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-Companies get smart with new technologies and renewable energy sources-

On April 9, 2013, Italy-based Yanmar R&D Europe S.R.L., in collaboration with Enel SpA Engineering and Research, Pontlab S.R.L., SDI Industrial Automation SpA and the University of Florence inaugurated a "Smart User Experimental Plant" at the Piaggio Museum Auditorium, Pontedera, Italy.

This innovative project coordinated and promoted by Yanmar R&D Europe is the realization of a primary objective of its research which focuses on renewable energy and Smart Grids for power distribution.

The system developed at Pontlab, Pontedera comprises a trigeneration plant with renewable and conventional sources. Its purpose is to manage in a "smart way" the energy flows inside the company using both hardware and software applications, and to interface with the external power grid in an "active" way. From an end user perspective, the objective is to obtain economic benefits by reducing energy costs and increasing efficiency, while for the industry, it represents a step towards the future spread of Smart Grids.

A key role in the project has been played by Enel Research Center of Pisa, which is actively promoting integration of the "Smart User" into electrical systems. Enel has been active in the smart management of distributed energy resources at all levels, from end users to industrial and service industry fields. Energy storage systems are, in particular, key technologies for the development and the spread of Smart Grids.

Yanmar R&D Europe, whose establishment in Florence in 2011 was made possible thanks to the cooperation of Tuscany Region authorities, Invitalia, Toscana Promozione and ICE, is Yanmar's first research and development center in Europe.

The Center contributes to local research through a network of synergistic collaborations with universities and companies. Research conducted here is focused on the study of next generation machinery, industrial design and renewable energy. By providing a plant structure designed specifically for the Center's purposes, Pontlab, a high-technology-oriented company, turned out to be the ideal site for testing of the "Smart User" system. In addition, Yanmar R&D Europe took advantage of the know-how of SDI, a company with a long experience in advanced control of industrial plants, which helped to implement the hardware and software parts of the "intelligent" management system.

The inauguration ceremony was attended by representatives of local institutions, Mrs. Stella Targetti (Vice President of Tuscany Region), Mr. Simone Millozzi (the Mayor of Pontedera), Eng. Masut (the President of Pontlab), Mr. Giuseppe Arcucci (the Director of Invitalia Investments Attractions Department), Mr. Hiroshi Kanda (Yanmar Executive Managing Director), and Mr. Shuji Shiozaki (President of Yanmar R&D Europe) along with the parties in charge of the project: Eng. Bellissima (Yanmar R&D Europe), Eng. Pentolini (SDI), Eng. Gigliucci (Enel Ingegneria e Ricerca), Prof. Ferrara (University of Florence) and Eng. Gamanets (Pontlab).

This was followed by a meeting with the press and a party for guests, as well as a visit to Pontlab.

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