Sapienza Distributed Generation Lab for Smart Energy Systems: research activities outline

A paradigm shift to Smart Energy Systems is required to face current energy challenges. In order to plan a sustainable and feasible energy transition, Universities with their laboratory play a key role by carrying out various experimental activities. The energy policy of Sapienza University of Rome is focused on energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in order to contribute to a transition as a complete redesign of the whole energy system toward a distributed energy generation, an integration of energy sources, a design of smart new grids including storage strategies. The author, energy manager of Sapienza, starts from a local scale, i.e. the Sapienza Lab for Smart Energy Systems within the Distributed Generation framework at different scales, to elaborate a foreseeable scaling-up process so that to spread the research activities outcomes as best practices. The experiments carried out aim to create a micro smart grid community by using ICT, smart meters, smart electrical and thermal grids connecting energy generation to existing electricity and thermal demands. The micro smart grid uses micro-CHP (engines and turbines) hydromethane H2NG drived, individual heating technologies for hydrogen, storage systems, power-to-gas and transmission network. Hybrid system design and construction, acceptance tests on the internal combustion engine fuelled with H2NG blends, engine tuning for experimental campaign aimed at micro CHP energy characterization, economical analysis for small scale H2NG production plant (CO2 avoidance cost assessment) are presented in a holistic energy system framework. The paper presents the achievements of the Sapienza University of Rome Lab which make it an example of sustainable city-integrated university within a metropolitan context and their future deployment as a prototype for wider scales. Hydrogen is identified as the energy driver for that sustainable energy transition.