From smart grids to sustainable energy microsystems

The paper deals with an adaptive architecture for the integration of energy sub-systems currently independent, such as high efficiency buildings, sustainable mobility systems, dispersed generation from renewables and Combined Heat and Power units. The objective is to organize a Sustainable Energy Microsystem with a smart interaction of the energetic fluxes to pursue the goals of promoting: distributed generation systems; cogeneration for residential, tertiary and commercial buildings; a sustainable and energy efficient mobility based on the use of metro-transit and electric vehicles; the rational use of electricity by actions aimed at limiting energy expenditure and at developing near-zero energy buildings. The authors start from an overview on the energy fluxes related to the single sub-systems, pointing at difficulties for their integration, in technical and regulatory fields. The innovative idea is to move beyond the current concept of Smart Grids, proposing a new architecture whose main advantages are explained. © 2011 IEEE