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Emerging Research on the Energy and Thermal-Hygrometric Optimization of Buildings and Related Systems

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A special issue of Energies (ISSN 1996-1073). This special issue belongs to the section "G: Energy and Buildings".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 September 2024 | Viewed by 4059

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Special Issue Editors

Dr. Diana D'Agostino

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples Federico II, Naples, Italy
Interests: building energy efficiency; renewable sources; sustainability; ground source heat pump; earth-to-air heat exchanger; zero energy building; geothermal energy

Prof. Dr. Francesco Minichiello

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Guest Editor

Department of Industrial Engineering, University of Naples, p.le Tecchio, 80, 80125 Naples, Italy
Interests: HVAC systems; energy efficiency in buildings; NZEB, Plus ZEB, nearly ZEB; low enthaply geothermal systems; heat exchangers
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Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Nowadays, climate change, the increasing energy demand due to significant global growth, the depletion of fossil fuels and pollution are very current problems. At the same time, the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions is urgent. All the actions of civilized countries worldwide are aimed at limiting the effects of these problems on economic and social policies but, above all, at identifying actions for sustainable energy development. With reference to the civil building sector, this is responsible for a large amount of energy consumption. Focusing on reducing the energy demand of buildings, especially existing ones, using new generation and high-efficiency HVAC systems and implementing renewable energy sources are certainly the key strategies that can lead to the achievement of the objectives set. However, among the negative sides, there is the non-programmability of the energy produced by several renewable energy systems, which poses many problems for the management of energy networks. In this context, many research fields are aimed at finding solutions that fully exploit renewable energy sources in civil sectors and at the same time reduce building energy consumption.

The aim of the Special Issue is to spread the most significant research contributions dealing with the following topics (all in the field of the energy and thermal-hygrometric optimization of buildings and related systems):

High energy efficiency, Nearly, Net and Plus Zero Energy Buildings;
HVAC system and energy-saving;
Geothermal energy system;
Heat Exchangers ;
Integration of Renewable Energy Sources ;
Heat metering;
Innovative renewable energy systems or components ;
Innovative high energy efficiency systems and components (heating, cooling, domestic hot water, lighting, etc.);
Energy dynamic simulation of buildings and related systems;
Thermal insulation and thermal parameters of the building envelope components;
Thermal behavior of the building envelope in winter and in summer;
Thermal comfort and indoor air quality in civil buildings.

Dr. Diana D'Agostino
Prof. Dr. Francesco Minichiello
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Energies is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

energy efficiency
zero energy buildings
renewable energy sources
HVAC Systems
energy savings in buildings

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 2836 KiB

Open AccessEditor’s ChoiceArticle

The Carbon Footprint of Thermal Insulation: The Added Value of Circular Models Using Recycled Textile Waste

by Antonella Violano and Monica Cannaviello

Energies 2023, 16(19), 6768; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16196768 - 22 Sep 2023

Viewed by 1405

Abstract

The goal of climate neutrality by 2050 drives the building sector towards stricter control of processes and products, leading to a substantial reduction of embodied carbon throughout the life cycle. Many of the most used insulation materials have a high carbon footprint, mainly due to the production phase (from cradle to gate). The need to reduce these impacts has led to the implementation of materials whose predominant raw material is recycled material in order to reduce the embodied carbon. The contribution presents the results of a research work that analysed the potential of insulation materials obtained from textile waste, evaluating not only their energy performance but also, above all, their environmental impact in terms of carbon footprint. It starts from a state-of-the-art analysis of the main traditional and new-generation thermal insulation materials, not only in relation to performance but also to environmental impacts, in order to investigate the opportunities offered using insulation materials designed according to circular models (10R) and produced with industrial and/or post-consumer waste fabrics, through a carbon footprint comparison. To support the choice of this type of insulation, a multi-criteria evaluation method is proposed through which the comparative analysis of the most significant insulation products selected is carried out. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Research on the Energy and Thermal-Hygrometric Optimization of Buildings and Related Systems)

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35 pages, 24910 KiB

Open AccessFeature PaperArticle

PhloVer: A Modular and Integrated Tracking Photovoltaic Shading Device for Sustainable Large Urban Spaces—Preliminary Study and Prototyping

by Federico Minelli, Diana D’Agostino, Maria Migliozzi, Francesco Minichiello and Pierpaolo D’Agostino

Energies 2023, 16(15), 5786; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16155786 - 03 Aug 2023

Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1158

Abstract

In this work, a flower-shaped shading system with integrated tracking photovoltaic, suitable for sustainable extensive urban coverages, is designed. Detailed photovoltaic energy yield simulations with a single-diode model approach are performed to disclose the potential of the proposed tracking photovoltaic shading device (PVSD). Simulations are performed with reference to a case study. A double-layer space truss is used to house the innovative modular photovoltaic tracking system, and the first application is envisaged for the coverage of a public market area of a sunny municipality in Southern Italy. By comparing it with the traditional photovoltaic fixed system, the results of the simulations show a steadier energy generation of the new PVSD, and it also provides better coverage with renewable energy during the hours of the day when the traditional system produces low electric energy. Lastly, an early interactive prototype of the PVSD system is presented. The tracking mechanism is carefully designed, 3D-printed at a small scale and tested with a motorized dynamic system controlled by a microcontroller board. The realization of the physical prototype and the engineering of the movement mechanism confirmed the feasibility and the correct functioning of the conceived system opening to real-scale applications. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Research on the Energy and Thermal-Hygrometric Optimization of Buildings and Related Systems)

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17 pages, 3330 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Solid-to-Solid 2D Model of a Magnetocaloric Cooler with Thermal Diodes: A Sustainable Way for Refrigerating

by Luca Cirillo, Adriana Greco and Claudia Masselli

Energies 2023, 16(13), 5095; https://doi.org/10.3390/en16135095 - 01 Jul 2023

Viewed by 787

Abstract

Solid-state caloric cooling is a viable route toward a more sustainable way of refrigerating. The refrigerants are solid-state materials with a caloric effect detectable by measuring a temperature variation through an external-field intensity change. The caloric effect could be particularized depending on the properties of the material and the type of field. Magnetocaloric is the effect occurring in ferromagnetic materials through the variation of an external field. Thermodynamically, two are the possible cycles regulating the cooling process in the system: the Active Caloric Regenerative cooling cycle and the solid-to-solid heat transfer (SSHT). The former requires the involvement of an auxiliary fluid for the heat transfer processes; in the latter, the heat transfer can be regulated by thermal diodes with the capability of changing their thermal conductivity depending on the intensity of an external field. The investigation introduced is focused on an SSHT system employing magnetocaloric materials as refrigerants and thermal diodes as the vehiculation elements. The two-dimensionality of the model allows the optimization of the dimensions of both the magnetocaloric and the thermal diode elements to achieve elevated operative frequencies. A comparison between two magnetocaloric materials was performed, Gadolinium and LaFe_11.384Mn_0.356Si_1.26H_1.52. Encouraging results on the system, suitably employable in the field of electronic circuit cooling, have been found. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Emerging Research on the Energy and Thermal-Hygrometric Optimization of Buildings and Related Systems)

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