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Competencies and research activities
LabZERO is a multidisciplinary laboratory located at Politecnico di Bari and ENEA Brindisi. The mission of LabZERO is to enable strategic cooperation with enterprises and promote multidisciplinary research for the development of innovative technologies in the areas of energy efficiency and renewable energy sources in both urban and industrial sectors.
Research and experimentation activities in LabZERO make use of simulation tools and technologically advanced equipment, in order to reduce the risks of applied research and support product innovation in the path “from concept to market”. The laboratory provides innovative solutions for fast prototyping, for the certification of materials and the development of complex systems, in the fields of energy efficiency, energy conservation, sustainable manufacture, smart grids and smart cities.
LabZERO activities are based on the coordinated work of four research units: three units at the Politecnico di Bari (DEI, DMMM, DICAR), and one at the ENEA Research Center in Brindisi. It is part of the Apulian applied research system and aims to the integration with other R&D networks and industrial clusters. A main strength of the LabZERO is the collaboration with entities of different nature. In fact, LabZERO works in close cooperation with about thirty stakeholders such as industrial developers, public territorial bodies, public administrations and Municipalities, and relevant research actors.
The main research activities of LabZERO concern: fast prototyping of electro-mechanical equipments and devices for smart city and home automation; Hardware-In-the-Loop (HIL) and Power-Hardware-in-the-Loop (PHIL) applications; experimentation and prototyping of smart grids; medium and low voltage distribution automation; advanced protection systems; EVs Smart Charging Station and V2G; design and test of small wind turbines; sustainable manufacturing with cryo-testing and recycling; high performance building material characterization; non-destructive tests for the mechanical characterization of materials and structures; smart materials and devices for the thermoelectric generation from waste heat or solar energy; solar heating & cooling.
Main available pieces of equipment are: real time digital simulator (RTDS), Battery Energy Storage System, an innovative open wind tunnel, small-sized experimental combined-cycle plant, cryogenic testing device, gas picnometer and gas sorption analyzer, laser-ultrasonic test bench.
The laboratory has been involved in different research projects:
• an industrial cluster of nine companies (one large enterprise, seven SMEs and one startup) for designing and prototyping a home management system, or energy router, and cloud control tools for smart grids in residential and tertiary applications;
• a feasibility study for the integration and optimization of energy and material resources to increase efficiency and competitiveness and develop a smart industrial energy district in the industrial area of Brindisi;
• smart grids applications on power distribution systems (with the AMET-Trani electrical distribution company).
• smart gas distribution grid software applications developed for the natural gas distributor in the city of Bari, AMGAS SpA.
Collaborations with companies and institutions
AMET Trani, AMGAS spa Bari, Blue H R&D SRL, CIAB, CNA Bari, Comune di Bari, Comune di Bitetto, Comune di Capurso, Comune di Cellamare, Comune di Margherita di Savoia, Comune di Polignano a Mare, CONFAPI, Costellazione Apulia, Confindustria Puglia, Dyrecta Lab srl, EV Charging, I-Com, Indice7, Mediterranean Design Network srl, Nomisma Energia, Provincia di Bari, Provincia di Taranto, ReEnergy Projects 1 srl, RSE, STC srl, Tera srl, UPI Puglia, Fincons S.p.A., ALI6 s.r.l., EMI s.r.l., Garofoli s.p.a., GEM ICT – Research & development s.r.l., Ginex Gaetano, SIC Divisione Elettronica s.r.l., Comune di Palo del Colle (BA), Confindustria Brindisi.