**2. Infrastructure and Methods**

The proposed novel approach was developed and tested on the basis of data available from the MyLeaf platform, which monitors and controls the Leaf Community buildings. The Leaf Community is located in Angeli di Rosora, a small rural area in Marche region of Italy. It hosts industrial facilities of the Loccioni Group, a firm leading research and innovation activities in energy, environment, automotive, aviation, and other sectors. The Leaf community (Figure 1) consists of 5 industrial buildings (L3-AEA, L4-Leaf Lab, L5-Kite Lab, L6), one office building (L2-Summa), and a building used mainly for business meetings (Leaf Farm). All buildings (except the Leaf Farm) are equipped with rooftop photovoltaics (PV) of total power 629.2 kWp, and ground water heat pumps. In addition, a 2-axis solar tracker of 18 kWp, a 48 kWp micro-hydro plant, a 224 kWh battery storage, and a 523.25 kWh/K thermal storage are connected to the microgrid, which also features electric vehicle charging stations. Buildings, renewable energy systems (PVs, micro-hydro), and storage systems are all coupled and connected to the main power grid via a single interconnection line (point of delivery).

**Figure 1.** The Leaf Community map.

The buildings in the Leaf Community are highly thermally-insulated, and are equipped with automations for controlling the HVAC systems, as well as the natural and artificial lighting by means of adjustable external louvers and luminance sensors. The primary annual energy consumption for the Leaf Lab, is rated at 35.4 kWh/m2 (including the PV power production and subtracting industrial consumption) [22], based on year-round measurements, while the L6 (new building, not fully operated yet), is estimated at 46.85 kWh/m2. These ratings prove to be a factual determinant of their near zero energy performance. Table 1 summarizes the basic components of the building envelopes and systems installed at the Leaf Community buildings under consideration.

**Table 1.** Pilot buildings in the Leaf Community.


The elaborated methodology comprises several steps, as shown in Figure 2.

**Figure 2.** Methodological framework.


The developed approach is illustrated with the aid of the flowchart of Figure 3.

**Figure 3.** Flowchart of the developed approach.
