Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acut... more Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acute or subacute vision loss, often accompanied by retrobulbar discomfort or pain during eye movements. Typical ON is associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is generally mild and steroid-responsive. Atypical forms are characterized by unusual features, such as prominent optic disc edema, poor treatment response, and bilateral involvement, and they are often associated with autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) or Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG). However, in some cases, AQP4 and MOG antibodies will return as negative, plunging the clinician into a diagnostic conundrum. AQP4- and MOG-seronegative ON warrants a broad differential diagnosis, including autoantibody-associated, granulomatous, and systemic disorders. These rare forms need to be identified promptly, as their management and prognosis are greatly different. The aim of this review is to describe the possible rarer e...
Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acut... more Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acute or subacute vision loss, often accompanied by retrobulbar discomfort or pain on eye movements. Typical ON is associated with Multiple Sclerosis and is generally mild and steroid-responsive, whereas atypical forms are characterized by unusual features, such as optic disc edema, poor treatment response and bilateral involvement, and are often associated with autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG). However, in rare cases AQP4 and MOG antibodies will come back negative, plunging the clinician in a diagnostic conundrum. Seronegative ON warrants a broad differential diagnosis, including autoantibody-associated, granulomatous, and systemic disorders. These rare forms need to be identified promptly, as their management and prognosis is greatly different. The scope of this review is to describe possible, rarer etiologies of ON when AQP4 and MOG a...
We investigate the kinetic Schrödinger problem, obtained considering Langevin dynamics instead of... more We investigate the kinetic Schrödinger problem, obtained considering Langevin dynamics instead of Brownian motion in Schrödinger's thought experiment. Under a quasilinearity assumption we establish exponential entropic turnpike estimates for the corresponding Schrödinger bridges and exponentially fast convergence of the entropic cost to the sum of the marginal entropies in the long-time regime, which provides as a corollary an entropic Talagrand inequality. In order to do so, we benefit from recent advances in the understanding of classical Schrödinger bridges and adaptations of Bakry-Émery formalism to the kinetic setting. Our quantitative results are complemented by basic structural results such as dual representation of the entropic cost and the existence of Schrödinger potentials.
Background and ObjectivesGlial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibodies can associate with an ... more Background and ObjectivesGlial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibodies can associate with an astrocytopathy often presenting as a meningoencephalitis. Visual involvement has been reported but scarcely defined. We describe 2 cases of GFAP astrocytopathy with predominant visual symptoms and present a systematic review of the literature.MethodsWe describe 2 patients with GFAP astrocytopathy from our neurology department. We performed a systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA guidelines, including all patients with this disease and available clinical data, focusing on visual involvement.ResultsPatient 1 presented with bilateral optic disc edema and severe sudden bilateral loss of vision poorly responsive to therapy. Patient 2 showed bilateral optic disc edema, headache, and mild visual loss with complete recovery after steroids. We screened 275 records and included 84 articles (62 case reports and 22 case series) for a total of 592 patients. Visual involvement was re...
The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related vaccines have raised several issues. Among them, the p... more The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related vaccines have raised several issues. Among them, the potential role of the viral infection (COVID-19) or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as causal factors of dysimmune CNS disorders, as well as the safety and efficacy of vaccines in patients affected by such diseases and on immune-active treatments have been analyzed. The aim is to better understand the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection/vaccines with dysimmune CNS diseases by describing 12 cases of multiple sclerosis/myelitis onset or reactivation after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection/vaccines and reviewing all published case reports or case series in which MS onset or reactivation was temporally associated with either COVID-19 (8 case reports, 3 case series) or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (13 case reports, 6 case series). All the cases share a temporal association between viral/vaccine exposure and symptoms onset. This finding, together with direct or immune-based mechanisms described both ...
Computational optimal transport (OT) has recently emerged as a powerful framework with applicatio... more Computational optimal transport (OT) has recently emerged as a powerful framework with applications in various fields. In this paper we focus on a relaxation of the original OT problem, the entropic OT problem, which allows to implement efficient and practical algorithmic solutions, even in high dimensional settings. This formulation, also known as the Schrödinger Bridge problem, notably connects with Stochastic Optimal Control (SOC) and can be solved with the popular Sinkhorn algorithm. In the case of discrete-state spaces, this algorithm is known to have exponential convergence; however, achieving a similar rate of convergence in a more general setting is still an active area of research. In this work, we analyze the convergence of the Sinkhorn algorithm for probability measures defined on the d-dimensional torus T d L , that admit densities with respect to the Haar measure of T d L . In particular, we prove pointwise exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates and their gradient. Our proof relies on the connection between these iterates and the evolution along the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations of value functions obtained from SOC -problems. Our approach is novel in that it is purely probabilistic and relies on coupling by reflection techniques for controlled diffusions on the torus.
We show non-asymptotic exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates to the Schrödinger potentials... more We show non-asymptotic exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates to the Schrödinger potentials, solutions of the quadratic Entropic Optimal Transport problem on R d . Our results hold under mild assumptions on the marginal inputs: in particular, we only assume that they admit an asymptotically positive log-concavity profile, covering as special cases log-concave distributions and bounded smooth perturbations of quadratic potentials. Up to the authors' knowledge, these are the first results which establish exponential convergence of Sinkhorn's algorithm in a general setting without assuming bounded cost functions or compactly supported marginals.
2017 IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, 2017
Environmental concerns and European policies push for more energy efficient buildings, towards th... more Environmental concerns and European policies push for more energy efficient buildings, towards the goal of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs), buildings with an high efficiency and for which the low amount of energy required for the fixed technical systems (TBS) is covered by energy from renewable sources produced on-site. Innovative technical solutions and social/economic schemes are key elements to this purpose. Results on the simulation of energy performance and control system behavior of a real case are analyzed. The paper shows that the sizing of the local photovoltaic system (PV) based on the yearly energy spent by the TBS allows to obtain the nZEB qualification but it doesn't determine an optimal power behavior. The solution proposed in this work is to arrange a microgrid with a unique point of connection to the grid that includes the local generation systems, the common electric heating system by source grounded heat pumps and the residential units of a part of the buildings. Sizing of on-site power generation from renewable sources, like PV, may be developed based on the energy demand. The microgrid is managed by a common building automation control system (BACS). Control strategies have been analyzed, in order to realize demand-side management (DSM) actions, combining the advantages of thermal inertia, flexible loads, energy pricing and local generation. The DSM strategy operating on the controllable loads and on the electric and thermal storage can reach a “near zero power behavior” so the building can become a “km zero energy building” (KZEB).
2017 IEEE/IAS 53rd Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Technical Conference (I&CPS), 2017
Buildings with mixed residential and commercial units show relevant power peak that re further en... more Buildings with mixed residential and commercial units show relevant power peak that re further enhanced by shifting to electric source of nowadays gas-driven systems. The proposed solution is to organize a microgrid for such kind of buildings, aggregating different users with a common electric distribution system with a unique connection to the grid, a local common generation and a common heating/cooling system (electric-driven). This approach upgrades a group of independent several small users with rigid loads and chaotic behavior, to a large user with a flexible and controlled profile. A central building automation control system (BACS) managing all built-in technical systems and smart appliances may control load minute by minute, shifting in time plannable and controllable ones merging different kinds of load, obtaining a flatter diagram. The authors consider the suggested approach convenient to realize demand side management (DSM) for residential/commercial buildings. DSM exploits the flexibility of smart appliances and the thermal inertia of the structure, by imposing local and central set-points of heating and cooling systems according to the actual global net load and generation at a given moment. In the present paper, main aspects of the proposed control system are presented and simulations for a given case study with local PV generation are provided. Results show that this approach may lead to power peak reduction up to 20% even in the unfavorable case of combining commercial and residential units. Moreover, full self-consumption of locally generated energy from RES may be achieved.
2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe), 2019
The technological innovation of systems in tunnels allows to reach high levels not only in energy... more The technological innovation of systems in tunnels allows to reach high levels not only in energy efficiency but also in safety, where the legislation requires safety measures based on systematic considerations of all aspects of the system (infrastructure, operations, users, vehicles).In many existent tunnels, some structural safety measures could be implemented only through technical solutions with a disproportionate cost because of difficulties due to old infrastructures, unfavorable orographic situation or tunnels in sequence in wich simultaneously road works could cause a paralysis of traffic with unbearable economic and social costs. Therefore, a new layout of the SCADA system, able to perform a Dynamic Risk Analysis (DRA), has been developed to achieve immediate and effective benefits through the implementation of operational measures in Smart Tunnels in which advanced systems and sensors are installed. DRA can be associated with Energy Management Analysis (EMA) in order to pe...
We introduce a class of chemical reaction networks for which all moments can be computed by finit... more We introduce a class of chemical reaction networks for which all moments can be computed by finite-dimensional linear differential equations. This class allows second and higher order reactions, subject to certain assumptions on structure and/or conservation laws.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of worldwide disability among mood disorders. Pathologic... more Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of worldwide disability among mood disorders. Pathological mechanisms are still vastly unclear, and current treatments with conventional medications are often unsatisfactory in maintaining symptoms control and an adequate quality of life. Consequently, current research is focusing on shedding new light on disease pathogenesis, to improve therapeutic effectiveness. Recent evidence has suggested a prominent role of inflammation in mood disorders. Elevated levels of peripheral proinflammatory mediators have been reported in BD, as well as in other mood disorders, and people with systemic autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of developing BD. These immunological alterations are stable, and current medications are unable to alter peripheral concentrations even when clinical improvement is evident. These findings have also been replicated in the central nervous system (CNS) milieu, whereas genetic studies have shown that these immune alterations are not due to the disorder itself, being detectable before the illness onset. Moreover, these inflammatory modifications seem to be affected by and linked to other biomarkers of the disorder, such as alterations of white matter (WM) microstructure, metabolism, kynurenine pathway, and circadian rhythmicity. Finally, these immune variations seem to be useful as predictors of therapeutic responsiveness to medications, and in discriminating between clinically different outcomes. The objective of this review is to summarize available evidence on the connection between inflammation and BD, focusing on peripheral inflammatory markers and recent findings on their connection with other typical features of BD, to outline a general overview of the disorder. Moreover, it is meant to analyze the issues with data gathering and interpretation, given the partially contradictory and inconsistent nature of results.
Users' load aggregation, control of smart appliances and exploitation of thermal inertia of build... more Users' load aggregation, control of smart appliances and exploitation of thermal inertia of buildings are among key elements to improve energy demand of buildings, towards the goals of near zero energy buildings. In this paper, we investigated a case study of an existing residential and commercial building with a microgrid and advanced technical and control systems. We have developed a model to simulate loads and the effects of control systems. The results show how increasing the extent of the microgrid and control strategies improves the load profile and energy consumption, also preserving the users' habits and comfort. Via these elements, the concept of near zero energy building can further advance towards a "near zero power building" or "zero-kilometer energy building".
The paper presents a feasible model of architecture for the technical building systems (TBS) part... more The paper presents a feasible model of architecture for the technical building systems (TBS) particularly suitable for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). The suggested model aggregates the users around an electric node, in order to reach up the threshold value of electric power and to get a more virtuous and flexible cumulative load profile. Present proposal is a full electric common smart micro grid with a single point of connection, with heating and domestic hot water generated by a centralized electric heat pump system. The renewable energy is provided by a photovoltaic field connected to the common grid. A Building Automation Control System operates those electric TBS modulating the global load for a building demand response (DR). The effectiveness of the proposed model consists in exploiting thermal inertia as an energy storage, by forcing both local and central set points of heating and air conditioning systems. The control is based on the integrated and common operation of all users and all systems of the building as one unique "large user". The integrated management of the grid is operated to control the whole electric demand exploiting the self consumption, avoiding peaks and maintaining a flat load profile. The suggested micro grid model allows concretely the possibility to realize a building DR with benefits for the end-users in a consumer view point. A study of the effect of these control opportunities on whole electric demand is done by simulation on a case study.
Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acut... more Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acute or subacute vision loss, often accompanied by retrobulbar discomfort or pain during eye movements. Typical ON is associated with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is generally mild and steroid-responsive. Atypical forms are characterized by unusual features, such as prominent optic disc edema, poor treatment response, and bilateral involvement, and they are often associated with autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) or Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG). However, in some cases, AQP4 and MOG antibodies will return as negative, plunging the clinician into a diagnostic conundrum. AQP4- and MOG-seronegative ON warrants a broad differential diagnosis, including autoantibody-associated, granulomatous, and systemic disorders. These rare forms need to be identified promptly, as their management and prognosis are greatly different. The aim of this review is to describe the possible rarer e...
Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acut... more Optic neuritis (ON) is the most common cause of vision loss in young adults. It manifests as acute or subacute vision loss, often accompanied by retrobulbar discomfort or pain on eye movements. Typical ON is associated with Multiple Sclerosis and is generally mild and steroid-responsive, whereas atypical forms are characterized by unusual features, such as optic disc edema, poor treatment response and bilateral involvement, and are often associated with autoantibodies against aquaporin-4 (AQP4) and Myelin Oligodendrocyte Glycoprotein (MOG). However, in rare cases AQP4 and MOG antibodies will come back negative, plunging the clinician in a diagnostic conundrum. Seronegative ON warrants a broad differential diagnosis, including autoantibody-associated, granulomatous, and systemic disorders. These rare forms need to be identified promptly, as their management and prognosis is greatly different. The scope of this review is to describe possible, rarer etiologies of ON when AQP4 and MOG a...
We investigate the kinetic Schrödinger problem, obtained considering Langevin dynamics instead of... more We investigate the kinetic Schrödinger problem, obtained considering Langevin dynamics instead of Brownian motion in Schrödinger's thought experiment. Under a quasilinearity assumption we establish exponential entropic turnpike estimates for the corresponding Schrödinger bridges and exponentially fast convergence of the entropic cost to the sum of the marginal entropies in the long-time regime, which provides as a corollary an entropic Talagrand inequality. In order to do so, we benefit from recent advances in the understanding of classical Schrödinger bridges and adaptations of Bakry-Émery formalism to the kinetic setting. Our quantitative results are complemented by basic structural results such as dual representation of the entropic cost and the existence of Schrödinger potentials.
Background and ObjectivesGlial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibodies can associate with an ... more Background and ObjectivesGlial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) antibodies can associate with an astrocytopathy often presenting as a meningoencephalitis. Visual involvement has been reported but scarcely defined. We describe 2 cases of GFAP astrocytopathy with predominant visual symptoms and present a systematic review of the literature.MethodsWe describe 2 patients with GFAP astrocytopathy from our neurology department. We performed a systematic review of the literature according to PRISMA guidelines, including all patients with this disease and available clinical data, focusing on visual involvement.ResultsPatient 1 presented with bilateral optic disc edema and severe sudden bilateral loss of vision poorly responsive to therapy. Patient 2 showed bilateral optic disc edema, headache, and mild visual loss with complete recovery after steroids. We screened 275 records and included 84 articles (62 case reports and 22 case series) for a total of 592 patients. Visual involvement was re...
The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related vaccines have raised several issues. Among them, the p... more The recent SARS-CoV-2 pandemic and related vaccines have raised several issues. Among them, the potential role of the viral infection (COVID-19) or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines as causal factors of dysimmune CNS disorders, as well as the safety and efficacy of vaccines in patients affected by such diseases and on immune-active treatments have been analyzed. The aim is to better understand the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 infection/vaccines with dysimmune CNS diseases by describing 12 cases of multiple sclerosis/myelitis onset or reactivation after exposure to SARS-CoV-2 infection/vaccines and reviewing all published case reports or case series in which MS onset or reactivation was temporally associated with either COVID-19 (8 case reports, 3 case series) or anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines (13 case reports, 6 case series). All the cases share a temporal association between viral/vaccine exposure and symptoms onset. This finding, together with direct or immune-based mechanisms described both ...
Computational optimal transport (OT) has recently emerged as a powerful framework with applicatio... more Computational optimal transport (OT) has recently emerged as a powerful framework with applications in various fields. In this paper we focus on a relaxation of the original OT problem, the entropic OT problem, which allows to implement efficient and practical algorithmic solutions, even in high dimensional settings. This formulation, also known as the Schrödinger Bridge problem, notably connects with Stochastic Optimal Control (SOC) and can be solved with the popular Sinkhorn algorithm. In the case of discrete-state spaces, this algorithm is known to have exponential convergence; however, achieving a similar rate of convergence in a more general setting is still an active area of research. In this work, we analyze the convergence of the Sinkhorn algorithm for probability measures defined on the d-dimensional torus T d L , that admit densities with respect to the Haar measure of T d L . In particular, we prove pointwise exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates and their gradient. Our proof relies on the connection between these iterates and the evolution along the Hamilton-Jacobi-Bellman equations of value functions obtained from SOC -problems. Our approach is novel in that it is purely probabilistic and relies on coupling by reflection techniques for controlled diffusions on the torus.
We show non-asymptotic exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates to the Schrödinger potentials... more We show non-asymptotic exponential convergence of Sinkhorn iterates to the Schrödinger potentials, solutions of the quadratic Entropic Optimal Transport problem on R d . Our results hold under mild assumptions on the marginal inputs: in particular, we only assume that they admit an asymptotically positive log-concavity profile, covering as special cases log-concave distributions and bounded smooth perturbations of quadratic potentials. Up to the authors' knowledge, these are the first results which establish exponential convergence of Sinkhorn's algorithm in a general setting without assuming bounded cost functions or compactly supported marginals.
2017 IEEE Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, 2017
Environmental concerns and European policies push for more energy efficient buildings, towards th... more Environmental concerns and European policies push for more energy efficient buildings, towards the goal of Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (nZEBs), buildings with an high efficiency and for which the low amount of energy required for the fixed technical systems (TBS) is covered by energy from renewable sources produced on-site. Innovative technical solutions and social/economic schemes are key elements to this purpose. Results on the simulation of energy performance and control system behavior of a real case are analyzed. The paper shows that the sizing of the local photovoltaic system (PV) based on the yearly energy spent by the TBS allows to obtain the nZEB qualification but it doesn't determine an optimal power behavior. The solution proposed in this work is to arrange a microgrid with a unique point of connection to the grid that includes the local generation systems, the common electric heating system by source grounded heat pumps and the residential units of a part of the buildings. Sizing of on-site power generation from renewable sources, like PV, may be developed based on the energy demand. The microgrid is managed by a common building automation control system (BACS). Control strategies have been analyzed, in order to realize demand-side management (DSM) actions, combining the advantages of thermal inertia, flexible loads, energy pricing and local generation. The DSM strategy operating on the controllable loads and on the electric and thermal storage can reach a “near zero power behavior” so the building can become a “km zero energy building” (KZEB).
2017 IEEE/IAS 53rd Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Technical Conference (I&CPS), 2017
Buildings with mixed residential and commercial units show relevant power peak that re further en... more Buildings with mixed residential and commercial units show relevant power peak that re further enhanced by shifting to electric source of nowadays gas-driven systems. The proposed solution is to organize a microgrid for such kind of buildings, aggregating different users with a common electric distribution system with a unique connection to the grid, a local common generation and a common heating/cooling system (electric-driven). This approach upgrades a group of independent several small users with rigid loads and chaotic behavior, to a large user with a flexible and controlled profile. A central building automation control system (BACS) managing all built-in technical systems and smart appliances may control load minute by minute, shifting in time plannable and controllable ones merging different kinds of load, obtaining a flatter diagram. The authors consider the suggested approach convenient to realize demand side management (DSM) for residential/commercial buildings. DSM exploits the flexibility of smart appliances and the thermal inertia of the structure, by imposing local and central set-points of heating and cooling systems according to the actual global net load and generation at a given moment. In the present paper, main aspects of the proposed control system are presented and simulations for a given case study with local PV generation are provided. Results show that this approach may lead to power peak reduction up to 20% even in the unfavorable case of combining commercial and residential units. Moreover, full self-consumption of locally generated energy from RES may be achieved.
2019 IEEE International Conference on Environment and Electrical Engineering and 2019 IEEE Industrial and Commercial Power Systems Europe (EEEIC / I&CPS Europe), 2019
The technological innovation of systems in tunnels allows to reach high levels not only in energy... more The technological innovation of systems in tunnels allows to reach high levels not only in energy efficiency but also in safety, where the legislation requires safety measures based on systematic considerations of all aspects of the system (infrastructure, operations, users, vehicles).In many existent tunnels, some structural safety measures could be implemented only through technical solutions with a disproportionate cost because of difficulties due to old infrastructures, unfavorable orographic situation or tunnels in sequence in wich simultaneously road works could cause a paralysis of traffic with unbearable economic and social costs. Therefore, a new layout of the SCADA system, able to perform a Dynamic Risk Analysis (DRA), has been developed to achieve immediate and effective benefits through the implementation of operational measures in Smart Tunnels in which advanced systems and sensors are installed. DRA can be associated with Energy Management Analysis (EMA) in order to pe...
We introduce a class of chemical reaction networks for which all moments can be computed by finit... more We introduce a class of chemical reaction networks for which all moments can be computed by finite-dimensional linear differential equations. This class allows second and higher order reactions, subject to certain assumptions on structure and/or conservation laws.
Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of worldwide disability among mood disorders. Pathologic... more Bipolar disorder (BD) is a leading cause of worldwide disability among mood disorders. Pathological mechanisms are still vastly unclear, and current treatments with conventional medications are often unsatisfactory in maintaining symptoms control and an adequate quality of life. Consequently, current research is focusing on shedding new light on disease pathogenesis, to improve therapeutic effectiveness. Recent evidence has suggested a prominent role of inflammation in mood disorders. Elevated levels of peripheral proinflammatory mediators have been reported in BD, as well as in other mood disorders, and people with systemic autoimmune diseases have an increased risk of developing BD. These immunological alterations are stable, and current medications are unable to alter peripheral concentrations even when clinical improvement is evident. These findings have also been replicated in the central nervous system (CNS) milieu, whereas genetic studies have shown that these immune alterations are not due to the disorder itself, being detectable before the illness onset. Moreover, these inflammatory modifications seem to be affected by and linked to other biomarkers of the disorder, such as alterations of white matter (WM) microstructure, metabolism, kynurenine pathway, and circadian rhythmicity. Finally, these immune variations seem to be useful as predictors of therapeutic responsiveness to medications, and in discriminating between clinically different outcomes. The objective of this review is to summarize available evidence on the connection between inflammation and BD, focusing on peripheral inflammatory markers and recent findings on their connection with other typical features of BD, to outline a general overview of the disorder. Moreover, it is meant to analyze the issues with data gathering and interpretation, given the partially contradictory and inconsistent nature of results.
Users' load aggregation, control of smart appliances and exploitation of thermal inertia of build... more Users' load aggregation, control of smart appliances and exploitation of thermal inertia of buildings are among key elements to improve energy demand of buildings, towards the goals of near zero energy buildings. In this paper, we investigated a case study of an existing residential and commercial building with a microgrid and advanced technical and control systems. We have developed a model to simulate loads and the effects of control systems. The results show how increasing the extent of the microgrid and control strategies improves the load profile and energy consumption, also preserving the users' habits and comfort. Via these elements, the concept of near zero energy building can further advance towards a "near zero power building" or "zero-kilometer energy building".
The paper presents a feasible model of architecture for the technical building systems (TBS) part... more The paper presents a feasible model of architecture for the technical building systems (TBS) particularly suitable for Nearly Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs). The suggested model aggregates the users around an electric node, in order to reach up the threshold value of electric power and to get a more virtuous and flexible cumulative load profile. Present proposal is a full electric common smart micro grid with a single point of connection, with heating and domestic hot water generated by a centralized electric heat pump system. The renewable energy is provided by a photovoltaic field connected to the common grid. A Building Automation Control System operates those electric TBS modulating the global load for a building demand response (DR). The effectiveness of the proposed model consists in exploiting thermal inertia as an energy storage, by forcing both local and central set points of heating and air conditioning systems. The control is based on the integrated and common operation of all users and all systems of the building as one unique "large user". The integrated management of the grid is operated to control the whole electric demand exploiting the self consumption, avoiding peaks and maintaining a flat load profile. The suggested micro grid model allows concretely the possibility to realize a building DR with benefits for the end-users in a consumer view point. A study of the effect of these control opportunities on whole electric demand is done by simulation on a case study.
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Papers by Giacomo Greco