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Publications

2024

Impact of different regulatory approaches in renewable energy communities: A quantitative comparison of european implementations

Authors
Taromboli, G; Soares, T; Villar, J; Zatti, M; Bovera, F;

Publication
ENERGY POLICY

Abstract
Recently, the uptake of renewable energy has surged in distribution networks, particularly due to the costeffectiveness and modular nature of photovoltaic systems. This has paved the way to a new era of user engagement, embodied by individual and collective self-consumption, and promoted by the EU Directive 2018/ 2001, which advocates for the establishment of Renewable Energy Communities. However, the transposition of this directive varies across Member States, resulting in specific rules for each country. In this work, the impact that different energy sharing models have on the same community is quantitatively assessed. The policy analysis focuses on the regulation of two countries, Italy and Portugal, chosen for the specular ways in which their models operate, respectively virtually and physically. The analysis is supported by a suite of tools which includes two optimization problems for community's operations, one for each analysed regulation, and a set of consumer protection mechanisms, to ensure no member is losing money while in community. Results demonstrate that the sharing model impacts community's optimal operations, optimal battery size and configuration, and members' benefit. As these models are sensitive to different variables, personalized interventions at national level are required.

2024

Development of integrated solutions using RES to supply domestic electric vehicle charging stations

Authors
Sousa, A; Baptista, J;

Publication
Energies and Quality Journal

Abstract
According to the Portuguese Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050 (RNC2050), Portugal aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. To achieve this goal, it is necessary to decrease the consumption of primary energy from non-renewable sources and increase the consumption of energy from renewable sources. Portugal has a high potential for energy production through solar energy, and the country has a large solar potential that can be used. Thus, this work focuses on the study of the reliability of charging electric vehicles through photovoltaic energy, being sized electric vehicles charging stations, with different topologies, for domestic consumption, for different types of user profiles. At the same time this study evaluated technically and economically the proposed solutions. The research concluded that this type of technology proves to be a viable solution, especially if storage systems do not need to be implemented, as the limited useful lifetime of batteries substantially increases investment amortization times. Key words. Photovoltaic Systems, Electric Vehicle, Charging Stations, Energy Efficiency, Techno-Economic Study.

2024

Context-Aware System for Information Flow Management in Factories of the Future

Authors
Monteiro, P; Pereira, R; Nunes, R; Reis, A; Pinto, T;

Publication
APPLIED SCIENCES-BASEL

Abstract
The trends of the 21st century are challenging the traditional production process due to the reduction in the life cycle of products and the demand for more complex products in greater quantities. Industry 4.0 (I4.0) was introduced in 2011 and it is recognized as the fourth industrial revolution, with the aim of improving manufacturing processes and increasing the competitiveness of industry. I4.0 uses technological concepts such as Cyber-Physical Systems, Internet of Things and Cloud Computing to create services, reduce costs and increase productivity. In addition, concepts such as Smart Factories are emerging, which use context awareness to assist people and optimize tasks based on data from the physical and virtual world. This article explores and applies the capabilities of context-aware applications in industry, with a focus on production lines. In specific, this paper proposes a context-aware application based on a microservices approach, intended for integration into a context-aware information system, with specific application in the area of manufacturing. The manuscript presents a detailed architecture for structuring the application, explaining components, functions and contributions. The discussion covers development technologies, integration and communication between the application and other services, as well as experimental findings, which demonstrate the applicability and advantages of the proposed solution.

2024

Bi-directional hyperspectral reconstruction of cherry tomato: diagnosis of internal tissues maturation stage and composition

Authors
Tosin, R; Cunha, M; Monteiro Silva, F; Santos, F; Barroso, T; Martins, R;

Publication
FRONTIERS IN PLANT SCIENCE

Abstract
Introduction: Precision monitoring maturity in climacteric fruits like tomato is crucial for minimising losses within the food supply chain and enhancing pre- and post-harvest production and utilisation. Objectives: This paper introduces an approach to analyse the precision maturation of tomato using hyperspectral tomography-like. Methods: A novel bi-directional spectral reconstruction method is presented, leveraging visible to near-infrared (Vis-NIR) information gathered from tomato spectra and their internal tissues (skin, pulp, and seeds). The study, encompassing 118 tomatoes at various maturation stages, employs a multi-block hierarchical principal component analysis combined with partial least squares for bi-directional reconstruction. The approach involves predicting internal tissue spectra by decomposing the overall tomato spectral information, creating a superset with eight latent variables for each tissue. The reverse process also utilises eight latent variables for reconstructing skin, pulp, and seed spectral data. Results: The reconstruction of the tomato spectra presents a mean absolute percentage error of 30.44 % and 5.37 %, 5.25 % and 6.42 % and Pearson's correlation coefficient of 0.85, 0.98, 0.99 and 0.99 for the skin, pulp and seed, respectively. Quality parameters, including soluble solid content (%), chlorophyll (a.u.), lycopene (a.u.), and puncture force (N), were assessed and modelled with PLS with the original and reconstructed datasets, presenting a range of R2 higher than 0.84 in the reconstructed dataset. An empirical demonstration of the tomato maturation in the internal tissues revealed the dynamic of the chlorophyll and lycopene in the different tissues during the maturation process. Conclusion: The proposed approach for inner tomato tissue spectral inference is highly reliable, provides early indications and is easy to operate. This study highlights the potential of Vis-NIR devices in precision fruit maturation assessment, surpassing conventional labour-intensive techniques in cost-effectiveness and efficiency. The implications of this advancement extend to various agronomic and food chain applications, promising substantial improvements in monitoring and enhancing fruit quality. [GRAPHICS] .

2024

Estimation of the lateral mis-registrations of the GRAVITY<sub>+</sub> adaptive optics system

Authors
Berdeu, A; Bonnet, H; Le Bouquin, JB; Edouard, C; Gomes, T; Shchekaturov, P; Dembet, R; Paumard, T; Oberti, S; Kolb, J; Millour, F; Berio, P; Lai, O; Eisenhauer, F; Garcia, P; Straubmeier, C; Kreidberg, L; Hoenig, SF; Defrere, D;

Publication
ASTRONOMY & ASTROPHYSICS

Abstract
Context. The GRAVITY+ upgrade implies a complete renewal of its adaptive optics (AO) systems. Its complex design, featuring moving components between the deformable mirrors and the wavefront sensors, requires the monitoring and auto-calibrating of the lateral mis-registrations of the system while in operation. Aims. For preset and target acquisition, large lateral registration errors must be assessed in open loop to bring the system to a state where the AO loop closes. In closed loop, these errors must be monitored and corrected, without impacting the science. Methods. With respect to the first requirement, our method is perturbative, with two-dimensional modes intentionally applied to the system and correlated to a reference interaction matrix. For the second requirement, we applied a non-perturbative approach that searches for specific patterns in temporal correlations in the closed loop telemetry. This signal is produced by the noise propagation through the AO loop. Results. Our methods were validated through simulations and on the GRAVITY+ development bench. The first method robustly estimates the lateral mis-registrations, in a single fit and with a sub-subaperture resolution while in an open loop. The second method is not absolute, but it does successfully bring the system towards a negligible mis-registration error, with a limited turbulence bias. Both methods proved to robustly work on a system still under development and not fully characterised. Conclusions. Tested with Shack-Hartmann wavefront sensors, the proposed methods are versatile and easily adaptable to other AO instruments, such as the pyramid, which stands as a baseline for all future AO systems. The non-perturbative method, not relying on an interaction matrix model and being sparse in the Fourier domain, is particularly suitable to the next generation of AO systems for extremely large telescopes that will present an unprecedented level of complexity and numbers of actuators.

2024

Optimal planning of a green hydrogen fueling station

Authors
Coelho, A; Soares, F; Iria, J;

Publication
2024 IEEE PES INNOVATIVE SMART GRID TECHNOLOGIES EUROPE, ISGT EUROPE

Abstract
As the global community transitions towards decarbonization and sustainable energy, green hydrogen is emerging as a key clean energy carrier. This paper addresses the role of hydrogen in transportation, emphasizing the European Union's additionality principle for renewable energy sources in green hydrogen production. It introduces a model for optimally designing hydrogen fueling stations, considering electrolyzers, hydrogen storage, fuel cells, PV systems, and batteries. This model also considers the participation in electricity (energy and secondary reserve), hydrogen, and oxygen markets, and it is evaluated under different additionality policy scenarios. Results indicate that stricter additionality policies reduce the internal rate of return. However, participation in secondary reserve markets significantly boosts operational revenues and compensates for higher investment costs.

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