LCA driven solar compensation mechanism for Renewable Energy Communities: the Italian case (original) (raw)
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Environmental and economic analysis of building integrated photovoltaic systems in Italian regions
Journal of Cleaner Production, 2013
Solar energy is a form of renewable energy that can be used to combat climate change through an environmentally accepted energy supply policy with support from both private and public consumers. There are numerous factors contributing to the definition of the economic and environmental performance of solar energy investments, such as average annual irradiation, consumers' consumption, Feed in Tariff incentive system, energy portfolio, emissions produced by the photovoltaic system, rated power of the individual modules, disposable income of the investor, availability of surface for the installation of the photovoltaic panels and mission, that characterise the project (environmental maximisation, economic maximisation or self-sufficiency of the system during the first year). Given the particular geographical position of Italy, the economic profitability and environmental impact of such system were estimated, first on the provincial scale and then on the regional scale, to delineate the general characteristics that are not caused by a single scenario. The indicators used include the following: net present value (NPV), internal rate of return (IRR), discounted payback period (DP b P), discounted aggregate costbenefit ratio (BC r) and reduction of emissions of carbon dioxide (ER cd). The ultimate objective of the paper is to define the number of photovoltaic (PV) systems necessary to reach the target of renewable energy production in the above settings. A general scenario appropriate to achieve this goal, as well as implementing the total wealth generated by this framework and the reduction of CO 2 emissions resulting from the implementation of that plan, will be examined. The indicators used are total net present value per capita and reduction of carbon dioxide emissions per capita.
Renewable energy and CO 2 abatement in Italy
Energy Policy, 2017
In order to combat global warming, Italy has committed to reduce its CO 2 emissions. To this end, it has significantly encouraged renewable energy development through a variety of support schemes, ranging from green certificates to feed-in and premium tariffs. As a result, the production of electricity from renewable energy sources, in particular from solar and wind energy, has risen considerably over the past years. In this paper we review the Italian support schemes for wind and solar energy and estimate the cost of abating CO 2 emissions by generating electricity from these two sources of energy for the period 2008-2011. The results show that the average costs for wind were around 165 €/tCO 2. For solar, they were much higher, around 1000 €/tCO 2 , as solar energy received much higher remunerations than wind energy. These costs were much higher than in Germany. This was due to the differences between the level of incentives and the different power systems.
Technical and economic approach to aim the feasibility of renewables in the Italian context
Clean Technologies and Environmental Policy, 2023
To date, despite the existence of the sustainability goals of the 2030 Agenda and the need for an energy transition, the results set is still quite far away from being achieved. The awareness of this situation moves many European countries to promote policies based on the use of renewable sources. This paper is aimed at illustrating the Italian legislative context, evaluating the effectiveness of the introduced incentives, according to parameters that affect the productivity of a photovoltaic system. It is also aimed at helping to bridge the gap linked to the relationship between incentives and energy transition, also with regard to renewables. The research focuses on an evaluation methodology, based on technical and economic standards and it is accompanied by a case-study. In order to analyze the productivity of the photovoltaic system, all the main input factors that could affect the technical and economic performance of the system were investigated. In particular, solar potential analysis, shading elements, installation place, azimuth, tilt of modules and technology. For the economic valuations, the discounted cash flow method was used. The results obtained show that some Italian regions, particularly those in the north, should prefer other forms of renewables, such as hydroelectric and geothermal, and that the FER1 decree is not suitable for the promotion of solar photovoltaics in some areas. The research shows also that policies on renewables should be calibrated according to the intrinsic features of the place where they are located and have to be related to the built heritage they will interface, in the light of technological and plant system aspects.
Critical assessment of support for the evolution of photovoltaics and feed-in tariff(s) in Italy
The feed-in tariff(s) mechanism involves an obligation on the part of an electricity provider to purchase electricity generated by renewable energy sources in its relevant area, paying a tariff determined by public authorities and guaranteed for a specific time period. Feed-in tariff(s) have been the primary mechanism used for supporting the development of renewable energy sources in the EU and, up to date, they are being applied in 20 EU Member Countries. On 6 July 2013, the Italian experience with feed-in tariff(s) for photovoltaic systems finished. During its lifetime of eight years, this incentive mechanism, named ‘‘Conto Energia’’, was characterized by periods of great success followed by others of serious skepticism. The implementation of the Italian feed-in tariff(s) mechanism was changed many times, becoming very close to the European standard.
International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning, 2021
Energy Communities (EC) are intended as legal entities that can ensure environmental, economic, and social benefits for energy exchanges between its members. The Italian legislation has recently introduced incentives to Renewable Energy Communities (REC). This work analyses the case study of the REC in Villar Pellice (Turin) and defines a methodology to assess its technical-economic feasibility. The hourly energy consumption and the local renewable energy production are assessed through a place-based methodology, considering different category of end users (municipalities, residential dwelling, companies), and obtaining data from available online database. The REC energy performance is assessed through the self-consumption and the self-sufficiency indexes. Besides, cost-optimal analysis evaluates its economic feasibility, considering investment costs and economic incentives. Several interventions are hypothesized to compare possible REC scenarios (e.g., photovoltaic panels and storage systems installation, energy efficiency measures for public lighting, and different configurations of end users). Results show that REC allows to aggregate stakeholders, ensuring economic advantages and environmental benefits. The methodology applied in this work can support the design phase of the RECs. Its flexibility makes it adaptable to different territorial and regulatory contexts, in evaluating the optimal REC configuration to maximize revenues from the incentive and reach the highest level of energy independence.
Economic perspective for PV under new Italian regulatory framework
Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 2017
A PV market decrease in Italy has been observed in the last years due to the closure of the feed-in-tariff contribution from the Italian Government. However, a new opportunity introduced by the Italian Authority for Energy (AEEGSI) could represent a possible driver for the Italian PV market. A resolution of the AEEGSI has introduced in 2013 the technical and economic rules for a new way of exchanging power between two companies: one energy producer based on Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and a final End-User. This new opportunity paves the way for new PV investments and an increase in RES consumption, since energy can be traded free from the network charges. A mutual advantage is in fact present for both RES producers and End-Users: RES producers sell their energy locally at a price higher than that the zonal-market one, while End-User energy bill is reduced. The present study defines a method for finding the best match between Producer and End-User advantages by stating the rules for the definition of the optimum sizing of a PV plant supplying a local industrial company. Net-metering contribution is also considered as a further economic boost for investment in the PV market. A further element of the analysis is devoted to the tradeoff of energy price between the two companies. Starting from the current Italian market energy prices, the study highlights how the economic indicators of the PV investor are influenced by the final price of energy paid by the End-User. The perspectives for PV investors is positive even without an economic incentive scheme of RES production.
Effectiveness and weaknesses of supporting policies for solar thermal systems – A case-study
It is well known that European Union has pledged to achieve a 20% share of renewable sources in final energy consumption and the same share as reduction of final uses by 2020. To achieve these goals, the solar thermal sector could provide an important contribution since the demand for heating and domestic hot water production accounts for 37% of the total energy demand in Europe. In recent years, several supporting policies were actuated in EU Countries and, among these, the Italian Ministry of Environment in collaboration with Regions has developed several measures for local renewable energies integration in the regional territory, also with the purpose to disseminate solar thermal water heating (SWH) systems in the built environment. The present paper aims to evaluate effectiveness of supporting strategies to SWH through a comprehensive assessment on the Lombardy Region case-study; to that end, representative indicators were calculated and analyzed. In particular, a so called Renewables Incentive Paradoxical-Effect (RIPE) was experienced, according to which the greater is the specific amount of subsidy over the years, the higher is the recorded turnkey cost of the specific technology. Obtained results are described in the present paper in order to orient future choices and to identify the most promising strategies for improving SWH.
Energy Communities Design Optimization in the Italian Framework
Applied Sciences, 2021
Energy communities (EC) are expected to have a pivotal role to reach European decarbonization targets. One of the key aspects is the regulatory framework adopted by each Member State to properly manage such new customers’ aggregation. The paper firstly provides an updated overview of the EC regulation, focusing on the current Italian legislation. Next, a novel methodology for the design and management of energy community initiatives is proposed. The procedure firstly solves a design and operation optimization problem to calculate the best size of energy assets (boiler, heat pump, photovoltaic, thermal storage) to be installed. Second, a Shapley value-based approach is exploited to distribute a part of the community’s incomes to members, based on their contribution to the overall welfare. Results demonstrate that the adopted methodology is effective in ensuring a proper cash flow for the community, while pushing its members towards energy efficient behaviors.
Environmental and economic optima of solar home systems design: A combined LCA and LCC approach
Science of The Total Environment, 2020
This paper compares the economic and environmental optimal design of Solar Home Systems (SHSs) and explores the role of economic incentives (such as tariffs and technology costs) in approximating the two optima. To achieve that, we present a methodology for the environmental and economic evaluation of grid-connected SHSs: user-scale electric systems involving a photovoltaic (PV) power system and a battery energy storage system. The proposed methodology is based on a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) optimization, life cycle assessment and life cycle costing. This methodological framework is applied to a case study involving a typical SHS installation in Italy. The results of the environmental optimal design brought to the evaluation of a 3.25 kW PV assisted by 8.66 kWh of nickel cobalt manganese batteries, whereas the costs of the SHS are minimized by a small PV system (less than 1 kW). Results underline that the environmental optimal configurations rely on battery technologies, which entails a significant cost compared to the grid connection. In contrast, the economic optimal design solutions is less impactful than the grid mix both from an environmental and economic points of view. Thanks to a reduction of batteries and PV costs, the environmental impact of the economic optimal design is expected to decrease in the future.
One solution to mitigate climate change can be the production of renewable energy. In this context, the aims of this paper are: (1) the identification of local unsuitable areas for the installation of Utility-Scale Solar Energy (USSE) in a municipality in southern Italy; (2) the assessment of the effects of their installation on local natural CO 2 sequestration and on avoided CO 2 ; and (3) the evaluation of their contribution to the global climate regulation through scenario analysis. Since 2007, 82 authorizations have been obtained for the installation of USSE in the municipality and 42 over 64 already completed have been installed