Essays on the economics of the energy mix diversification in the Transport Sector

The analysis of the consequences of the diversification of the Transport Sector energy mix is the main focus of this thesis. As a sector highly powered by fossil fuels, the promotion of alternative energy sources such as electricity and renewable fuels has to be pursued to reduce the use of oil, and consequently cut greenhouse gases emissions. However, currently, the alternative sources are faced with several challenges. To address some of these challenges, this thesis performs four analyses organized into three main parts. In the first one, the interactions between both conventional and alternative transports’ energy sources, economic growth and carbon dioxide emissions have been examined. Two essays have been carried out in the first part, to achieve these objectives. The recent methods of Panel-Vector Autoregressive and the Autoregressive Distributed lag models have been applied. The main findings suggest that the electricity use in the transport sector only contributes to reducing GHG emissions if this electricity is coming from renewable sources. At the same time, the alternative energy sources could compromise the economic growth highlighting that their cost-effectiveness must be enlarged. With adequate policy supporting, the penetration of the electricity in transport sector could have a great potential in, for instance, storing renewable electricity, improving renewable electricity utilisation. For that, the deployment of electricity on the road transportation is required. These evidences have definitively motivated the second and third main parts of this thesis. They are focused on the main challenges that the electric mobility on road transportation is faced: the penetration of electric vehicles in the automotive market and the impact of these vehicles on the electricity system management and renewables integration. Thus, the second part of this thesis aims to analyse the driving factors of electric vehicles adoption. This analysis goes further by distinguishing the adoption drivers of 100% electric vehicles, also known as battery electric vehicles, and plug-in electric vehicles. The factors analysed include: political, social, economic, environmental, and technical. A Panel-Corrected Standard Errors (PCSE) estimator is used for European Union countries and the robustness of the results has been confirmed by employing a Seemingly Unrelated Regression (SUR) method. Actually, the main challenge for both 100% electric vehicles and plug-in electric vehicles adoption is the technological progress of the batteries. Furthermore, this analysis highlights that the policymaking should be focused on each type of vehicle technology instead of electric vehicles as a whole. In line with the findings of the first part of this thesis, countries with high endogenous potential should promote more 100% electric vehicles than plug-in electric vehicles to take advantage of the renewable electricity. While countries with low renewable potential should promote more plug-in electric vehicles. The policies supporting electric mobility have been effective in the 100% electric vehicles market share enlargement, but not for plug-in electric vehicles. With an appropriated policy support and technological development, the 100% electric vehicles could contribute to increasing the efficiency of the electricity system and renewables integration. These evidences constitute the main motivation for the third part of this thesis. Therefore, the main objective of the third part is to analyse the drivers of both peak electricity demand and renewables integration, providing special attention to the role played by battery electric vehicles to this equilibrium. Both Panel-Corrected Standard Errors and Driscoll-Kraay estimators have been applied for European Union countries. Different models’ specifications have been used to confirm the robustness of the results found. This part highlights that the deployment of the 100% electric vehicles has led to a decrease of the peak electricity demand, which is indeed a desirable effect. Still, it should deserve further attention since the deployment of the large amounts of battery electric vehicles could modify this effect. At the same time, the 100% electric vehicles have not contributed to renewables integration. The policies focused on demand side management have been effective in integrating renewables in contrast to their lack of success in reducing peak electricity demand. The policymakers should design demand side management efficient policies to reduce the peak load demand. The promotion of Demand Response measures, such as differentiated electricity tariffs in peak periods and out-off peak periods could be an efficient way to achieve it.A presente tese foca-se em analisar as consequências da diversificação do mix de energia no sector dos transportes. Este sector é intensivo no consumo de combustíveis fósseis e consequentemente, é responsável por elevados níveis de emissões de gases com efeito de estufa. De forma a mitigar o seu impacto ambiental, o uso de fontes de energia alternativas, tais como eletricidade e combustíveis renováveis deve ser incentivado. Contudo, existem inúmeros desafios associados à utilização destas fontes. Com o intuito de abordar alguns dos desafios enfrentados, a presente tese realiza quatro ensaios, organizados em três partes. Na parte inicial, são estudadas as interações entre o consumo de fontes de energia convencionais e alternativas no sector dos transportes, bem como a sua relação com o crescimento económico e com as emissões de dióxido de carbono. De forma a analisar essas interações, foram realizados dois ensaios. Neles, foram aplicadas duas metodologias recentes de análise de dados em painel: Vetor Autorregressivo em Painel (Panel Vector Autoregressive - PVAR) e o Modelo Autorregressivo com Desfasamento Distribuído (Autoregressive Distributed Lag - ARDL). Os principais resultados sugerem que o consumo de eletricidade no setor dos transportes será benéfico para o ambiente, se essa eletricidade for gerada a partir de fontes de energia renováveis. Enquanto isso, as fontes alternativas poderão estar a comprometer o crescimento económico, enfatizando que o custo-benefício dessas fontes deve ser melhorado. A introdução de eletricidade no mix energético do setor dos transportes poderá ter um grande potencial em, por exemplo, possibilitar o armazenamento de eletricidade renovável aumentando assim a sua utilização. Para isso, as políticas devem promover o carregamento dos veículos quando existe excesso de geração de eletricidade renovável. Para que seja possível capturar esses benefícios, é necessária a implementação de eletricidade no transporte rodoviário. Definitivamente, estas evidências motivaram a segunda e terceira parte desta tese. As mesmas incidem nos principais desafios que a mobilidade elétrica rodoviária enfrenta: a penetração de veículos elétricos no mercado automóvel e o impacto dos veículos elétricos, quer na gestão do sistema elétrico quer na integração de energias renováveis. Assim, a segunda parte pretende analisar os fatores que suportam a adoção de veículos elétricos, abordando o seu papel individualmente tanto nos veículos 100% elétricos como nos híbridos plug-in. Fatores políticos, sociais, económicos, ambientais e técnicos foram incluídos e analisados. A Regressão Linear com Erros Padrão Corrigidos para Painel (Panel Corrected Standard Errors - PCSE) foi aplicada para analisar países da União Europeia e a robustez dos resultados foi comprovada mediante a aplicação de modelos de Regressão Aparentemente não Relacionada (Seemingly Unrelated Regression - SUR). A análise mostrou que o progresso tecnológico das baterias tem se revelado como um dos principais desafios para a implementação dos veículos 100% elétricos e dos híbridos plug-in. Além disso, este ensaio realça que as políticas devem ser focadas em cada tipo de veículo individualmente em vez de concentradas na mobilidade elétrica como um todo. Tendo em conta os resultados obtidos na primeira parte desta tese, países com elevado potencial em energias renováveis devem promover mais os veículos 100% elétricos do que os veículos híbridos plug-in, de forma a conseguir tirar maior vantagem da utilização intensiva de eletricidade renovável. Pelo contrário, países com baixo potencial em renováveis devem promover mais a utilização de híbridos plug-in. Poderão os veículos 100% elétricos contribuir para o aumento da eficiência do sistema elétrico e para a integração de renováveis? Esta curiosidade constitui-se como a essencial motivação para a terceira parte. O seu principal objetivo é analisar os impulsionadores do pico de consumo de eletricidade e de integração de renováveis, dando especial foco ao papel que os veículos 100% elétricos desempenham nesse equilíbrio. A Regressão Linear com Erros Padrão Corrigidos para Painel (Panel Corrected Standard Errors - PCSE) e a Regressão com Erros Padrão de Driscoll-Kraay (Regression with Driscoll-Kraay standard errors) foram os modelos aplicados para analisar países da União Europeia. Foram testadas diferentes especificações nos modelos, confirmando assim a robustez dos resultados. Esta parte salienta que o aumento da quota de mercado de veículos elétricos gera um decréscimo do pico de consumo de eletricidade, o que é, na verdade, um efeito desejável num sistema electroprodutor. Este efeito deve, no entanto, merecer atenção dos decisores de políticas, uma vez que, a implementação de um elevado número de veículos 100% elétricos, poderá alterar este efeito colocando picos de consumo em outros períodos. Importa salientar também que os resultados sugerem que as políticas aplicadas para a gestão ativa da procura (Demand Side Management - DSM) de eletricidade têm sido efetivas na integração de renováveis, mas não têm contribuído para reduzir o pico de consumo. Os decisores de políticas devem delinear políticas de DSM eficientes, promovendo, por exemplo, medidas de resposta da procura, tais como tarifas de eletricidade com preços diferenciados entre períodos de pico e períodos fora de pico

The Spanish evidence

This study focuses on the analysis of interactions between electricity generation sources under both the Special Regime and the Ordinary Regime in Spain, and their relationships with economic activity. The time span comprises data from January 2003 to September 2014. The Toda-Yamamoto causality test is carried out to check causality relationships. Both short- and long-run effects are assessed, by using the ARDL bounds test approach. Overall, the results reveal strong internal consistency when comparing the ARDL results with the causality analysis. On the one hand, a unidirectional causality running from the ordinary regime to the special regime was found. On the other hand, with respect to the ordinary regime there is empirical evidence for the energy-growth hypothesis. In the meantime, the special regime contributes to hampering economic growth in Spain.A presente dissertação estuda a interação entre fontes de geração de eletricidade através da produção sob regime especial e sob regime ordinário e a sua relação com a atividade económica. O estudo utiliza dados mensais de Janeiro de 2003 até Setembro de 2014. O teste de causalidade Toda-Yamamoto foi executado para averiguar quais as relações de causalidade existentes entre as variáveis. A metodologia ARDL bounds test permitiu capturar os efeitos de curto e de longo prazo em separado. Globalmente, os resultados das causalidades revelam grande consistência quando comparados com os resultados da metodologia ARDL. Os resultados sugerem a existência de uma causalidade unidirecional da produção de eletricidade em regime ordinário para o regime especial. Analisando o tradicional nexus pode-se concluir que a hipótese de feedback é verificada entre o regime ordinário e a atividade económica. Por outro lado, verifica-se também que o regime especial é um entrave ao crescimento da atividade económica

Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant nanostructured cellulose membranes loaded with phenolic-based ionic liquids for cutaneous application

The utilization of natural compounds, such as phenolic acids and biopolymers, in the healthcare domain is gaining increasing attention. In this study, bacterial nanocellulose (BC) membranes were loaded with ionic liquids (ILs) based on phenolic acids. These ionic compounds, with improved solubility and bioavailability, were prepared by combining the cholinium cation with anions derived from caffeic, ellagic and gallic acids. The obtained BC-ILs membranes were homogeneous, conformable and their swelling ability agreed with the solubility of each IL. These membranes revealed a controlled ILs dissolution rate in the wet state and high antioxidant activity. In vitro assays performed with Raw 264.7 macrophages and HaCaT keratinocytes revealed that these novel BC-ILs membranes are non-cytotoxic and present relevant anti-inflammatory properties. Diffusion studies with Hanson vertical diffusion cells showed a prolonged release profile of the ILs from the BC membranes. Thus, this work, successfully demonstrates the potential of BC-ILs membranes for skin treatment.publishe

Pawedness trait test (PaTRaT) : a new paradigm to evaluate paw preference and dexterity in rats

Pawedness Trait Test (PaTRaT)-A New Paradigm to Evaluate Paw Preference and Dexterity in RatsIn rodents, dexterity is commonly analyzed in preference paradigms in which animals are given the chance to use either the left or the right front paws to manipulate food. However, paw preference and dexterity at population and individual levels are controversial as results are incongruent across paradigms. We have therefore developed a semi-quantitative method-the pawdeness trait test (PaTRaT)-to evaluate paw preference degree in rats. The PaTRaT consists in a classification system, ranging from +4 to 4 where increasingly positive and negative values reflect the bias for left or right paw use, respectively. Sprague-Dawley male rats were confined into a metal rectangular mesh cylinder, from which they can see, smell and reach sugared rewards with their paws. Due to its size, the reward could only cross the mesh if aligned with its diagonal, imposing additional coordination. Animals were allowed to retrieve 10 rewards per session in a total of four sessions while their behavior was recorded. PaTRaT was repeated 4 and 8 weeks after the first evaluation. To exclude potential bias, rats were also tested for paw fine movement and general locomotion in other behavioral paradigms as well as impulsivity (variable delay-to-signal, VDS), memory and cognitive flexibility (water maze). At the population level 54% of the animals presented a rightward bias. Individually, all animals presented marked side-preferences, >2 and <-2 for left-and right-sided bias, respectively, and this preference was stable across the three evaluations. Inter-rater consistency was very high between two experienced raters and substantial when two additional inexperienced raters were included. Left-and right-biased animals presented no differences in the ability to perform fine movements with any of the forelimbs (staircase) and general locomotor performance. Additionally, these groups performed similarly in executive function and memory tasks. In conclusion, PaTRaT is able to reliably classify rats' pawedness direction and degree.This work has been funded by the European Regional Development Fund (FEDER), through the Competitiveness Factors Operational Programme (COMPETE) and the Northern Portugal Regional Operational Programme (NORTE 2020) under the Portugal 2020 Partnership Agreement (project NORTE-01-0145-FEDER-000023). It was also funded by National funds, through the Foundation for Science and Technology (Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia, FCT), under the scope of the projects POCI-01-0145-FEDER-007038 and PTDC/NEU-SCC/5301/2014. Researchers were supported by FCT grant numbers SFRH/BD/109111/2015 (AMC), SFRH/BD/52291/2013 (ME via Inter-University Doctoral Programme in Ageing and Chronic Disease, PhDOC), PD/BD/114120/2015 (SPN via PhDOC), SFRH/BD/89936/2012 (SB), PD/BD/114117/2015 (MRG via PhDOC) and SFRH/BPD/80118/2011 (HL-A).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

A comprehensive assessment of the transcriptome of cork oak (Quercus suber) through EST sequencing

Background: Cork oak (Quercus suber) is one of the rare trees with the ability to produce cork, a material widely used to make wine bottle stoppers, flooring and insulation materials, among many other uses. The molecular mechanisms of cork formation are still poorly understood, in great part due to the difficulty in studying a species with a long life-cycle and for which there is scarce molecular/genomic information. Cork oak forests are of great ecological importance and represent a major economic and social resource in Southern Europe and Northern Africa. However, global warming is threatening the cork oak forests by imposing thermal, hydric and many types of novel biotic stresses. Despite the economic and social value of the Q. suber species, few genomic resources have been developed, useful for biotechnological applications and improved forest management. Results: We generated in excess of 7 million sequence reads, by pyrosequencing 21 normalized cDNA libraries derived from multiple Q. suber tissues and organs, developmental stages and physiological conditions. We deployed a stringent sequence processing and assembly pipeline that resulted in the identification of ~159,000 unigenes. These were annotated according to their similarity to known plant genes, to known Interpro domains, GO classes and E.C. numbers. The phylogenetic extent of this ESTs set was investigated, and we found that cork oak revealed a significant new gene space that is not covered by other model species or EST sequencing projects. The raw data, as well as the full annotated assembly, are now available to the community in a dedicated web portal at http://www.corkoakdb.org. Conclusions: This genomic resource represents the first trancriptome study in a cork producing species. It can be explored to develop new tools and approaches to understand stress responses and developmental processes in forest trees, as well as the molecular cascades underlying cork differentiation and disease response.Peer Reviewe

Dinâmicas de (investig)ação em contextos de promoção da língua portuguesa: a presença do CIDTFF na rede Camões, I.P.

Sem resumo disponível.publishe

Drivers and barriers in the transition from a linear economy to a circular economy

A paradigm shift from a linear economy to a circular economy is crucial to reduce pressure on the environment and to improve the security of supply of primary raw materials. Under this new paradigm, governed by the imperatives of “reduce, reuse, and recycle”, the extraction of primary resources is minimised by extending the useful life of existing resources and materials. This paper seeks to identify the drivers and barriers of this circularisation and provide guidance for effective policies to hasten the transition to it. The innovative contribution made by this paper to this area of research is the empirical evidence it provides on the role played by economic, social, and environmental factors in the transition to a circular economy. To achieve this, yearly data from 2010 to 2019, for a panel of 19 European Union countries were analysed employing a Panel-Corrected Standard Errors estimator, which was shown to be an appropriate estimator for the data's characteristics. The circular material use rate was used as a proxy for the circular economy. The main findings suggest that the age distribution of a country is a significant predictor of a circular economy. Older people tend to be reluctant to change their behaviour, while young people are more inclined to move away from the so-called ‘take-make-waste’ extractive industrial model. Policies directed to older people to sensibilize them on the benefits and importance of a circular economy are thus required. When per capita income increases, the propensity to accept products containing recycled materials decreases. This finding merits the particular attention of policymakers. In turn, income inequality makes moving toward a circular economy more difficult. Those in the middle-income bracket are more likely to exhibit green behaviour, which implies that they are more aware of environmental issues.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

The substitution of fossil fuels in the US transportation energy mix: Are emissions decoupling from economic growth?

Environmental protection should be a primary factor in the evolution of the dominant transportation energy paradigm. This paper takes a fresh approach to this issue by analysing the relationship between conventional and alternative energy sources in transportation, economic growth and emissions. This is a previously unexplored topic in literature, particularly in the United States of America (US), which is analysed in detail here. The paper makes a further contribution to the field by an analysis, based on Tapio indicator, of decoupling between eco-nomic growth and CO2 emissions resulting from both overall energy consumption and energy consumption by the transportation. Empirically, this paper applies an Autoregressive Distributed Lag model by using monthly data from January 2007 to September 2018. A Decoupling Indicator was calculated by using yearly data from 2006 to 2018. Main findings suggest that alternative energy sources have not yet reducing the dependence of the transportation sector on fossil fuels. Additionally, although the use of renewable fuels by transportation reduces CO2 emissions, it also hampers economic growth, while economic growth has a negative effect on emissions. This finding is further supported by the decoupling statuses found. I Improvements in energy efficiency appear to have been effective for environmental protection.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Ecology through literature for children: a study with pupils in the primary school

Ecological knowledge plays an increasingly important role in today’s society, since it allows us to understand how nature works and how severe the human action is when related to its destruction. Ecology includes concepts with different levels of complexity, which has raised doubts about their inclusion in the primary school curriculum. Therefore, the main aim of the present study was to evaluate the approach of ecology concepts in a class of the 4th grade of primary school, through children’s literature books which are focused on ecological relations, and exploring them from the Reading Circles strategy (Cercles de lecture), a dynamic proposed by Giasson (2003), which promotes text understanding, using collaborative working and proposing different functions to be assigned by pupils, called the roles (Les rôles).info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Two-stage DEA model to evaluate technical efficiency on deployment of battery electric vehicles in the EU countries

The transportation sector represents an important barrier to decarbonising economies. The in- troduction of electric vehicles seems to be a promising solution; however, the intensive use of such vehicles remains a challenge for economies. By using the two-stage Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) method, this paper aims to provide useful insights to enlarge Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) market share. In the first stage, it calculates the efficiency scores for 20 European countries for both BEV adoption and policies supporting electric mobility, considering an output- oriented DEA method with constant returns to scale, and using annual data from 2010 to 2018. It is a non-parametric method, which makes it possible to determine the technical efficiency of the countries under study, i.e., the ability of these countries to transform their inputs into outputs. It calculates the efficiency frontier and determines if the countries are (or not) on this frontier. In the second stage, it examines the role of some determinants of electric mobility using the effi- ciency scores previously calculated by applying a fractional regression model. The main findings show that few countries are performing on the efficiency frontier. Additionally, renewable electricity generation increases a countries’ DEA score and contributes to bringing the inefficient countries closer to the efficiency frontier. Contrary, the existence of peak periods of electricity consumption decreases the DEA score and moves the inefficient countries further away from the frontier. This paper highlights the need to design transport and electricity policies jointly in order to ensure that the intensive use of BEV contributes towards renewables accommodation.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio