The Chair aims at contributing to the shift toward more sustainable and equitable energy systems, able to meet the need of global development. Indeed teaching and research activities are oriented to transfer the achievements to the industrial framework and the social community.
Strategies are defined for improving energy access and for the impact evaluation of energy project and systems in order to meet the demanding constrains of economic, environmental and social sustainability.

 

The Chair is also involved in lab activities which aim at designing and evaluating the performances of Improved Cook Stoves (ICSs) technology. Currently the Chair owns a dozen stoves: fuelwood stoves, charcoal stoves, micro-gasifiers and TEG-coupled stoves. Testing activities are performed through the Portable Emissions Monitoring System (PEMS) facility, developed and certified by Aprovecho Research Center. The Chair is the only research group in Europe to own the PEMS facility. The laboratory work is mainly focusing on:

−         Researching more reliable and alternative methodologies and protocols for testing ICSs;

−         Developing appropriate designs of ICSs for developing countries;

−         Testing ICSs;

−         Coupling the stoves with affordable TEG systems.

 

 

Main research lines

Sustainable Strategies planning for improving access to energy

• Needs-Resource match: need assessment and resources analysis
• Demand side planning in relation to the local framework
• Multi-criteria, multi-objective and multi-stakeholders evaluation for selection of strategies in DCs
• Appropriate  technologies  and  their  integration  in  small  scale  grid  based  on renewable sources

Monitoring & Evaluation of the impact for energy project and systems

• Result Chain Evaluation for the project (OCSE DAC): from input to outcome
• Evaluation  of  the  Impact  over  the  capitals  (environmental,  physical,  financial, human and social) of the local context
• Definition and implementation of a Performance Measurement System (PMS) for Cooperation Project in the Energy field

Doctorate

• Optimization of energy systems in rural areas: distributed generation for rural electrification (Italian PhD student)
• Energy  technologies  for  efficient  cooking  in  DCs:  Improved  Cook  Stoves,  domestic  and community biogas systems (PhD student from Cameroon)
• Rural  Electrification:  smart  mini  grids  development  and  optimization  (PhD  student  from Tanzania)

Publications

A list of publications is available here.

 

Work theses on the field

• Stand-alone photovoltaic systems in Uganda
  Claudio Brivio
  Narrative report
• Solar cookers and improved stoves in Burundi
  Fabio Riva
  Narrative report
• Solar water pumping systems in Isiolo, Kenya
  Elsa Puccini
  Narrative report
• Capacity building and engineering education in Kenya
  Federica Borriello and Silvia Chindemi
  Narrative report
• Impact evaluation of "Programma Energia" in Tanzania
  Marco Ceci and Barbara Franceschini
  Narrative report
• Bio-digesters in the context of Cameroon
  Leonardo Iacono and Federico Sormani
  Narrative report
• Energising Bafut - a prefeasibility study in Cameroon
  Gloria Sala and Malama Pagkrati
  Narrative report
• Experimental approach to assess the ICSs
  Francesco Acerbi and Daniele Greco
  Narrative report