The road to the diffusion of the Smart Grids: theoretical development and experimental management of a Smart User power plant

The Ph.D. thesis describes the research activity standing beside the development of a Smart User plant, a small scale activity which at the same time produces and uses different forms of energy. Both the production (fossil and renewable) and consuption are managed by means of a purposefully developed algorithm, constituting the core of the research work, which has the main purpose of minimize the energy supply costs and the CO2 emissions, and at the same time ensure to the external power grid a prescribed exchange profile anytime, avoiding the most relevant issue limiting the diffusion of the RESs in the power grid. The research also work carried out to the realization of the demonstrator within a small mechanical factory, giving good results during the 5-month experimental activity, allowing at the same time to decrease the energy costs and the corbon dioxide emissions.