Smart gas grids
Self-regulating grids
Active systems that integrate different types of energy and make decisions autonomously to optimise energy distribution. Smart Grids are an ambitious project thanks to which, in the very near future, energy will be distributed through networks capable of instantly managing and regulating multiple, discontinuous, and bidirectional flows.
Focus
Smart Grids can greatly contribute to achieving the European objectives of the Green Deal. Smart Grids implementation allows to optimise flows, transforming the final consumer in producer of energy, and maximise the safety and eliminating leakage and waste.
Distributing natural gas through sustainable, smart grids means designing systems which feature flexibility in managing flows, the ability to maintain balance within decentralised grids with bidirectional flows and resilience of the systems themselves.
Pietro Fiorentini’s systemic approach aims to pursue simple connections that interact with each other to create resilient systems. The achievement of the maximum level of Smart Gas Grids implementation is to achieve full integration between gas distribution networks.
Expertise areas
Hydrogen
Hydrogen combustion does not release carbon dioxide, but rather steam, and it is easier to transport and store than electricity. This makes hydrogen the ideal ally for renewable energy production.
Today, hydrogen can only be injected into the pipeline network and blended with natural gas up to certain percentages: we are commited to creating systems and devices that can overcome this limit.
Biomethane
Unlike other renewables, biomethane requires limited investment in terms of infrastructure. Moreover, regarding emissions, it is considered to be neutral as it is produced via the digestion of biomass from by-products, industrial processing waste and organic material.
Specific incentives promoted at the European level are making its use economically sustainable, and as a result production and use of this source are being strongly encouraged.
Power-to-gas
Managing ‘green electrons’ over time and space is important to obtain as much energy as possible when renewable sources such as the sun and the wind are available.
Power-to-gas, a technology that transforms surplus electricity into gas molecules that can be transported over long distances at low cost and can offer the possibility to seasonally store renewable energy, is the answer.
Cathodic protection
When iron and steel come into contact with an electrolyte, such as soil, a phenomenon called electrolytic corrosion occurs in any infrastructure made of metal.
Electrolytic corrosion cannot be completely eliminated, but specific measures can be taken in the design and construction phases to significantly reduce its effects.
Water
Water is a primary resource, a fundamental need for life. Good water governance is a strategic responsibility from every point of view: institutional, environmental, economic.
The goal is to move towards process automation through the digitalisation of water networks, thus achieving a better optimisation of resources, investments, and data management, with a business advantage for companies but also a social advantage for the communities.
Surface protection
Surface treatment is a critical step in preserving the integrity and longevity of structures and equipment, especially when they are exposed to various environmental conditions.
