A Smart renewable energy system for Campania Region (IT)– Strategies and actions towards the achievements of the 2030 European targets

Campania Region is one of the larger consumer of thermal and electric energy in Italy. Therefore, the identification/verification of a strategy/Regional Plan to supply the energy demand required is an important step through... [ view full abstract ]

Campania Region is one of the larger consumer of thermal and electric energy in Italy. Therefore, the identification/verification of a strategy/Regional Plan to supply the energy demand required is an important step through which Italy can fulfil  the objectives set up by the European Commission. Campania region reflects the current state of Italy: the presence of a high potential from a renewable energy source which, however, is not completely used. Campania can count on wind, geothermal, solar radiation as well as on reserves of water that make the territory one of the regions with the highest potential for renewable energy.

The work starts from the lack of adequate controls to support the Region in the challenge of transforming  the present energy system to a smart renewable energy system. In particular, in order to predict the results  of actions that could be  implemented, the paper focuses on the analysis of current regional energy balance (base-scenario) and proposes new RES and energy efficiency actions (EEA) towards the achievements of the 2030 European targets. The identification of the most appropriate combination of RES/EEA is based on six  alternative development scenarios for the Region. The scenarios are explored taking into account the available renewable sources: geothermal, solar and wind.

The whole regional energy system is analyzed by the EnergyPLAN software to evaluate streams combination and potential synergies between the different sectors and technologies. The system behaviour is analyzed considering different time bases: hourly, weekly and yearly. The hourly energy production of already installed plants is obtained from measured data; for new systems/technology proposed, a detailed model is used to simulate the performance and calculate hourly production in TRNSYS environment. The EnergyPLAN outputs include the aggregated yearly production and demands of all modelled energy conversion systems, as well as hourly values useful to identify the measures to make Campania Region fulfil the 2030 European target. Finally, an economic analysis is performed to identify the most cost-effective scenario. The outcomes for the work have the potential to  support local and national  administrations to elaborate more efficient plans for heating and cooling supply.