|
Home > Partners'
data > University of Florencia
University of Florencia
Department of Energetics “S.Stecco”
– University of Florence; Local partner (Tuscany)
WP4 and WP6.
http://www.de.unifi.it/
|
 |
|
The Department of Energetics, DE, has been active for twenty
years in the study of thermo-dynamical and fluid-dynamical
behaviour of energy systems and their components, as well
as in energy system analysis and design.
More recently, DE has been active - as coordinator and main
proposer - of a new initiative at the University of Florence:
the constitution of a new Center on Renewable Energies, which
will merge several competencies and a broad number of Departments
(7 different ones) , from Engi-neering to Chemistry, from
Agroforestry to Geology.
It is in this framework that DE is coordinating the first
International Master in Bioenergy and Environment (IMES),
which groups 3 different EU Universities (Florence, Lisbon
and Bir-mingham-Aston) with 3 US Universities (Baylor, Arizona
and Embry Riddle). The institution of this new international
Master course in bioenergy is supported by the European Commission
(DG Education and Culture) through a specific grant (see list
of recent projects).
DE has recently carried out specific research work in the
field of biomass supply and transport evaluation at regional
scale. This was done through a GIS tool, developed in the
framework of a EC LIFE projects. Moreover, DE also recently
presented another LIFE proposal in the area of bioethanol
for transport.
DE is studying, since several years, decentralised biomass-based
energy generation, focusing its attention on small scale systems
and gas turbines. DE is also active in projects aimed at the
pro-duction and use of biomass raw materials for industrial
applications, expecially as regards the provision of renewable
energy to the processes.
DE is assisting various Municipalities and Provinces in developing
projects in the RE sector and in particular biomass (Province
of Florence, Municipality of Abetone, Consortium – 5
Munici-palities – of Val di Cornia,…).
The research group at DE, further than turbomachinery and
computational fluid dynamics, is also developing research
activities in air quality modelling through numerical simulations.
DE (Prof. Martelli, Dr.David Chiaramonti) has a long experience
in the management of EC pro-jects and in assisting the Commission
with provision of experts for project/programme evalua-tion/assessment
List of most relevant projects
o IMES - International Master
in Environmental Bioenergy and Biofuels, DG-Education, Grant
Agreement . N° 2002-1355 / 001 – 001 CPT –
CPTUSA
An innovative two-year Master in Environmental
Science is on going involving exchanges be-tween students
and EU / US Institutions. The participating institutions
are universities and pri-vate research corporations. The
courses involve a mixture of lectures, case studies, practical
field experience and individual study assisted by tutors.
The academic staff consist of internal academic teams, lecturers
and professors, managers and experts from the environmental
and energy sectors. During the first year the partners addressed
specific curricula content, agree-ments for exchanges between
institutions, student selection and language programs, and
all relevant administrative issues. In the second year the
Masters program itself has begun. While basic environmental
courses addressing problems on a global and local scale
from scientific and social perspectives are taught, focus
is given to Bionergy and Biofuels. Students and pro-fessors
benefit from expertise exchange and transfer of course materials
between EU and US partners. The two consortia will organize
seminars and conferences, sometimes in collaboration with
other foreign organizations and scientific institutes on
subjects pertinent to the topics of specialization.
EU consortium institutions:
• DE, Dipartimento di Energetica
"Sergio Stecco", Universita` di Firenze, Italy
• Universidade Nova de Lisboa,
Faculdade de Ciencias e Technologia, Grupo di Disciplinas
de Ecologia da Hidrosfera/Unidade de Biotecnologia Ambiental
(Portugal)- GDEH.Ubia
• Bio-Energy Research Group, School
of Engineering and Applied Science - Chemical Engi-neering
and Applied Chemistry, Aston University, Birmingham, UK
EU industry partners:
• EUBIA, European Biomass Industry
Association, Brussels, Belgium
• Florence Energy Agency, Florence,
Italy
US Consortium Institutions:
• Baylor Institute for Air Science,
Baylor University, Waco, TX (USA)
• College of Technology and Management
and Applied Sciences, Environmental Technology Management,
Arizona State University, East, Mesa, Arizona (USA)
• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University,
Daytona Beach, Florida (USA)
US industry partners:
• Sonoma Technology, Inc. Petaluma,
California (USA)
o EC LIFE programme BIOSIT - GIS-based
planning tool for greenhouse gases emission re-duction through
biomass exploitation – 2001 EUROPEAN COMMISSION DG
ENVI-RONMENT – Project Coordinator
Aim of the project is an innovative GIS tools
to optimise the land-use development and planning for the
effective exploitation of biomass resources, so to reach
the following objectives (of Community interest):
1) Promotion of biomass to energy plants;
2) Air pollution reduction and CO2 emissions
reduc-tion;
3) Development of tools for the implementation
of biomass projects in a sustainable way;
4) Valorisation of the territory, recovery of
marginal areas; 5) Improved management
of for-estry and agricultural land;
6) Integration between rural and urban areas.
The work bridge the experience from research to widespread
implementation of local authori-ties for environmental management
and energy planning. The expected GHG emission reduc-tion
will not occur without this planning instrument (no selection
of optimal locations and land use).
The team integrate the necessary multi-disciplinar skills
in environmental analysis and model-ing, engineering, agro-forestry,
and programming. This system will integrate environmental
considerations into economic activities and regional development.
The project has a significant reproduction potential and
transferability to other regions
o The Latin America Thematic Network
on Bioenergy, LAMNET
The project Latin America Thematic Network on
Bioenergy (LAMNET) is coordinated by WIP-Renewable Energies,
Germany, in partnership with ETA, Energia Trasporti Agricoltura,
Italy and the European Biomass Industry Association, EUBIA.
The Latin American organisations CENBIO (Centro Nacional
de Referência em Biomassa), Brazil and UNAM (Universidad
Na-cional Autónoma de México), México
act as coordination support points on the South- and Cen-tral
American continent. DE is member of the Network.
The LAMNET is funded by the European Commission in the framework
of the specific research and technological development programme
‘Confirming the International Role of Community Research’.
The main objective of LAMNET is to establish a trans-national
forum for the promotion of sus-tainable use of biomass in
Latin America and other emerging countries.
This global network of 48 institutions (Knowledge Centres
and SMEs) from 24 countries worldwide is set up to face
urgent needs for improved and regionally adapted bioenergy
applica-tions.
o DGXII, JOULE , OPRODES – Renewable energy
for desalination
|
