Solarinvent was born in 2014 as an innovative start-up, created from the passion and the impulse of Pietro Finocchiaro, at that time researcher involved in studying innovative solutions for air conditioning, at “Dipartimento di Ricerche Energetiche ed Ambientali” of University of Palermo.
Since he was an engineering student, he has been fashinated by the idea of using the heat to cool the air, and during the lessons of Thermotechnics he started to reflect about new possibilities in air handling processes. An idea he would then dedicate body and soul to, by conducting theoretical studies, research and laboratory tests, encountering successes and failures, but always supported by enthusiasm and the wish to achieve the best result.
The research’s activities of Solarinvent were aimed to go beyond the state of the art of solar cooling technologies, especially for what concernes the low market competitiveness and the technological limits. Thanks to this researches, we were able to reach an important increase of performances and a less complexity of the system, all in advantage of costs reduction and higher feasibility in different applications.
After several researches, building of prototypes, installation of pilot plants, Solarinvent has completed today the developement of freescoo technology, and can offer competence, know-how and intellectual property about components and systems in the technological branch of air cooling, air treatment, heat recovery and food drying.
In synergy with various suppliers and industrial partners, Solarinvent provides customized solutions for air conditioning that integrate freescoo technology.
Thanks to various research projects carried out, Solarinvent established important scientific collaboration and relationships with various research institutes at national and international level, such as ENEA, Politecnico di Milano, Università di Palermo, CNR-ITAE in Messina, Fraunhofer ISE in Freiburg, Innsbruck University, the Cyprus Institute and others.
The Company is also currently member of the new TASK 65 IEA named “Solar Cooling for the Sunbelt Regions” with the aim of studying and spreading innovative and reliable solutions for Solar Cooling in the hottest and sunniest regions of the planet.
Recent research projects
- Research project between ENEA and University of Palermo financed by MSE – Electricity system research on the energy efficiency for the small islands
- MEREZZATE + Project in collaboration with the Politecnico di Milano for the installation and monitoring of some freescoo units in new buildings served by the district heating network of A2A
- Progetto ZERO-PLUS “Achieving near Zero and Positive Energy Settlements in Europe using Advanced Energy Technology” Innovation action – H2020-EE-2015-1-PPP started in October 2015
- Project freescoo system for AMEE – L’Agence Marocaine pour l’Efficacité Energétique. As part of an international cooperation agreement between AMEE and the IMELS (Ministero dell’Ambiente della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare), a fresh air handling unit was installed at the AMEE library (formerly ADEREE) in Marrakech in October 2016. The project has been managed by the Dipartimento Energia del Politecnico di Milano and was carried out in collaboration with the Pleion company.
Publications
- W. Pan, K. Iturralde, T. Bock, R. Garay Martinez, O. Macias Juez, P. Finocchiaro A Conceptual Design of an Integrated Façade System to Reduce Embodied Energy in Residential Buildings Sustainability 2020, 12, 5730; doi:10.3390/su12145730
- M. Beccali, R. Scoccia, P. Finocchiaro, E. Zanetti, M. Motta FREESCOO facade 3.0, a compact DEC thermally driven air-conditioning system for apartments SHC 2019 Santiago, Chile
- M. Beccali, P. Finocchiaro, B. Di Pietra, M. Motta Monitoring and energy performance assessment of the compact DEC HVAC system “freescoo facade” in Lampedusa (Italy) ISES_EuroSun 2018
- M. Beccali, P. Finocchiaro, V. Gentile, M. Muscherà, M. Motta Monitoring and energy performance assessment of an advanced DEC HVAC system in Morocco SHC 2017 ABU DHABI, UAE
- R. Scoccia, P. Finocchiaro, M. Motta, L. Mazzarella Analisi di un sistema di climatizzazione ad adsorbimento compatto collegato a una rete di teleriscaldamento di 4° generazione Convegno AICARR Il raffrescamento da fonti rinnovabili: tra utopia e realta’ – Cagliari 2019
- P. Finocchiaro, M. Beccali, V. Gentile “Experimental results on adsorption beds for air dehumidification” International Journal of Refrigeration 63 (2016) 100–112, http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0140700715003175
- P. Finocchiaro, et al., Life Cycle Assessment of a compact Desiccant Evaporative Cooling system: The case study of the “Freescoo”, Solar Energy Materials and Solar Cells (2016), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.solmat.2016.03.026i
- P. Finocchiaro, M. Beccali, V. Lo Brano, V. Gentile“ Monitoring results and energy performances evaluation of freescoo solar DEC systems” SHC 2015, International Conference on Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry online su https://www.shc2015.org/proceedings.html
- P. Finocchiaro, M. Beccali, A. Calabrese, E. Moreci“ Second generation of freescoo Solar DEC prototypes for residential applications” proceeding della conferenza internazionale su Solar Heating and Cooling for Buildings and Industry, SHC 2014 http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1876610215002660.
- M. Beccali, P. Finocchiaro, V. Lo Brano, E. Moreci – “Prototipo di condizionatore d’aria compatto Solar DEC, Sistema freescoo residential: test funzionali” Report RdS/PAR2014/161 scaricabile da www.enea.it/it/Ricerca_sviluppo/documenti/…/rds-par2013-161.pdf
