• Energy Research
• 11. Sustainability close
• PT close
• AO close

La quête de décarbonisation et de décentralisation du réseau électrique actuel a permis une forte pénétration des ressources énergétiques distribuées en bordure du réseau de distribution. La diversité, la complexité et le nombre croissant de ces ressources énergétiques posent actuellement un défi à leur gestion. Cela a entraîné l'émergence de divers écosystèmes énergétiques qui utilisent diverses stratégies et initiatives organisationnelles communautaires comme formes de techniques de gestion. Il existe également des modèles commerciaux et des structures de gouvernance correspondants qui sont innovants et technologiquement perturbateurs pour les opérations du réseau actuel. Une analyse de cinq cas représentatifs de ces communautés d'énergie renouvelable est réalisée en utilisant des projets réels comme études de cas. Les domaines d'intervention pris en compte dans cette étude comprenaient les structures organisationnelles et de gouvernance, les rôles et la relation entre les principales parties prenantes/propriétaires, la façon dont ces écosystèmes interagissent avec le réseau électrique et le rôle des collaborations. Les résultats de l'étude ont révélé que chaque catégorie d'écosystème a des structures organisationnelles et de gouvernance similaires, bien qu'elles puissent être constituées différemment. En termes de propriété, il a été constaté que les coopératives énergétiques, les municipalités et les communautés possédaient une plus grande part de ces ressources énergétiques. En outre, il a été constaté que la plupart de ces écosystèmes interagissaient avec le réseau en fournissant de l'énergie excédentaire de la communauté au réseau électrique, tandis que d'autres fonctionnent de manière isolée du réseau. À l'exception d'un cas, tous les autres ont montré des éléments de collaboration comme faisant partie intégrante de leur mode de fonctionnement. La búsqueda de descarbonizar y descentralizar la red eléctrica actual ha permitido una alta penetración de los Recursos de Energía Distribuida en el borde de la red de distribución. La diversidad, complejidad y número creciente de estos recursos energéticos suponen actualmente un reto para su gestión. Esto ha dado lugar a la aparición de diversos ecosistemas energéticos que utilizan diversas estrategias e iniciativas organizativas basadas en la comunidad como formas de técnicas de gestión. También hay modelos de negocio y estructuras de gobierno correspondientes que son innovadores y tecnológicamente disruptivos para las operaciones de la red actual. Se realiza un análisis de cinco casos representativos de estas Comunidades de Energías Renovables utilizando proyectos de la vida real como casos de estudio. Las áreas de enfoque consideradas en este estudio incluyeron estructuras organizativas y de gobernanza, roles y la relación entre las partes interesadas/propietarios clave, cómo estos ecosistemas interactúan con la red eléctrica y el papel de las colaboraciones. El resultado del estudio reveló que cada categoría de ecosistema tiene estructuras organizativas y de gobernanza similares, aunque pueden estar constituidas de manera diferente. En términos de propiedad, se encontró que las cooperativas de energía, los municipios y las comunidades poseen una mayor parte de estos recursos energéticos. Además, se descubrió que la mayoría de estos ecosistemas interactúan con la red al suministrar el exceso de energía de la comunidad a la red eléctrica, mientras que otros operan aislados de la red. Aparte de un caso, todos los demás mostraron elementos de colaboración como un componente integral de su modo de operación. The quest to decarbonize and decentralize the current power grid has enabled high penetration of Distributed Energy Resources at the edge of the distribution network. The diversity, complexity and growing numbers of these energy resources currently pose a challenge to managing them. This has resulted in the emergence of various energy ecosystems which use diverse community-based organizational strategies and initiatives as forms of management techniques. There are also corresponding business models and governance structures that are innovative and technologically disruptive to the operations of the current grid. An analysis of five representative cases of these Renewable Energy Communities is performed using real-life projects as case studies. The focus areas considered in this study included organizational and governance structures, roles, and the relationship between key stakeholders/owners, how these ecosystems interact with the power grid, and the role of collaborations. The outcome of the study revealed that each category of ecosystem has similar organizational and governance structures although they may differently be constituted. In terms of ownership, energy cooperative, municipalities, and communities were found to own a greater share of these energy resources. Furthermore, most of these ecosystems were found to interact with the grid by supplying excess energy from the community to the power grid whilst others operate in isolation from the grid. Apart from one case, all the others showed elements of collaborations as an integral component of their mode of operations. وقد مكن السعي إلى إزالة الكربون واللامركزية من شبكة الطاقة الحالية من الاختراق العالي لموارد الطاقة الموزعة على حافة شبكة التوزيع. يشكل تنوع موارد الطاقة هذه وتعقيدها وأعدادها المتزايدة حاليًا تحديًا لإدارتها. وقد أدى ذلك إلى ظهور مختلف النظم الإيكولوجية للطاقة التي تستخدم استراتيجيات ومبادرات تنظيمية مجتمعية متنوعة كأشكال لتقنيات الإدارة. هناك أيضًا نماذج أعمال وهياكل حوكمة مقابلة مبتكرة ومدمرة تقنيًا لعمليات الشبكة الحالية. يتم إجراء تحليل لخمس حالات تمثيلية لمجتمعات الطاقة المتجددة هذه باستخدام مشاريع واقعية كدراسات حالة. وشملت مجالات التركيز التي تم النظر فيها في هذه الدراسة الهياكل التنظيمية والحوكمة، والأدوار، والعلاقة بين أصحاب المصلحة/المالكين الرئيسيين، وكيفية تفاعل هذه النظم الإيكولوجية مع شبكة الطاقة، ودور التعاون. كشفت نتائج الدراسة أن كل فئة من فئات النظام الإيكولوجي لها هياكل تنظيمية وحوكمة متشابهة على الرغم من أنه قد يتم تشكيلها بشكل مختلف. من حيث الملكية، وجد أن تعاونيات الطاقة والبلديات والمجتمعات تمتلك حصة أكبر من موارد الطاقة هذه. علاوة على ذلك، وجد أن معظم هذه النظم الإيكولوجية تتفاعل مع الشبكة من خلال توفير الطاقة الزائدة من المجتمع إلى شبكة الطاقة بينما تعمل النظم الأخرى بمعزل عن الشبكة. وبصرف النظر عن حالة واحدة، أظهرت جميع الحالات الأخرى عناصر التعاون كجزء لا يتجزأ من طريقة عملياتها.

This paper presents a methodology that quantifies the life cycle costs of concrete decks of roadway bridges that supports the decision-making regarding the optimal selection between several construction / repair alternatives. A deterioration model based on the main material and environmental characteristics of bridges is presented. Some of the most up-to-date materials that are used on concrete bridges are also presented and characterized. The quantification of the user costs is presented. These calculations are made considering the vehicle operating costs, the cost of time and accident costs. The user costs are determined by comparing the traffic costs under free flow conditions with those that arise from disrupting the free traffic flow. The created model is applied to an existing bridge, where the determination and comparison of the costs of the application of different repair alternatives are analysed. At the end, the main conclusions and recommendations are presented.

This paper explores the implementation of European Union (EU) Cohesion Policy in Portugal under the 2014–2020 programming framework (Portugal 2020) and its contribution to promoting environmental sustainability. It starts with an anatomization of the dominant analytic dimensions of the concept of sustainable territorial development. It then examines the approved projects under Portugal 2020 and relates them to the selected five dimensions of territorial sustainable development, which include a circular economy, social environmental awareness, environmental conservation, a global governance sustainability focus, and a global spatial planning sustainability focus. It concludes that the Portugal 2020’ execution rate on supporting renewable sources of energy is strangely low, in view of the untapped potential of the country in, for instance, exploring solar energy. info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion

Abstract Despite the significant growth in the number of published life-cycle assessments of biofuels, important aspects have not captured sufficient attention, namely soil carbon emissions from land use change (LUC) and uncertainty analysis. The main goal of this article is to evaluate the implications of different LUC scenarios and uncertainty in the life-cycle energy renewability efficiency and GHG (greenhouse gases) intensity of wheat-based bioethanol replacing gasoline. A comprehensive assessment of different LUC scenarios (grassland or cropland converted to wheat cultivation) and agricultural practices is conducted, which results in different carbon stock change values. The types of uncertainty addressed include parameter uncertainty (propagated into LC (life-cycle) results using Monte-Carlo simulation) and uncertainty concerning how bioethanol co-product credits are accounted for. Results show that GHG emissions have considerably higher uncertainty than energy efficiency values, mainly due to soil carbon emissions from direct LUC and N2O release from cultivated soil. Moreover, LUC dominates the GHG intensity of bioethanol. Very different GHG emissions are calculated depending on the LUC scenario considered. Conversion of full- or low-tillage croplands to wheat cultivation results in bioethanol GHG emissions lower than gasoline emissions, whereas conversion of grassland does not contribute to bioethanol GHG savings over gasoline in the short- to mid-term.

Abstract This paper presents a new methodology for impact assessment—SIAM (Spatial Impact Assessment Methodology)—which is based on the assumption that the importance of environmental impacts is dependent, among other things, on the spatial distribution of the effects and of the affected environment. The information generated by the use of Geographical Information Systems (GIS) in impact identification and prediction stages of Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is used in the assessment of impact significance by the computation of a set of impact indices. For each environmental component (e.g., air pollution, water resources, biological resources), impact indices are calculated based on the spatial distribution of impacts. A case study of impact evaluation of a proposed highway in Central Portugal illustrates the application of the methodology and shows its capabilities to be adapted to the particular characteristics of a given EIA problem.

Water scarcity is a driver for society to rethink water management and change the paradigm of use to a fit-for-purpose approach—i.e., separating potable water for human consumption (drinking, cooking or personal hygiene) from all non-potable uses that do not require the same quality level. In this context, urban water reuse is a relevant tool for municipalities and metropolitan areas when dealing with pressure on water resources, among several alternative water sources that can be considered in a site-specific and integrated manner. Through the available literature and specific case studies in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, this paper explores the benefits and barriers of water reuse and intends to support local authorities in including water reuse in their water management strategies. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first paper focusing on Portugal and the Lisbon Metropolitan Area that globally examines governance, economic, legislative and social aspects regarding water reuse and presents specific implementation examples covering potable and non-potable as well as direct and indirect reuse.

Half the population of China live in coastal zones where 70% of large cities are also located. Intensive human activities pose significant environmental and ecological hazards to these cities that are already vulnerable to natural hazards and climate change. The sustainable development of coastal cities is thus both a national and international issue. Rongcheng is a typical coastal city in east China. It is a national marine ranch demonstration area that is subjected to multi-stressors from human activities and climate change. The dominant economic sectors include aquaculture and fisheries, agriculture, shipping and tourism. A multitude of resulting pressures come mainly from intensified human activities, such as intensive aquaculture, overfishing, industrial pollutants, agricultural runoff, land reclamation and port expansion. In addition, Rongcheng is also facing exogenic pressures from extreme climate events such as intensified storms, storm surges, droughts and sea ice. A growing awareness of these problems brought together a trans-disciplinary group from local government, research institutions, local practitioners and coastal representatives to jointly explore and co-design adaptive coastal management options. In this transdisciplinary study, a social-ecological analysis based on a combination of the Systems Approach Framework and the Drivers-Pressures-States-Impacts-Responses framework was used to analyze and formulate an adaptive management plan for the sustainability of Rongcheng. More than 40 stakeholders including government, companies, civil society and institutions participated in the study through questionnaires and on-site meetings. A statistical analysis of the results identified urgent issues impeding the sustainable development of Rongcheng. The issues identified were poorly regulated aquaculture, loss of shoreline, and the decline of seagrass and cultural heritage. The study identified management options and measures, some of which were adopted by the local government in a co-designed management plan. The measures included upgrading of aquaculture industry, habitat conservation and restoration, and the development of cultural tourism. Another outcome was the increased knowledge exchange between stakeholders to inform management, policy, and decision making, as well as raised awareness of vulnerability to natural hazards and climate change. The success of this case study provides a reference for the adaptive management of other coastal cities and their sustainable development in a changing climate.

Energy consumption is associated with economic growth, but it comes with a toll regarding the environment. Renewable energies can be considered substitutes for fossil fuels and may contribute to reducing the environmental degradation that the world is presently facing. With this research, we aimed to offer a broader view of the state-of-the-art in this field, particularly regarding coal and biomass. The main objective is to present a viable and sustainable solution for the coal power plants still in operation, using as a hypothetical example the Pego Power Plant, the last operating coal fueled power plant in Portugal. After the characterization of land use and energy production in Portugal, and more particularly in the Médio Tejo region, where the power plant is located, the availability of biomass was assessed and it was concluded that the volume of biomass needed to keep the Pego power plant working exclusively with biomass is much lower than the yearly growth volume of biomass in the region, which means that this transition would be viable in a sustainable way. This path is aligned with policies to fight climate change, since the use of biomass for energy is characterized by low levels of GHGs emissions when compared to coal. The risk of rural fires would be reduced, and the economic and social impact for this region would be positive.