Eco-profiles of innovative energy systems for domestic and residential applications

The exponential growth of distributed generation systems (mainly from solar energy through the use of photovoltaic) and the new release on energy markets of new generation technologies, with smaller dimension, are pushing towards rethinking energy systems. "Smart buildings" with the capacity to produce, store and manage flow of information's and energy will become the milestone of the future distribution networks (smart buildings to smart grid). The goal of this study is to evaluate the ecoprofile of 1 kWh of electricity, selected as a functional unit, generated by microcogenerator fuel cells as SOFC. The analysis was performed using the Life Cycle Assessment methodology, which allows to compare different products and services with the same function and to identify the most significant impacts to focus on, in order to improve the energy and environmental performance of products / services examined. The study was conducted examining the entire life cycle of the analyzed devices, from cradle to grave, considering their operation phase through the definition of the potential expressed by the technology.