Innovation in infrastructures : an analysis of seaport innovation with an application to Gothenburg

Mestrado em Economia e Gestão de Ciência, Tecnologia e InovaçãoA Inovação tem vindo a revelar-se como uma força de destaque nas economias mundiais. Muitos autores têm vindo a sublinhar a sua importância na rutura do status quo e da sua natureza não-linear e multi-actor. Perante este contexto, as infraestruturas mostraram ser bem-sucedidas para desenvolver e implementar novas inovações, graças também ao suporte dos investimentos estatais. Tendo em conta estas características, o presente estudo foca-se nos portos marítimos, umas das mais antigas infraestruturas existentes. Ao longo dos últimos 60 anos, graças à introdução dos contendores e das ICTs, os portos foram-se tornando protagonistas escondidos de uma revolução logística global. Estes desenvolvimentos podem ser compreendidos à luz dos conceitos de inovação e infraestruturas, assim como da evolução dos portos marítimos, no contexto da história económica baseada numa ótica neo-schumpeteriana. Neste contexto, o presente estudo tem um duplo objetivo: por um lado, fazer uma revisão geral sobre o estado da arte da literatura científica sobre a inovação portuária; por outro lado, deixar um contributo no âmbito da inovação portuária analisando o caso do Porto de Gotemburgo. A análise utiliza duas abordagens diferentes: 1) uma revisão sistemática da literatura existente; 2) e uma abordagem de caso de estudo. Os resultados sugerem que a área de estudo da inovação portuária está ainda muito fragmentada e pouco desenvolvida, embora estejam a emergir clusters de autores. Além disso, o caso do Porto de Gotemburgo mostra como a complexidade dos portos modernos exige uma abordagem holística e sistémica para que se possam interpretar os seus processos inovadores.Innovation has proven to be a leading force in world economies. Several authors have stressed its importance in disrupting the status quo and the complexity of its non-linear and multi-actor processes. Given this context, infrastructures have proven to be successful for developing and implementing new innovations, also thanks to the support of state investments. Keeping in mind these characteristics, this study focuses on seaports, one of the most ancient existing human infrastructures. In the last 60 years, thanks to the introduction of the container and ICTs, seaports have become the main hidden protagonists of a global logistics revolution. These developments are understood with recourse to the concepts of innovation and infrastructure as well as the evolution of seaports in the context of neo-Schumpeterian reasoned economic history. In this context, the aim of this study is twofold: on the one hand, the objective is to outline the state of the art of the existing scientific literature about seaport innovation; on the other hand, this dissertation appraise actual seaport innovation by unpacking a real case in the Port of Gothenburg. This analysis draws on two different approaches: 1) a systematic review of the existing literature; 2) and a case study approach. Results show that the field of innovation in seaports is still highly fragmented and little developed, although clusters of scholarship are emerging. Furthermore, the case of the Port of Gothenburg shows how the complexity of modern seaports requires a holistic, systemic approach in order to understand seaports? inner innovation processes.N/

Energy savings in building restoration - an applicative case

Italy has a historical and architectural heritage which consists mainly of buildings built in different historical period. These buildings are today characterized by some aspects of functional distribution and comfort, which need rehabilitation. This is related to the change thinking on a more comfortable distribution of spaces, and improving the sustainability of buildings. These issues have spurred the study of methods to improve the distribution of spaces, the performance of indoor comfort and the energy efficiency in the full respect of materiality and aesthetics of the building. Therefore, the aim of this rehabilitation is improving the indoor comfort, the energy efficiency and the environmental performance of existing buildings, but it is also to choose more carefully the most environmentally sustainable materials for the restructuring. In this work, a case study of rehabilitation of a historical school building sited in the city of Palermo in Italy is reported

Quantum Computation in a radio single mode cavity: the dissipative Jaynes and Cummings Model

Our aim is to give an account, trough an analysis of a number of papers by F.Petruccione, H.J.Charmicael, J.C. Raimond and their contemporaries, of the specific answer that we gave to the problem of Open Quantum Systems dynamical evolution and how this idea evolves and develops in physical research and in the scientific debate of the following decades. Permanent solution should not been accepted from physical research, but analysis of the real work of scientists, of the difficulties they face and the ever changing solutions they offer is, we believe, part of our understanding of science and an indispensable basis for further methodological inquiries. In this paper we have chosen to analyze a dissipative Jaynes-Cummings model assuming the common electrodynamics free field for the bipartite system and an another independent bath for the cavity, so taking into account loosing of energy because of the imperfect mirrors. The Nud theorem application leads to predict new cooperative effects between the atom and the cavity mode as the creation of conditional transient entanglement, tending to become stationary as the coupling constant take a well defined value

Enhance Urban Energy Management and Decarbonization Through an EC-based Approach

Promoting energy efficiency and decarbonization in urban settings, hence also in the variety of buildings within them, is amongst modern society major challenges. Urban settings are, in fact, responsible for almost 40% of energy consumption and energy-related pollutant emissions worldwide. In this framework, particular emphasis has been given by the EU and its member States on improving the energy performance of built environments by reducing buildings' energy consumption (retrofit interventions), by fostering the integration of renewable energy sources (RES), and by encouraging the establishment of pro-con-sumer groups/units (e.g., Energy Communities – ECs, consortia, etc.). These latter include users that share and collaborate in the energy management. Consequently, the need has arisen for more efficient energy management within individual ECs and between different ECs and public administrations and other potential stakeholders. Considering that ECs are a relatively recent reality, this paper discusses possible approaches to overcome some of the critical issues that have emerged from the Energy Community initiatives that are beginning to emerge recently

Pier Vittorio Tondelli, Camere separate e il romanzo di formazione

Some early reviewers of Camere separate have compared Pier Vittorio Tondelli's final work to a novel of formation. After a brief overview of Tondelli's literary output and an exploration of the evolution of the Bildungsroman genre as proposed by Moretti, the thesis aims at comparing Camere separate to the conventions of some of the early examples of Bildungsroman. Structurally, the novel does not follow the chronological order typical of the Bildungsroman and finds its organizing principle in ambient music rather than literature. Thematically, the elements which in the novel of formation help the main character find his place in society (most notably, work and marriage) are here what sets him apart from the community, thus making Camere separate a progressive study in separation

A Solar Pond for Feeding a Thermoelectric Generator or an Organic Rankine Cycle System

The world energy demand is continuously growing, which means an increase in consumption for all modern fuels or stronger effort on the development and improvement of renewable technologies. Moreover, Developing Countries claims more energy and they have often wide unutilized or unusable lands. The solar energy represents a useful opportunity for these Countries. The Solar Pond is both a solar collector and a thermal storage for long period and is suitable to use in wide sunny areas. Solar pond technology is able to supply heat for several applications requiring low-grade thermal energy or for electrical power production. In order to produce electrical energy from solar ponds it is necessary to use systems fed by low enthalpy sources, such Thermoelectric Generator (TEG) and Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC). In this paper, a model of a Solar Pond for power generation is analyzed in conjunction with an Organic Rankine Cycle. The model has been validated using climate data of an area near to Palermo city (Italy) and exactly the Test Reference Year developed by the Authors

Regional policies for sustainability in the Mediterranean countries: the role of a proper HVAC system maintenance in museums

Italy, like several Mediterranean countries, holds a very large number of cultural artifacts that are often exhibited and saved inside museums. Museums are usually part of historical buildings that, not rarely, originally had a different intended use and that have been currently transformed in place for conservation and for exhibition of works of art. The use of historical buildings as museums leads to limitations in the management and distribution of exhibition space, in design and managing HVAC systems and in the achievement of targets relating to the continuous monitoring of the microclimate for people comfort and for preservation of works of art. Moreover, the costs of the operation and maintenance of the HVAC system for this particular type of confined environment are often very expensive and the proper optimization of the required operations plays a main role. In this paper, authors propose a new decision support tool for curators regarding the operation and maintenance management of HVAC systems in museums especially in the case of their belonging to cultural heritage buildings

Leading agritourism facilities along Nearly Zero Energy paths: Proposal of an easy-to-use evaluation method

The tourist sector, despite the present severe constraints imposed by the sanitary emergence, can be considered as an important component of almost all countries' economies. In Italy agriturism, in particular, has been experiences a continuously rising trend in recent years. Clearly, such great interest towards these businesses also calls for a deep attention by an energy point of view, in sight of an energy efficiency improvement, hence a lowering of the pressure that such facilities exert to the natural environment. On the other hand, the European Union has been engaged, for a long time, in awarding the tourist accommodations environmental excellence brands, like the EU Ecolabel. Unfortunately, the achievement of such excellence brands requires the capability of managing complex energy and environmental data, which is often not the prerogative of people running such facilities. In order of contributing to overcome this difficulty, and with the aim of helping the addressing of agritourism towards a Nearly Zero Energy path, we propose here a simple approach that does not require the modelling and simulation of the energy behaviour of an agritourism, being essentially based on the application of easy-to-use ARERA (Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy Networks and Environment) datasheets scheme. On purpose, an application of the method, involving two typical Sicilian agritourism, is presented. The obtained results showed the viability of the proposed methodology, although the need of an update and/or replacement of some technical datasheets arose

Development of sustainable ORC applications in the tertiary sector: a case study in the Mediterranean climate

In recent decades, climate change strong advancement has led many countries, especially the most developed ones, to a greater sense of environmental responsibility. On a global, European and national level, adaptation/mitigation strategies and actions aimed at improving energy-environmental sustainability and resilience in the tertiary sectors have been increasingly intensified. In this sector, therefore, plays a fundamental role the integration/introduction of technologies able to operate an efficient conversion of energy, such as indeed Organic Rankine Cycle (ORC) plant, other than renewable energy sources, in order to reduce both energy consumption and pollutant emissions. Within this scenario, the aim of this work is to investigate the potential application of a cogeneration ORC system powered by solar collector and geothermal sources, by evaluating its energy, environmental and economic advantages and limitations. To this purpose a case study involving the coverage of the energy needs of a hotel located in Catania (Southern Italy) has been simulated and analyzed. The outcomes put in evidence the importance of the operative conditions in optimizing the productivity of an ORC plant, especially when associated with renewable energy sources, although at the moment investment and supply costs are still quite high

Forecasting green roofs’ potential in improving building thermal performance and mitigating urban heat island in the Mediterranean area: An artificial intelligence-based approach

Green roofs are widely used in hot or cold climates mainly because they are capable to improve the energy efficiency of buildings and, when implemented at a large scale, reducing air pollution and the urban heat island effect (UHI) in urban contexts. Artificial Neural Network (ANN) black-box algorithms are a valid alternative to studying complex systems. However, the literature highlights - quite surprisingly – none of the available research refers to coupling ANNs and green roofs in the Mediterranean area, where green roofs are instead considered one of the most suitable technologies to reduce the high cooling demand. Therefore, the objective of this research work is to create and validate an ANN for the prediction of the monthly green roof’s internal and external surface temperatures and the monthly internal air temperature, starting from different green roof parameters and climatic variables. Specifically, the ANN was created with reference to a Mediterranean climate considering an existing green roof on a building of the University of Palermo characterized by a cooling demand predominance; 180 green roof configurations, obtained by varying the characteristic parameters of vegetation (plant height, leaf area index and leaf reflectivity) and the substrate thickness and thermophysical properties (lightweight and heavyweight), were dynamically simulated on an hourly basis to build the training dataset. In addition, other 72 green roof configurations were simulated to generate the dataset for the validation purpose of the ANN accuracy. The optimal ANN-related architecture consists of 90 neurons with one hidden layer and guarantees very high accuracy predictions. The outcomes of this research represent a useful tool to determine the thermal response of green roofs and their impact on the building energy demand and indoor thermal comfort and UHI mitigation