Electrical energy network efficiencies evaluation as milestones for smart grids development: Italy's case study

Abstract

The migration through smart grids (SGs) has generated a growing interest in power generation systems around the world. However, the generation of electric power from different energy sources is a process whose efficiency is not always fully considered. The gross electricity production in Italy by 2015 depended 67% (192 TWh) on thermoelectric plants (non-renewable resources), while alternative energy sources such as wind power, hydroelectric, geothermal, biomass and photovoltaic added a gross production of almost 91 TWh, with a domestic production able to cover almost 86% of gross consumption. Beyond profitability, the energy analysis of the electrical Italian system allows us to evaluate the rational use of non-renewable resources and to calculate the overall efficiency of the system simplifying the model to three key factors: efficiency of generation, of production (utilities) and of grid (transmission and distribution). The product of these three factors represents the overall efficiency of the system, which results in values of 0.563, 0.189 and 0.312 for gas, solid fuels and oil, respectively, which are the three non-renewable resources most used in Italy to produce electricity.