ELECTRICAL POWER SYSTEMS

Stationary electric power systems

• Operation and regulation of liberalized electric systems. Analysis and simulation of energy markets and ancillary service markets, tariffs, regulatory aspects, demand aggregation, and energy public procurement
• Reliability of large electric systems. Simulation of large interconnected systems, probabilistic approaches to reliability assessment, decision support for Transmission System Operators (TSO), emergency management and black start plans, resilience, Net Transfer Capability (NTC), optimal sizing of operating reserves, advanced dispatching, and the impact of non-programmable generation resources and electric vehicle charging on grid reliability.
• Electric power transmission. Dynamic Thermal Rating (DTR), active shielding of power lines, visual and electromagnetic impacts, HVDC systems, and DC grids.
• Large thermal power plants. Modelling and simulation activities for dynamic performance enhancement studies, expansion of operational capability limits, participation in system restoration after blackouts, and plant flexibility enhancements.
• Smart grids and distributed generation. Optimisation of large-scale electric and thermal virtual power plants, optimal sizing and operation of Renewable Energy Communities, optimal management of storage systems coupled with renewables, conventional, and load generation, power quality, compensation equipment for unbalanced generation and load systems, demand response, Energy Management Systems (EMS), Power Management Systems (PMS), modelling and testing of external combustion cogeneration systems fuelled by gas and biomass, and implementation/validation of control schemes on real industrial-scale plants.
• Rural electrification in developing countries. Optimal sizing and operation criteria for hybrid mini-grids, medium- and long-term electrification planning, technical and socio-economic identification of load diagrams and their evolution over time.

• Smart yards. Analysis and design of hybrid power systems for construction sites, intelligent management, and enhanced safety systems.

   

Energy storage systems

• Electrical and hybrid energy storage systems. Modelling and simulation of batteries, supercapacitors, compressed and liquid air storage, power-to-gas.
• Sizing and management. Sizing and management optimization of storage systems integrated into stationary and mobile systems using deterministic and probabilistic criteria.

• Laboratory activities. Performance and aging tests of batteries and supercapacitors.

   

Mobile electric power systems

• Electric and hybrid vehicles. Modelling, simulation, and design of electric and hybrid vehicles: innovative hybrid powertrain concepts, object-oriented modelling and simulation, optimization of energy management logic, optimal component sizing, prototype development and testing, with extensive field experience in urban buses and hybrid construction machinery.
• Electrified urban transport. Modelling, simulation, sizing, and criteria for stationary and onboard storage systems, experimental measurement campaigns on tramways, cable cars, funiculars, and demand response applications.

Simulation systems

• The electric power system research group collaborates with the Modelica association and the Open Source Modelica Consortium (OSMC) to refine and develop multi-physics, object-oriented, and cyber-physical simulation systems based on the Modelica language.
• It has also developed of specific libraries for simulating powertrains of electric and hybrid vehicles and simulators for analysing the operation of guided electric transport systems.

Cooperation

Electric power systems related research activities involved in recent years involved cooperation with:

• Companies.  Enel Ricerca, Enel Produzione, Enel Green Power, Enel Distribuzione, TERNA, ENEA, CESI/RSE, ABB, Siemens, General Electric, Toyota Handling, Newton, Pramac.
• Institutions, AEEGSI (later ARERA), Tuscany Region, Port Authority of Livorno, Corsica OTC, CCI Var.
• Universities. Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Universities of Groningen, Zaragoza, and Nottingham.
• Consortia and Initiatives. ENSIEL (a consortium of 25 Italian universities in the field of electric power systems and electrical machines, drives, and converters), Res4MED/Africa, Consorzio Energia Toscana (procurement of electricity and gas for around 50% of the Tuscan public energy sector).

Funding Sources

Research is funded through institutional funds, contracts with Italian and international private companies, and competitive projects at European (7th and 8th FP, Horizon 2020), INTERREG, Italian (MiUR, MiSE, MATTM), and regional (POR, FAR FAS) levels.