Publications
Empty promises or promising futures? The case of smart grids Journal Article
Kovacic, Zora; Giampietro, Mario
In: Energy, 93 , pp. 67–74, 2015, ISSN: 03605442.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: Complexity, Electricity, Energy, Multi-scale, Quality assessment, Uncertainty
@article{Kovacic2015a,
title = {Empty promises or promising futures? The case of smart grids},
author = {Zora Kovacic and Mario Giampietro},
url = {https://linkinghub.elsevier.com/retrieve/pii/S0360544215012141},
doi = {10.1016/j.energy.2015.08.116},
issn = {03605442},
year = {2015},
date = {2015-12-01},
journal = {Energy},
volume = {93},
pages = {67--74},
abstract = {The goal of this paper is to disentangle the ambiguity associated with the term smart grids. A plurality of definitions, envisioned purposes and future visions are associated with smart grids, inclusding access to electricity as a human right, t he decentralization of the energy system and the changing role of consumers, sustainability issues, energy security, and climate change. In this context, it is very difficult to assess the potential of smart grids, given the high uncertainty associated with the many challenges that this technology is supposed to face. We apply the analytical tools of complexity theory to (1) identify the different definition of smart grid that are associated with different future visions about their performance; and (2) provide a critical appraisal of these future visions in relation to the stated goals and social contexts in which they are generated. As a result, we identify the contradictions that emerge from different definitions of smart grids, the issues that are neglected and the different levels of uncertainty involved.},
keywords = {Complexity, Electricity, Energy, Multi-scale, Quality assessment, Uncertainty},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {article}
}
The goal of this paper is to disentangle the ambiguity associated with the term smart grids. A plurality of definitions, envisioned purposes and future visions are associated with smart grids, inclusding access to electricity as a human right, t he decentralization of the energy system and the changing role of consumers, sustainability issues, energy security, and climate change. In this context, it is very difficult to assess the potential of smart grids, given the high uncertainty associated with the many challenges that this technology is supposed to face. We apply the analytical tools of complexity theory to (1) identify the different definition of smart grid that are associated with different future visions about their performance; and (2) provide a critical appraisal of these future visions in relation to the stated goals and social contexts in which they are generated. As a result, we identify the contradictions that emerge from different definitions of smart grids, the issues that are neglected and the different levels of uncertainty involved.
Tovar, Tarik Serrano
Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 2014, ISBN: 9788449047879.
Abstract | Links | BibTeX | Tags: GIS, Integrated assessment, Multi-scale
@phdthesis{SerranoTovar2014,
title = {Spatial analysis in MuSIASEM. The use of geographic information systems and land use applied to the integrated analysis of rural systems' metabolism},
author = {Tarik Serrano Tovar},
url = {http://hdl.handle.net/10803/286179 https://www.tdx.cat/handle/10803/286179},
isbn = {9788449047879},
year = {2014},
date = {2014-05-01},
pages = {135},
school = {Universitat Aut\`{o}noma de Barcelona},
abstract = {This doctoral dissertation is about exploring and developing procedures making it possible to incorporate spatial analytical tools, and more concretely Geographic Information Systems (GIS), into one of the most interesting approaches to study sustainability issues: the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). In particular, this is a methodological exercise having the goal to develop, test and propose tools that can be used for the integrated assessment of the sustainability of socio-ecological systems, and more specifically rural systems. Therefore, this thesis combines both theoretical discussions and practical case studies. The development of a robust methodology required dealing with the theory of complexity, whereas the test and calibration of the resulting methods required ground-based with empirical work. Thus, the dissertation goes through three main parts: an introductory part developing the theory, a second part with the three case studies and a third part with the conclusive reflections on the lessons learned about the methodology. The first part is divided in three chapters where I firstly make a general introduction to the context motivating this thesis, a second chapter in which I explain the MuSIASEM approach, the background theories and I justify why I have chosen this approach rather than others, and a third chapter where I develop the general theory and methodology to analyse rural systems tested in the second part. The second part of this dissertation contains the core of the applied research; the three case studies. The first application is a case study of rural Laos, where I develop a system of accounting capable of handling the quantitative information about the metabolic performance of typologies of farming systems across levels and scales based in the land use and GIS information. This quantitative method can scale-up and scale-down the characterization of elements defined on different hierarchical levels of organization, which can only be perceived and represented on non-equivalent descriptive domains. The second case study was undertaken in Guatemala and it included empirical field work. There, I established a procedure to generate geographic information at local level to be used for the metabolic analysis of the system, in order to later simulate scenarios taking into account geographic constraints. The third case study is more complex, it is an analysis of Mauritius Island integrating many dimensions and scales (energy, food, water, money, land use, human activity) and handling data through the use of GIS and remote sensing to simulate possible scenarios of development. The final part of the dissertation develops some reflections about the particular scope of this thesis (the use of GIS in MuSIASEM), and a last chapter of concluding theoretical remarks.},
keywords = {GIS, Integrated assessment, Multi-scale},
pubstate = {published},
tppubtype = {phdthesis}
}
This doctoral dissertation is about exploring and developing procedures making it possible to incorporate spatial analytical tools, and more concretely Geographic Information Systems (GIS), into one of the most interesting approaches to study sustainability issues: the Multi-Scale Integrated Analysis of Societal and Ecosystem Metabolism (MuSIASEM). In particular, this is a methodological exercise having the goal to develop, test and propose tools that can be used for the integrated assessment of the sustainability of socio-ecological systems, and more specifically rural systems. Therefore, this thesis combines both theoretical discussions and practical case studies. The development of a robust methodology required dealing with the theory of complexity, whereas the test and calibration of the resulting methods required ground-based with empirical work. Thus, the dissertation goes through three main parts: an introductory part developing the theory, a second part with the three case studies and a third part with the conclusive reflections on the lessons learned about the methodology. The first part is divided in three chapters where I firstly make a general introduction to the context motivating this thesis, a second chapter in which I explain the MuSIASEM approach, the background theories and I justify why I have chosen this approach rather than others, and a third chapter where I develop the general theory and methodology to analyse rural systems tested in the second part. The second part of this dissertation contains the core of the applied research; the three case studies. The first application is a case study of rural Laos, where I develop a system of accounting capable of handling the quantitative information about the metabolic performance of typologies of farming systems across levels and scales based in the land use and GIS information. This quantitative method can scale-up and scale-down the characterization of elements defined on different hierarchical levels of organization, which can only be perceived and represented on non-equivalent descriptive domains. The second case study was undertaken in Guatemala and it included empirical field work. There, I established a procedure to generate geographic information at local level to be used for the metabolic analysis of the system, in order to later simulate scenarios taking into account geographic constraints. The third case study is more complex, it is an analysis of Mauritius Island integrating many dimensions and scales (energy, food, water, money, land use, human activity) and handling data through the use of GIS and remote sensing to simulate possible scenarios of development. The final part of the dissertation develops some reflections about the particular scope of this thesis (the use of GIS in MuSIASEM), and a last chapter of concluding theoretical remarks.
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