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Hard-to-reach energy users in just energy transitions: Identifying target groups and piloting local action
Publication . Sequeira, Miguel Macias Marques; Gouveia, João; Melo, João
Energy lies at the heart of urgent transformations. Climate change and energy poverty are
uttered global priorities. However, despite well-known solutions, energy transitions are not yet
at the needed pace. Citizens have been pushed to the frontline with high hopes for their uptake
of energy efficiency and renewable energy. Still, multi-faceted barriers stand in the way of
participation. These are particularly stark for hard-to-reach energy users which can be broadly
defined as those who are difficult to reach or hard to engage or motivate by policies and
interventions. While this concept has attracted attention, it still lacks systematisation and
operationalisation. Moreover, how to activate hard-to-reach groups remains a key research
gap. Without faster, deeper, and broader adoption of energy efficiency and renewable energy,
and more effective citizen engagement, energy transitions will remain off track.
In this context, this research has the goal of increasing knowledge on how to engage hard-to-
reach energy users in just energy transitions. First, it systematises and characterises profiles
that may be classified as hard-to-reach and estimates their size at multiple scales from the
European to the national and local levels. Second, it operationalises the concept for the ex-
ante assessment of energy policies and for the ex-post evaluation of on-the-ground projects.
Third, action research is applied to three case-studies in Portugal, namely a digital one-stop
shop for home renovation, a physical energy support one-stop shop, and a renewable energy
community, for a closer look on approaches that seek to activate hard-to-reach groups. Fourth,
recognising their common but ambiguous presence, it engages with local organisations to
critically assess their roles as middle actors in energy transitions.
This research shows that hard-to-reach groups are significant at multiple scales, highlighting,
for instance, low-income households, multi-family buildings, people with ill-health and
disabilities, tenants, and micro-enterprises. It demonstrates that intersectionality compounds
vulnerabilities and that variations exist across nations and regions. Data gaps are found for the
most marginalised and the wealthiest profiles. This work argues that policymakers can still do
much more to recognise hard-to-reach groups and to deploy targeted and tailored measures.
Local action seems more effective at engaging hard-to-reach audiences, for instance, through
trusted messengers, but has limitations on impact assessment and persistency.
Digital platforms can be useful tools in the energy transition toolbox but do not address hard-
to-reach groups. Instead, greater potential is found in local actions; for instance, one-stop
shops can deploy face-to-face support and energy communities can produce and share solar power. Local stakeholders can play diverse roles, such as communicating with vulnerable
households. However, many organisations face challenges and, if successful partnerships are
to be established, dedicated funding and capacity building are a must. Local action relies
heavily on the efforts of dedicated individuals and organisations, making their sustainability,
upscaling, and replication challenging without stronger institutional backing at all levels of
government.
Finally, this research's outputs are useful for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners
working on energy transitions at multiple scales. A more sustainable, just, and democratic
energy system is within reach, but it requires unprecedented commitment by all actors.
A Data-Driven Methodology for Assessing Reuse Potential in Existing Wastewater Treatment Plants
Publication . Areosa, Inês; Martins, Tiago A. E.; Lourinho, Rita; Batista, Marcos; Brito, António G.; Amaral, Leonor; DCEA - Departamento de Ciências e Engenharia do Ambiente; CENSE - Centro de Investigação em Ambiente e Sustentabilidade; MDPI - Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute
Wastewater reuse is a proven strategy to mitigate water stress in drought-prone regions. However, this practice is still limited due to high implementation costs, regulatory hurdles, and limited public acceptance. In regions with low reclaim rates, a thorough evaluation of the potential for reuse is needed to support decision-making, focusing on opportunities that address both low-hanging fruit and high-leverage projects. This paper introduces a streamlined, data-centric methodology for assessing wastewater reuse potential, adaptable to various regional contexts. The methodology involves comprehensive data collection and processing to evaluate wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) capabilities and identify potential users, allowing the prioritisation of case studies based on demand alignment. Different treatment and distribution systems are analysed to match WWTP capabilities with user needs, considering volume, quality, and infrastructure requirements. Cost analysis incorporates capital expenditure (CAPEX), operational expenditure (OPEX) and unit costs using novel cost functions for treatment and distribution. Risk analysis adheres to WHO methodology to ensure safety and sustainability. A case study in the Lisbon and Oeste areas in Portugal validates this approach, revealing key insights into the potential and economic viability of water reuse. By comparing tariffs and costs associated with different reuse scenarios, this paper offers benchmarks for the economic feasibility of reuse projects.
Determining the role of a candidate peptide hormone ligand-receptor pair during pharate adult development in Drosophila
Publication . Varela, Ednilson Mascarenhas; Gontijo, Alisson M.; Homem, Catarina; Herédia, Fabiana
Resumo: Os péptidos semelhantes à insulina (Ilps) da família Relaxina têm funções importantes na reprodução, desenvolvimento e função do sistema nervoso em várias espécies e sinalizam através de recetores acoplados à proteína G (GPCRs) específicos da Relaxina. Em Drosophila, o Ilp7 é o mais altamente conservado entre os oito Ilps descritos, mas a sua função biológica permanece desconhecida. O Leucine-Rich Repeat-containing GPCR 4 (Lgr4) de Drosophila é um claro ortólogo dos recetores de Relaxina vertebrados, mas qual Ilp de Drosophlia, se houver, atua como seu ligando, ainda está por determinar. Com base na nossa análise filogenética evolutiva, eu hipotetizo que o Dilp7 e o Lgr4 formam um par ligante-recetor em Drosophila. Aqui, incorporamos os genes repórter GAL4 e LexA no locus endógeno do Lgr4 (Lgr4::P2A::GAL4 ou Lgr4::P2A::LexA, respetivamente) e utilizamos estes repórteres para inferir padrões de expressão do Lgr4 durante o desenvolvimento de Drosophila. Descobrimos que a maioria das células positivas para Lgr4 (Lgr4+) no sistema nervoso central (SNC) expressa a proteína de ligação ao ARN elav (embryonic lethal, abnormal vision), um marcador de neurónios pós-mitóticos. Isto sugere que a maioria ou todas as células Lgr4+ são neurónios, não gliais ou outras células no SNC. Ao analisar os dados de sequência dos nossos alelos GAL4 e LexA, descobrimos que existem dois alelos Lgr4 previamente não observados segregando em estirpes de Drosophila. São observadas diferenças nos padrões de expressão do Lgr4 entre estes alelos, particularmente no lobo ótico. A caracterização neuroanatómica identifica células notáveis positivas para Lgr4 na pars intercerebralis (PI), distintas das células produtoras de insulina (IPCs), sugerindo significado funcional. A expressão do Lgr4 também é detetada no gânglio proventricular (PVG), ABLKs e nos sistemas gustativos, indicando expressão extensiva tanto nos sistemas nervosos central quanto periférico, com potenciais funções diversas. Demonstramos que mutantes em Ilp7 ou Lgr4 não apresentam defeitos óbvios em condições laboratoriais normais relativamente ao desenvolvimento, fertilidade e fecundidade. No entanto, mutantes em Ilp7 e Lgr4 exibem comportamento aberrante de evitação da luz e desempenham um papel crucial no final do terceiro instar tardio das larvas, levando-as a selecionar um ambiente escuro para se pupar. Além disso, validamos bioquimicamente que o Ilp7 e o Lgr4 co-imunoprecipitam quando versões epitopadas de ambas as proteínas são expressas ectopicamente em células de Drosophila S2 cultivadas in vitro.
Além disso, confirmamos que a confinamento induz um atraso na expansão da asa de D. melanogaster usando uma configuração diferente (nossas pequenas câmaras nas arenas de filmagem), e descobrimos que as moscas da estirpe mutante Ilp7 (Ilp7[1]) falham em realizar o comportamento de expansão da asa sob confinamento. No entanto, colocar a mutação Ilp7[1] em outro fundo genético (RAL486) eliminou este efeito. Além disso, a redução mediada por RNAi de Ilp7 usando drivers panneuronais e ubíquos não teve efeito ou teve o efeito oposto na expansão da asa sob confinamento. Estes resultados sugerem fortemente que o Ilp7 não é necessário para a expansão da asa. Portanto, concluímos que o fenótipo mutante Ilp7[1] observado sob confinamento é devido a uma alteração genética ou não genética na estirpe w[1118], Ilp7[1]. Os mesmos efeitos inconsistentes foram observados quando mutações no gene codificante do recetor de Ilp7, Lgr4, foram testadas. Portanto, concluímos que a via Ilp7-Lgr4 não é necessária para o comportamento de expansão da asa em situações de confinamento, rejeitando a nossa hipótese.
Higher Education Institutions’ Students’ Literacy in Sustainable Use of Potable Water
Publication . Barreiros, Ana M.; Durão, Anabela; Galvão, Ana; Matos, Cristina; Mateus, Dina; Araújo, Ivo; Neves, Luís; Mourato, Sandra; MARE - Centro de Ciências do Mar e do Ambiente; Molecular Diversity Preservation International (MDPI)
Higher education institutions (HEIs) play a key role in fostering sustainability, since students will be future active society members. By providing them with the knowledge, skills, and mindset needed to address environmental challenges, they can contribute to increasing sustainability in a long-term approach. With the effects of climate change strongly affecting water availability across the planet, it is increasingly relevant to understand whether higher education students are aware of this situation, in order to develop adequate measures to promote sustainable behaviors regarding water use. This study aimed to assess students’ perceptions regarding water efficiency through a questionnaire submitted in seven HEIs in Portugal. Students acknowledged the importance of water, with older students, women and science students demonstrating a greater awareness. Despite this, 27% of students do not know what the average water consumption in Portugal is, and only 18% accurately reported the consumption range in Portugal. There is also a lack of knowledge (>50% students) regarding whether common water efficiency measures are applied in their HEI. The main information sources identified by the students were “social communication” and “internet/social media”, revealing that water efficiency knowledge transfer in high education can be improved.
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Entidade financiadora
Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia
Programa de financiamento
Concurso para Atribuição do Estatuto e Financiamento de Laboratórios Associados (LA)
Número da atribuição
LA/P/0121/2020