The EnSiEL Research Section of Calabria is hosted within the Department of Mechanical, Energy and Management Engineering (DIMEG) of the University of Calabria (UNICAL). The Section is made up of University Professors and Researchers belonging to the Scientific Disciplinary Sector of Electrical Systems for Energy (ING-IND/33), who are also part of the University Group of Electrical Systems for Energy (GUSEE).
The members of the Section carry out research and teaching activities in the fields of production, transport, distribution, use, distributed generation and renewable sources, market and quality of electricity.
In particular, attention is paid to activities relating to:
- Plants Powered by Renewable Energy Sources (PPRESs);
- Distributed Generation, SmartGrid, microGrid, nanoGrid;
- concentrated and distributed storage systems (conventional and non-conventional);
- to the management models of aggregate systems within the electricity market;
- to electric mobility and the use of electric vehicles as storage systems supported by the V2G network and Vehicle to Home (V2H) and Home to Vehicle (H2V);
- development of control logic for power electronic systems capable of providing network services such as synthetic inertia, fast reserve, load leveling and peak shaving;
- particular attention is paid to Off-grid situations in isolated rural areas and/or in case of applications resulting from natural disasters.
The aforementioned research activities translate into participation in industrial research and experimental development projects financed by the European H2020 program and national (PON) and regional (POR) competitive calls.
The Section also deals with the development and implementation of enabling technologies for Smart Grids:
- Smart Meters for real-time management of generation, storage and consumption systems and for the implementation and application of models and algorithms for Demand Response in the SmartGrid context;
- power electronic converters to interfacing the PPRES with the grid, of storage systems or PPRESs equipped with storage, designed to operate in aggregate form in order to be able to govern power flows in the grids and peer to peer power exchanges between them;
- micro-cogeneration systems based on the use of linear synchronous generators driven by free piston Stirling engines;
- nanoGrid for Home Application intended for the creation of hybrid home power systems capable of integrating all-in-one photovoltaic generators, wind microgenerators, electrochemical storage systems, special converters for V2H & H2V applications suitable for both off-grid and grid-connected applications;
- Hybrid conversion systems for interfacing storage systems and renewable sources with the electricity grid with both grid-following and grid-forming control to provide synthetic inertia, fast reserve, load leveling and peak shaving services;
- control systems and converters for nanoGrids to be used for creation of mini-Grids or the creation of micro-grids;
- Energy Management System (EMS) for the management and control (through the use of nanoGrid) of power flows in distribution grids within “energy communities” and the exchange of energy between Consumer, Prosumer, Consumager, Prosumager of the same “energy community” (aggregate systems);
- models and algorithms for managing aggregators;
- systems and equipment for Home Automation for Energy, Demand Response, and Demand Side Management.
The Section is responsible for the LAboratory of Electrical Systems for Energy and Renewable sources (LASEER). The Laboratory offers numerous services such as: consultancy and support to operators dealing with the distribution and transmission of electricity (DSO & TSO), to regulatory and standardization authorities in the field of electricity, to research institutions, to small and medium-sized companies, large companies and public administrations.