Residual Energy for Distribution system Sustainability (REDS)
The project idea concerns the optimization and rehabilitation of water distribution networks. For the topics addressed, the results obtained may have interesting implications in other areas such as water distribution in agricultural, industrial, and gas distribution contexts.
Civil, agricultural, and industrial distribution networks use regulation devices, such as valves or simply resistors (restrictions), to optimize pressure conditions and ensure better service to users. Regulation elements introduce a concentrated energy loss into the system. The project aims to recover part of the energy that must be dissipated for network management in order to power devices capable of: improving the process, enhancing service, introducing new network management strategies through digitization and real-time and remote-sensing functions.
The functions introduced, thanks to the reuse of residual energy, can ensure not only a more effective service and CO2 savings but also better leakage detection and intervention management. The project’s objectives and environmental implications are in full agreement with the Sustainable Development Goals, particularly (6, 13), and with the intervention lines of the European Commission, specifically TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL6-2022-ZEROPOLLUTION-01-04 and TOPIC ID: HORIZON-CL5-2021-D3-03-11.
Funding
MUSA – Multilayered Urban Sustainability Action – project, funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) Mission 4 Component 2 Investment Line 1.5: Strenghtening of research structures and creation of R&D “innovation ecosystems”, set up of “territorial leaders in R&D” .
Publications
E. Batzella, G. Ferrarese and S. Malavasi, 2024, “Sensor placement for leaks detection using continuous monitoring strategy”, WDSA-CCWI Joint Conference, Ferrara 4-7 July 2024
G. Ferrarese, D. Medoukali, D. Mirauda, S. Malavasi, 2024 “Review of metaheuristic methodologies for sustainability, leakage reduction and energy saving in water distribution networks”, Water Resources Management.