scholarly journals A Win-Win Scheme for Improving the Environmental Sustainability of University Commuters’ Mobility and Getting Environmental Credits

Energies ◽  
2022 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 396
Author(s):  
Laura Cirrincione ◽  
Salvatore Di Dio ◽  
Giorgia Peri ◽  
Gianluca Scaccianoce ◽  
Domenico Schillaci ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Commuter Students ◽  
Free Access ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
The University

European Union Member States are called upon to meet internationally proposed environmental goals. This study is based, in particular, on the recommendation of the European Union (EU), which encourages Member States to pursue effective policies to reduce greenhouse gas (GHGs) emissions, including through appropriate changes in the behavioral habits of citizens. In this respect, among the main sectors involved, transport and mobility should certainly be mentioned. National institutions should be adequately involved in order to achieve the objectives set; in this regard, universities must certainly be considered for their educational value. These latter, for instance, could commit to improving the environmental performance of the mobility of their commuter students (to a not insignificant extent), since commuting modes are often the cause of high CO2 emissions; indeed, they still largely involve the use of internal combustion engines based on fossil fuels. In this paper, the effectiveness of a smartphone-app-based method to encourage commuter students to adopt more sustainable transport modes is evaluated. In more detail, starting from a statistical analysis of the status quo of mobility habits of a sample of students at the University of Palermo (Italy), an improvement of current habits toward a more sustainable path is encouraged through a new application (specifically created for this purpose) installed on students’ smartphones. Then, the daily and annual distances traveled by commuters with the new mobility modes are calculated, and the resulting savings in energy and CO2 emissions are estimated. Finally, it is proposed that the reduced emissions could be converted into energy-efficiency credits that the University could use to enter the emission trading system (ETS), here contextualized within the Italian “TEE” (“Energy Efficiency Credits”) scheme, while the benefits for students participating in the program could consist of reduced fees and free access to university services. The results obtained show the feasibility of the proposal. This approach can be considered a useful model that could be adopted by any other public institutions—not only universities—to facilitate their path toward decarbonization.

scholarly journals Sustainability Investigation of Vehicles’ CO2 Emission in Hungary

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (15) ◽  
pp. 8237
Author(s):  
István Árpád ◽  
Judit T. Kiss ◽  
Gábor Bellér ◽  
Dénes Kocsis
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Energy Supply ◽  
Internal Combustion Engines ◽  
Combustion Engines ◽  
The European Union ◽  
New Approach ◽  
Technology System ◽  
Low Co2

The regulation of vehicular CO2 emissions determines the permissible emissions of vehicles in units of g CO2/km. However, these values only partially provide adequate information because they characterize only the vehicle but not the emission of the associated energy supply technology system. The energy needed for the motion of vehicles is generated in several ways by the energy industry, depending on how the vehicles are driven. These methods of energy generation consist of different series of energy source conversions, where the last technological step is the vehicle itself, and the result is the motion. In addition, sustainability characterization of vehicles cannot be determined by the vehicle’s CO2 emissions alone because it is a more complex notion. The new approach investigates the entire energy technology system associated with the generation of motion, which of course includes the vehicle. The total CO2 emissions and the resulting energy efficiency have been determined. For this, it was necessary to systematize (collect) the energy supply technology lines of the vehicles. The emission results are not given in g CO2/km but in g CO2/J, which is defined in the paper. This new method is complementary to the European Union regulative one, but it allows more complex evaluations of sustainability. The calculations were performed based on Hungarian data. Finally, using the resulting energy efficiency values, the emission results were evaluated by constructing a sustainability matrix similar to the risk matrix. If only the vehicle is investigated, low CO2 emissions can be achieved with vehicles using internal combustion engines. However, taking into consideration present technologies, in terms of sustainability, the spread of electric-only vehicles using renewable energies can result in improvement in the future. This proposal was supported by the combined analysis of the energy-specific CO2 emissions and the energy efficiency of vehicles with different power-driven systems.

scholarly journals Evaluation of Sustainable Energy Development Progress in EU Member States in the Context of Building Renovation

Energies ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (14) ◽  
pp. 4209
Author(s):  
Rita Remeikienė ◽  
Ligita Gasparėnienė ◽  
Aleksandra Fedajev ◽  
Marek Szarucki ◽  
Marija Đekić ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Consumption ◽  
Co2 Emissions ◽  
Renewable Energy Sources ◽  
Investment Efficiency ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Member States ◽  
Eu Member States ◽  
The Eu

The main goal of setting energy efficiency priorities is to find ways to reduce energy consumption without harming consumers and the environment. The renovation of buildings can be considered one of the main aspects of energy efficiency in the European Union (EU). In the EU, only 5% of the renovation projects have been able to yield energy-saving at the deep renovation level. No other study has thus far ranked the EU member states according to achieved results in terms of increased usage in renewable sources, a decrease in energy usage and import, and reduction in harmful gas emissions due to energy usage. The main purpose of this article is to perform a comparative analysis of EU economies according to selected indicators related to the usage of renewable resources, energy efficiency, and emissions of harmful gasses as a result of energy usage. The methodological contribution of our study is related to developing a complex and robust research method for investment efficiency assessment allowing the study of three groups of indicators related to the usage of renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, and ecological aspects of energy. It was based on the PROMETHEE II method and allows testing it in other time periods, as well as modifying it for research purposes. The EU member states were categorized by such criteria as energy from renewables and biofuels, final energy consumption from renewables and biofuels, gross electricity generation from renewables and biofuels and import dependency, and usage of renewables and biofuels for heating and cooling. The results of energy per unit of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), Greenhouse gasses (GHG) emissions per million inhabitants (ECO2), energy per capita, the share of CO2 emissions from public electricity, and heat production from total CO2 emissions revealed that Latvia, Sweden, Portugal, Croatia, Austria, Lithuania, Romania, Denmark, and Finland are the nine most advanced countries in the area under consideration. In the group of the most advanced countries, energy consumption from renewables and biofuels is higher than the EU average.

State and Church in the European Union

2019 ◽  
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
European Integration ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
New Developments ◽  
Major Significance ◽  
European Culture ◽  
Essential Components ◽  
Church Relationships ◽  
The University

Churches as essential components of European culture have major significance for European integration. A Europe, bound by common constitutional traditions, cultures and traditions of its Member States, their national identity and the principle of subsidiarity, will have to respect the deep-rooted systems of State and Church relationships in its Member States. The volume presents in its third edition a broad comparison of different systems of State and Church relationships in the Member States of the European Union. It includes the new Member States and gives an account of the new developments throughout Europe. The volume shows the implications of European integration on the position of the Churches. It is of interest to all working in the field of State-Church relationship as well as to public and church institutions. The volume has been produced in association with the European Consortium for State-Church Research. The authors are experts in the field from the different Member States of the European Union, presenting the relevant systems of their home countries. The editor is a former professor at the University of Trier.

scholarly journals Dear reader,

2016 ◽  
Vol 24 ◽  
pp. 1
Author(s):  
Marju Luts-Sootak
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Foreign Language ◽  
Research Policy ◽  
Small Population ◽  
Free Access ◽  
The European Union ◽  
European Union Law ◽  
Legal Concept ◽  
The University

The number of legal journals published in Estonia has always been limited. On the one hand, the reasons for such scarcity have always rested with the small population, which limits the size of the Estonian legal audience and thus the potential number of readers. On the other hand, the twists and turns of (recent) history have always meant interruptions in the publication of legal journals. Publishing two, three or even four journals at the same time has proven possible only in a very limited number of years. There is usually no reason to talk about decades in this context. All the more reason for us, as the publishers and authors of this journal, to be proud of the publication of yet another issue of our magazine. The first issue of Juridica International – the foreign language companion to the Estonian language journal Juridica, which has been published since 1993 – appeared twenty years ago, in 1996. Professor Paul Varul, Editor-in-Chief of Juridica International from 1996–2015, took a look back at these first twenty years in the editor’s column of our last issue. Juridica International has acted like a seismograph when it comes to reflecting reforms in Estonian law and legal education. When Estonia joined the European Union in 2004, new and significantly more international challenges alreadly came along during the preparatory stage, not to mention the subsequent active participation in the harmonisation processes of European Union law. The foreign language journal, published at and with the means of the Faculty of Law of Estonia’s own national university, the University of Tartu, has given our legal practitioners a chance to express their views among an international community of scholars in a highly visible manner. Juridica International has also played an important part in publishing materials from legal conferences and seminars held in Estonia. Juridica International has become an attractive international journal that reaches well beyond the borders of Estonia and the European Union. This widespread circulation has been assisted by free access online – a decision made by Juridica International years before “open access” became a keyword of global research policy. In the span of only a couple of decades, the journal that first started as the “calling card” of the Faculty of Law at the University of Tartu, mainly introducing and analysing Estonia’s own legal developments, has become an internationally open, peer-reviewed legal journal that is represented in the most acknowledged databases. Since Juridica International is a universal legal journal by its very essence, and this number is not a topically focused conference issue, the geography of both the authors and the topics covered reflect points of interest and concern in the legal science of our region. A special place is reserved for the principal foundations of the European Union and European legal culture in general, and the latest developments in the law of Europe, Estonia, and other countries are addressed as always. One of the obvious causes for concern is Russia’s legal concept, and the legal situation of both it and its neighbours deserves an observant analysis. As the new Editor-in-Chief of the journal, I thank all the editors, colleagues at the editorial board, and the technical team for their continued energy and hard work. For our readers, as well as current and future authors, I hope this issue will be thought-provoking, give you topics to reflect on, and a reason to join us time and again.

General incentives for renewable energy investment and energy efficiency measures in Hungary

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 53-58
Author(s):  
J. T. Kiss ◽  
I. Kocsis
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Energy Intensity ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Energy Investment ◽  
Member States ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
Efficiency Measures ◽  
European Union Countries ◽  
Renewable Energy Investment

Abstract In this paper we analyse the trends and developments of energy imports as a percentage of gross inland energy consumption including bunkers in Hungary and the European Union countries between 2000 and 2011. Data show that the average of the energy dependence increased in the EU27 Member States (7.1 percentage points) and in Hungary, too (3.4 percentage points). The energy intensity in Member States is examined as well. According to the data the energy intensity decreased in the majority of the Member States, the average decreased by 16 percent.

Support of university spin-off companies

2000 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 13-21 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Van Der Sijde ◽  
Jaap Van Tilburg
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Final Section ◽  
Systematic Approach ◽  
Business Development ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Start Up ◽  
The University ◽  
The Eu

In this paper the process of the business development of spin-off companies from universities is described. The authors discuss each phase of development (awareness, feasibility, start-up, growth and maturity) and provide examples of each phase. They describe in particular the example of the University of Twente and its spin-off programme, TOP (Temporary Entrepreneurial Positions). Secondly, they focus on university spin-off programmes: what are the arguments against and in favour of such initiatives? The arguments that led the University of Twente to favour investment in spin-off programmes are discussed. The final section of the paper concerns the EU-supported UNISPIN project, a systematic approach to university spin-off development throughout all member states of the European Union.

scholarly journals Solidarity and responsibility as a framework for the COVID-19 response in the European Union – the European Green Deal is a path?

2020 ◽  
Vol 6 (2) ◽  
pp. 66-76
Author(s):  
Nataly Carvalho Machado
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Human Health ◽  
Environmental Sustainability ◽  
Environmental Issues ◽  
Well Being ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
Recovery Plan ◽  
Social Recovery ◽  
The Impact

Recognised as an ambitious step, the European Green Deal guides the application of European Union policies not only in the environmental field, but also in other areas that may directly or indirectly interfere with human health and environmental sustainability, with the aim of transforming climate challenges and environmental issues in applicable opportunities. With the COVID-19 crisis, major challenges have emerged and aggravated extant problems in the most varied societies. In the European Union’s context, the impact of the new pandemic stood out, especially at the beginning, showing different responses by the Member States, in a disorderly and isolated way between one border and another, which highlighted when it would be placed in practice. Member States´ solidarity and responsibility to work together towards an economic and social recovery plan is critical in order to keep European project alive. Therefore, in an attempt to reinforce the link between solidarity and responsibility among Member States, the European Union uses the Green Deal to respond to the crisis through a recovery that has common objectives around the sustainability and well-being of its citizens.

scholarly journals Aprendizaje de los roles de los agentes BIM en la organización de proyectos = Learning the roles of BIM agents in project management

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 47
Author(s):  
Carolina Piña Ramirez ◽  
Sheila Varela Lujan ◽  
Patricia Aguilera Benito ◽  
Alejandra Vidales Barriguete
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Project Management ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Member States ◽  
The University ◽  
The Relationship

ResumenActualmente la metodología BIM se está desarrollando en todas las ramas de la construcción e ingeniería. La Unión Europea con la Directiva2014/24/UE marca un hito en el mercado, recomendando a los estados miembros el uso de BIM en sus proyectos, y España, por su parte está en fase de desarrollo de una transposición de esa directiva para implantar esa metodología, con el Ministerio de Fomento. Esta transformación del sector nos lleva a la necesidad de instituir profesionales de calidad cuya formación sea la competente para la inmersión en el mercado profesional existente. Por ello, el propósito de este artículo es exportar a la universidad el conocimiento de la relación entre las implicaciones de los agentes intervinientes en la metodología BIM y las fases de un proyecto. Este trabajo tiene como finalidad de conseguir una mejora en la enseñanza del Graduado en Ingeniería de la Edificación de la Universidad Politécnica de Madrid, hacia el cambio BIM.AbstractCurrently the BIM methodology is being developed in all branches of construction and engineering. The European Union with the Directive2014/2/EU set a benchmark in the market, recommending to Member States the use of BIM in projects. Spain is actually in the process of developing a transposition of that directive to implement that methodology. This sector transformation makes it necessary to train professionals with adequate training to be immerse in the market. Therefore, the aim of this article is to export to the university the knowledge of the relationship between the implications of the intervening agents in the BIM methodology and the phases of a project. This has the purpose of obtaining an improvement in the teaching of the Graduate in Engineering of the Building of the Polytechnic University of Madrid, towards the BIM change.

Empowering Small Electricity Consumers to Help European Member States to Reach the Energy Efficiency Targets of the European Union

2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
pp. 17-26
Author(s):  
Ovidio J. González de Uña ◽  
Alejandro Carballar Rincón
Keyword(s):  
European Union ◽  
Energy Efficiency ◽  
Policy Instrument ◽  
Full Potential ◽  
The European Union ◽  
Energy Usage ◽  
Smart Meters ◽  
Load Curve ◽  
Member States ◽  
Energy Efficiency Targets

In Europe, small electricity consumers are not using the full potential offered by smart meters. Although the European Union requires Member States to provide consumers with their energy usage data, small consumers are not using this data for improving their energy efficiency. This paper proposes: first, the standardization of the electrical load curve offered to small energy consumers at European level. Second, the use of open innovation challenges as a policy instrument in the European Union to improve the energy efficiency of the small electricity consumers and to encourage the development of new market niches. Finally, the paper quantifies how ICT energy efficiency solutions for small electricity consumers can contribute to the achievement of the 2020 European Union energy efficiency targets.

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