and occupants' behavior," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 55(C), pages 184-194.
    2. Estiri, Hossein, 2014. "Building and household X-factors and energy consumption at the residential sector," Energy Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 178-184.
    3. Scott Kelly & Michael Pollitt & Doug Crawford-Brown, 2011. "Building performance evaluation and certification in the UK: a critical review of SAP?," Working Papers EPRG 1219, Energy Policy Research Group, Cambridge Judge Business School, University of Cambridge.
    4. Estiri, Hossein & Zagheni, Emilio, 2018. "Evaluating the Age-Energy Consumption Profile in Residential Buildings," SocArXiv yqkva, Center for Open Science.
    5. Kelly, Scott & Crawford-Brown, Doug & Pollitt, Michael G., 2012. "Building performance evaluation and certification in the UK: Is SAP fit for purpose?," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 16(9), pages 6861-6878.
    6. Satre-Meloy, Aven, 2019. "Investigating structural and occupant drivers of annual residential electricity consumption using regularization in regression models," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 174(C), pages 148-168.
    7. Hårsman, Björn & Wahlström, Marie H., 2014. "Residential energy consumption and conservation," Working Paper Series in Economics and Institutions of Innovation 388, Royal Institute of Technology, CESIS - Centre of Excellence for Science and Innovation Studies.
    8. Dineen, D. & Rogan, F. & Ó Gallachóir, B.P., 2015. "Improved modelling of thermal energy savings potential in the existing residential stock using a newly available data source," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 90(P1), pages 759-767.
    9. Ó Broin, Eoin & Mata, Érika & Göransson, Anders & Johnsson, Filip, 2013. "The effect of improved efficiency on energy savings in EU-27 buildings," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 134-148.
    10. Dineen, D. & Ó Gallachóir, B.P., 2017. "Exploring the range of energy savings likely from energy efficiency retrofit measures in Ireland's residential sector," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 121(C), pages 126-134.
    11. Estiri, Hossein, 2015. "The indirect role of households in shaping US residential energy demand patterns," Energy Policy, Elsevier, vol. 86(C), pages 585-594.
    12. Maria Cecilia P Moura & Steven J Smith & David B Belzer, 2015. "120 Years of U.S. Residential Housing Stock and Floor Space," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(8), pages 1-18, August.
    13. Rafael de Arce & Ramón Mahía, 2019. "Drivers of Electricity Poverty in Spanish Dwellings: A Quantile Regression Approach," Energies, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-18, May.
    14. Riva, Fabio & Gardumi, Francesco & Tognollo, Annalisa & Colombo, Emanuela, 2019. "Soft-linking energy demand and optimisation models for local long-term electricity planning: An application to rural India," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 32-46.
    15. Besagni, Giorgio & Borgarello, Marco & Premoli Vilà, Lidia & Najafi, Behzad & Rinaldi, Fabio, 2020. "MOIRAE – bottom-up MOdel to compute the energy consumption of the Italian REsidential sector: Model design, validation and evaluation of electrification pathways," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 211(C).
    16. Fei Wang & Yili Yu & Xinkang Wang & Hui Ren & Miadreza Shafie-Khah & João P. S. Catalão, 2018. "Residential Electricity Consumption Level Impact Factor Analysis Based on Wrapper Feature Selection and Multinomial Logistic Regression," Energies, MDPI, vol. 11(5), pages 1-26, May.
    17. Maghanki, Maryam Mohammadi & Ghobadian, Barat & Najafi, Gholamhassan & Galogah, Reza Janzadeh, 2013. "Micro combined heat and power (MCHP) technologies and applications," Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 510-524.
    18. Dirks, James A. & Gorrissen, Willy J. & Hathaway, John H. & Skorski, Daniel C. & Scott, Michael J. & Pulsipher, Trenton C. & Huang, Maoyi & Liu, Ying & Rice, Jennie S., 2015. "Impacts of climate change on energy consumption and peak demand in buildings: A detailed regional approach," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 79(C), pages 20-32.
    19. Rosenberg, Eva, 2014. "Calculation method for electricity end-use for residential lighting," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 66(C), pages 295-304.
    20. Zhu, Mengshu & Huang, Ying & Wang, Si-Nuo & Zheng, Xinye & Wei, Chu, 2023. "Characteristics and patterns of residential energy consumption for space cooling in China: Evidence from appliance-level data," Energy, Elsevier, vol. 265(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:energy:v:68:y:2014:i:c:p:92-103. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/energy .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.