Nuno Gomes

Changed weather conditions (increased outdoor air temperatures and solar radiation levels) caused by the climate change could decrease building heat demand in the future. Furthermore, improved building insulation levels implemented due to the new building energy efficiency legislation could further decrease the demand for heating services. The main scope of this study is to present a methodology to assess the possible long-term effects of climate change on building heat demand on a large… Exibir mais

Changed weather conditions (increased outdoor air temperatures and solar radiation levels) caused by the climate change could decrease building heat demand in the future. Furthermore, improved building insulation levels implemented due to the new building energy efficiency legislation could further decrease the demand for heating services. The main scope of this study is to present a methodology to assess the possible long-term effects of climate change on building heat demand on a large scale.

A building heat demand model based on the thermoelectricity analogy was developed within this study, which is capable to take into account all relevant weather (outdoor air and solar radiation) and building (geometry, thermal properties etc.) parameters. The model was verified through the comparison with Design Builder v4.6. (Energy Plus v.8.3), with satisfactory outcome (average percentage error in annual heat demand of 4.47% and standard deviation between the hourly heat demand values of 2.73), and then applied on the district of Alvalade located in Lisbon (Portugal). Three weather scenarios were developed (low, medium, high temperature and solar radiation increase) along with three district renovation scenarios (shallow, intermediate, deep). For the representation of the results, district heat demand density and heat demand slope coefficient (slope of the heat demand—outdoor temperature function) were used.

The results suggest that heat demand density could decrease within the range of 22.3–52.4% in 2050 compared to 2010, depending on weather and renovation scenario studied. Accordingly, the heat demand slope coefficient increases within the range of −1.79 W/°C to −1.43 W/°C. However, even with all the heat demand reductions, the district still remains feasible for district heating (with heat demand density higher than 50 GWh/km2/yr for all studied scenarios). Exibir menos

This approach provides a better understanding of how the use of natural resources correlates with urban economic activities, and has the potential to make a major contribution to the design of sustainable urban systems and infrastructure.

The urban metabolism framework maps the activities of cities from their consumption of materials, the different activities associated with those processes, and the wastes produced. Information generated provides a diagnostic tool for identifying high… Exibir mais

This approach provides a better understanding of how the use of natural resources correlates with urban economic activities, and has the potential to make a major contribution to the design of sustainable urban systems and infrastructure.

The urban metabolism framework maps the activities of cities from their consumption of materials, the different activities associated with those processes, and the wastes produced. Information generated provides a diagnostic tool for identifying high waste generating or inefficient activities and identifying potential points of policy intervention.

The streamlined approach surmounts the lack of city level data, which is often cited as the most significant limitation preventing material flow analysis at the city level. Extension of the methodology to cover more cities can contribute toward creating benchmarks for city typologies. Exibir menos

Promoting the use of solar energy in urban environments requires knowing the geographical distribution and characteristics of the best places to implement solar systems. In this context, buildings can be used to locally generate electricity. Based on remote sensing data, the city's surface can be modeled and the solar income at each location can be estimated. The present study assesses photovoltaic (PV) potential of residential buildings. Two variables are modeled, the income of solar energy at… Exibir mais

Promoting the use of solar energy in urban environments requires knowing the geographical distribution and characteristics of the best places to implement solar systems. In this context, buildings can be used to locally generate electricity. Based on remote sensing data, the city's surface can be modeled and the solar income at each location can be estimated. The present study assesses photovoltaic (PV) potential of residential buildings. Two variables are modeled, the income of solar energy at the roof tops, and the population at the building level. The model is tested in Lisbon, Portugal, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) based solar models and Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) data. The total PV potential is assessed and compared with the local electricity demand. The results constitute an initial assessment of the city's solar potential that can be used to support management decisions regarding investments in solar systems. Exibir menos

Ambient noise is a subtle form of pollution in large urban areas, degrading human health and well-being. In Europe, directives require that urban environmental noise be measured and mapped for the main periods of the daily cycle. Subsequent analyses of human exposure to noise in those periods is usually conducted using resident (i.e., nighttime) population from the census and assuming constant densities within the enumeration units. However, population distribution and densities vary… Exibir mais

Ambient noise is a subtle form of pollution in large urban areas, degrading human health and well-being. In Europe, directives require that urban environmental noise be measured and mapped for the main periods of the daily cycle. Subsequent analyses of human exposure to noise in those periods is usually conducted using resident (i.e., nighttime) population from the census and assuming constant densities within the enumeration units. However, population distribution and densities vary considerably from night to day in metropolitan areas, and disregard for that process results in gross misestimation of exposure to ambient noise in the daytime period. This study considers the spatio-temporal variation of population distribution in assessing exposure to ambient noise in a major urban area, the city of Lisbon, Portugal. Detailed and compatible day-and nighttime population distribution maps were used, developed by means of 'intelligent dasymetric mapping'. After categorizing noise levels in existing maps in each period, classified according to current legislation, human exposure to ambient noise was assessed with temporally matching population surfaces. Population exposure to noise in 2000 and 2009 was compared and further analyzed in regards to main source of noise, i.e. road traffic vs. aircraft. Results show that human exposure to noise shifts substantially in time and space, with a significant increase in exposed population from the nighttime to daytime period, especially in the higher noise levels. This is due to the combined effects of the daily variation of noise patterns and population distribution.

Advancing environmental noise pollution analysis in urban areas by considering the variation of population exposure in space and time. Exibir menos

This paper aims to present some results of the project “Celebração da Cultura Costeira” (“Celebration of Coastal Culture”) (CCC), financed by the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants and the Sines municipality. It is this project’s purpose to identify, catalogue and permanently make available on the Internet information concerning local and regional maritime-fluvial cultural heritage, thus creating a “Patrimonial” Geographic Information System (GIS) – compiling information gathered through the… Exibir mais

This paper aims to present some results of the project “Celebração da Cultura Costeira” (“Celebration of Coastal Culture”) (CCC), financed by the European Economic Area (EEA) Grants and the Sines municipality. It is this project’s purpose to identify, catalogue and permanently make available on the Internet information concerning local and regional maritime-fluvial cultural heritage, thus creating a “Patrimonial” Geographic Information System (GIS) – compiling information gathered through the use of Global Positioning System (GPS) and in-depth interviews with local actors – to be accessible by the targeted coastal communities and the relevant political and social institutions. The conceptual broadening of this GIS into a Web-GIS platform – by means of making it accessible to the general public – is believed to have a great potential in what concerns the creation of coherent and well-organized touristic offer about the fishing communities cultural heritage thus promoting these communities social and economic development and the fulfilment of their conservational role in their coastal dwelling and fishing areas. Exibir menos

A procedure for estimating the photovoltaic (PV) potential of an urban region from LiDAR data using the Solar Analyst tool is described. The total PV potential of the 538 identified buildings is around 11.5 GWh/year for an installed capacity of 7 MW, which corresponds to 48% of the local electricity demand. It is shown that for a low PV penetration (about 10% of total roof area) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering no shade and local optimum inclination and orientation. For… Exibir mais

A procedure for estimating the photovoltaic (PV) potential of an urban region from LiDAR data using the Solar Analyst tool is described. The total PV potential of the 538 identified buildings is around 11.5 GWh/year for an installed capacity of 7 MW, which corresponds to 48% of the local electricity demand. It is shown that for a low PV penetration (about 10% of total roof area) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering no shade and local optimum inclination and orientation. For high PV penetration (i.e. covering all roof area available) the PV potential can be well estimated by considering a horizontal surface with the footprint area of the buildings. These results suggest a simple first-approximation estimation of the PV potential of an urban area without the need for a full 3D analysis of mutual shading on a Surface Digital Model. Exibir menos