Research Area
Active Research fields
The main research topics of the research group are mainly oriented towards energy - environmental themes, in particular: energy efficiency in the building sector and thermo-physical building modeling, renewable energy technologies, net zero energy buildings, the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, ecodesign and decarbonization strategies in systems and processes.
Research projects of the last 5 years
- Project Valorisation énergetique Des Residues (VEDER) – Operative program IEVP Italie Tunisie 2007-2013 (February 2013 - December 2016).
Website:
- Project “CRIM-SAFRI - Creation of an Italian – Maltese research Center for the environmental sustainability and renewable sources - Italia-Malta Cross-Border Cooperation Programme 2007-2013 (March 2013 – October 2015).
Website:
http://www.crim-safri.it/
- Project “Innovation for Green Energy and Exchange in Transportation (I-NEXT)”, in the context of the funding scheme “PON Ricerca e Competitività” 2007-2013 (2013-2015).
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LIFE ENV/IT/000594 “SUN & WIND” EU project (topic: sustainable buildings).
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- Project developed in the context of “Programma di ricerca di rilevante interesse nazionale (PRIN) 2008” named “Definizione di criteri innovativi per la progettazione e produzione eco-compatibile (eco-design) di prodotti che consumano energia (EuP) nel settore civile d'utenza” (2010-2012). Research activity named “Energy and environmental analysis and definition of eco-design criteria for hybrid micro-cogeneration plants powered by solar energy” (2010-2012).
Collaborations
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Collaboration between the National research Council Dipartimento Ingegneria, ICT e tecnologie per l’energia e i trasporti (DIITET) and University of Palermo, Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici (DEIM) for the following researches: sensitivity analysis and analysis of scenarios applied to the assessment of energy-environmental performances of V-Redox batteries, Comparative analysis of the energy-environmental performances of V-Redox batteries with other kind of batteries, Analysis of the energy-environmental performances of Iron-Air batteries in a life cycle approach through the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, Performance assessment of Graphene-Vanadium-Redox batteries through the LCA method, Analysis of the energy-environmental performances of the following anode materials to be used in lithium ions batteries through LCA: graphite and Li4Ti5012 (April 2014 – February 2016). Project “Electrochemical systems for generation and storage of energy;
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Collaboration between the National Research Council - Dipartimento Ingegneria, ICT e tecnologie per l’energia e i trasporti (DIITET) and University of Palermo, Dipartimento di Energia, Ingegneria dell’Informazione e Modelli Matematici (DEIM) for the following researches: Development of innovative high temperature batteries and of innovative components for redox batteries (April 2012, May 2014). Project “Electrochemical systems for generation and storage of energy”;
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Research activity “Development of innovative tools for the assessment of embodied energy in buildings and of models to quantify the potential of ventilative cooling in buildings” in the context of the project “C.2 Development of models for energy efficiency actions on the public building stock” Collaboration between DEIM Department, University of Palermo and ENEA (2014-2016), in the context of the agreement “Programma MSE-ENEA sulla Ricerca di Sistema Elettrico Piano Annuale di Realizzazione” 2014;
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Development of LCA datasets compliant to the ILCD standard, included in the European reference Life Cycle Database in the context of the CRIM-SAFRI project (Collaboration with the Joint Research Center– ISPRA);
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Research activity of DEIM Department – UNIPA - in the project “Terravita: Biodiversity, territory and nourishment. The sustainability of the Italian food farming sector” (Collaboration with Council for research on agriculture – CRA) (2014- 2015);
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Research activity “Nutritional and organoleptic quality, environmental impact of biologic productions BIOQUALIA”, financed by “Ministry of agricultural, food and forest policies (MIPAF)”. Collaboration with the National Research Institute for food and nutrition (INRAN) (2010-2012);
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Research activity “State of the art on energy-environmental policies on smart materials Cool Roof”, to be developed in the framework of the project “MED, Priority-Objective 2.2 Axe 2: Protection de l’environnement et promotion d’un dèveloppement territorial durable - Objectif 2.2: Promotion des ènergies renouvelables et amèlioration de l’efficacité énérgetique, MAtèriaux INtèlligents” (closed in 2015). Convention between Dipartimento di Urbanistica dell'Assessorato al Territorio e Ambiente della Regione Siciliana and Dipartimento di Energia, ingegneria dell’Informazione e modelli Matematici (DEIM), University of Palermo;
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Research activity “Characterization of non-residential school buildings in Sicily”, in the context of the project “Development of models for energy efficiency actions on the public building stock” (Collaboration between DEIM Department, University of Palermo and ENEA) 2013-2014;
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Research activity “Redesign of net zero energy buildings and characterization of school buildings in Sicily”, in the context of the project “Development of models for energy efficiency actions on the public building stock” (Collaboration between DEIM Department, University of Palermo and ENEA) 2012-2013;
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Research activity “Sensitivity analysis and scenario analysis in the assessment of the energy-environmental performances of high temperature batteries (ZEBRA)” (Collaboration with the National Research Council - Dipartimento Energia e Trasporti (CNR-DET)) (2011-2012)
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Research activity “Life Cycle Assessment of electric car systems”, developed in the context of the project “electricity savings in means of transport: new materials and innovative components for means of transport” (Collaboration with ENEA) (2010-2012);
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Research activity “Design of net zero energy buildings – or nearly – in accordance to the EU Directive 2010/31/CE (EPBD Recast) on the energy performance of buildings” to be developed in the context of the project “Technologies towards energy savings in the civil sector” (Collaboration with ENEA) (2011-2012);
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Research activity “Partecipation to the activities of IEA Task 40: Towards Net Zero Energy Solar Buildings, joint project SHC Task 40/ECBCS Annex 52”, in the context of the project “Studies and assessment of the rational use of energy technologies to be used in the residential sector to save electricity” (Collaboration with ENEA) (2010-2011);
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Research activity “Compared analysis of different micro-storage technologies – Life Cycle assessment as support to assessment of different micro-storage technologies ”(Collaboration with the National Research Council - Dipartimento Energia e Trasporti (CNR-DET)) (2010-2011);
- Research activity “Definition of a set of Criteria for the Med-label. Application of the criteria to a representative pilot case (Mediterranean residential buildings)” to be developed in the context of the EU initiative “IRH MED – Innovative Residential Housing for the Mediterranean”. Collaboration with the Sicily region (Dipartimento Urbanistica –Assessorato Territorio e Ambiente) (2011-2012);
- Partecipation to the International energy agency workgroup SHC Task 40 – EBC Annex 52 “Towards Net Zero Energy Buildings” (Oct 2008 – Nov 2013);
- Partecipation to the International energy agency workgroup SHC Task 48 – “Quality Assurance and Support Measures for Solar Cooling” (Oct2011 – Mar 2015);
- Partecipation to the International energy agency workgroup SHC Task 53 “New generation Solar Cooling and Heating” (2014-2016);
- Partecipation to the International energy agency workgroup EBC Annex 57 “Evaluation of Embodied Energy and CO2eq. for building construction” (2014-2016);
- Partecipation to the International energy agency workgroup EBC Annex 62 “Ventilative Cooling” (2014-2016);
- Education and research cooperation with research centers and university at both national and international level: Concordia University (Canada), Catalonia Institute for Energy Research (IREC – Spagna), ENEA, National Research Council (CNR), Joint Research Center (Ispra), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU- Norway), Hochschule fur technik Stuttgart (HFT – Germany), Politecnico di Milano, Politecnico di Torino, Università di Napoli Federico II, etc.
Active research
Laboratory of LCA and ecodesign: it supports enterprise networks and public bodies to implement sustainable production and use strategies. In detail: application of LCA, eco-design, eco-innovation, industrial symbiosis, GPP, sustainable buildings and NZEBs design, environmental certification, environmental and energy management systems.
Tools: LCA software and databases, building simulation software and tools.
Services delivered under the right of third parties
Support to Small and Medium Enterprises (SME) and Public Administrations (PA) for the implementation of sustainable production and product use practices and to the improvement of the local supply chains. In detail:
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Life Cycle Assessment studies, to assess the energy-environmental perfromances of products and services, as application of the EU Directive on Energy related Products and definition of eco-design criteria to be introduced in the productive processes, aiming to a reduction of specific raw material use, of non renewable resources and to an increase of the use of low environmental impact products, etc.;
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Achievement of environmental product (and organization) declarations, in particular Product Environmental Footprint, Ecolabel, Product Environmental Footprint and Organization Environmental Footprint;
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Implementation of environmental and energy management systems;
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Definition of industrial symbiosis potential for SMEs;
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Definition of Green public procurement strategies for PA;
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Design of building energy retrofit solutions in the field of historical buildings aiming to the ‘Net Zero Energy Building’ target.