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Purpose-This paper proposes an energy efficiency plan (with technical and behavioural improvement measures) for a Portuguese higher education building-the Teaching Building of the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra (FEUC). Design/methodology/approach-The study was developed in the context of both the "Green Campus-Challenge for Energy Efficiency in Higher Education" and the Energy for Sustainability Initiative of the University of Coimbra, Portugal. An energy audit was conducted based on the analysis of the energy consumption profiles. A monitoring campaign was carried out to measure and disaggregate the electricity consumption. The consumption of natural gas and water were also assessed. The building envelope and the heating and lighting systems were also evaluated. Some patterns of energy-environmental behaviours of the academic community were investigated through a web-based survey. Findings-The energy efficiency plan contemplates short-term tangible/intangible actions. It also considers the investment and payback period of the tangible measures. The implementation of three improvement measures in the lighting system would lead to a consumption reduction of about 26123 kWh/year, avoiding the emission of 3704 KgCO 2 /year, for an initial cost of 9920 € (payback period of 3.7 years).

This paper brings together several contemporary topics in energy systems aiming to provide a literature review based reflection on how several interrelated energy systems can contribute together to a more sustainable world. Some directions are discussed, such as the improvement of the energy efficiency and environmental performance of the systems, the development of new technologies, the increase of the use of renewable energy sources, the promotion of holistic and multidisciplinary studies, and the implementation of new management rules and "eco-friendly and sustainable" oriented policies at different scales. The interrelations of the diverse energy systems are also discussed in order to address their main social-economic-environmental impacts. The subjects covered include the assessment of the electricity market and its main players (demand, supply, distribution), the evaluation of some urban systems (buildings, transportation, commuting), the analysis of the implementation of renewable energy cooperatives, the discussion of the diffusion of the electric vehicle and the importance of new bioenergy systems. This paper also presents relevant research carried out in the framework of both the Energy for Sustainability Initiative of the University of Coimbra and the Sustainable Energy Systems focus area of the MIT-Portugal Program. To conclude, several research topics that should be addressed in the near future are proposed.

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to offer an insight into the fundamental changes taking place in Port wine production value chains. Specifically, the authors examine two distinct production regimes: when Port is aged and sold in the Greater Oporto and, alternatively, when it is produced, aged and sold in Douro. Design/methodology/approach The authors apply a tri-regional input–output model (Douro, Greater Oporto and rest of the country) for Portugal’s economy. This framework comprises a significant level of detail, with 431 products and 136 industries, the corresponding supply and demand for the products, by industry (for intermediate consumption) and final demand. Findings This study shows that the two regimes generate noteworthy, but quite heterogeneous, regional impacts. In both cases, the distribution of value added generates international and interregional trade flows. Moreover, the study reveals a greater capacity to capture national value added by getting the supply chain more intensive in localised services and by using state-of-the-art production techniques. Originality/value Using detailed regional data, the authors use disaggregated information, both for industries as well for territories, overcoming a common limitation in similar works that are grounded in international databases. Additionally, the approach integrates the trade interactions among industries and regions, which proves essential to uncovering spillovers resulting from the (direct and indirect) use of inputs from other regions and other countries.

Purpose This paper aims to explore the potential contribution of integrated traffic and parking management strategies to ensure more rational use of available parking spaces and to reduce fuel consumption and greenhouse gas emissions by commuters traveling to the University of Coimbra (UC) main campus. Design/methodology/approach An integrated modelling approach is used, including the characterization of supply and demand for parking and public transport, the creation and implementation of a survey to campus users and a life-cycle approach to assess six transportation and parking strategy scenarios. Findings This comprehensive analysis demonstrates the importance of integrated management measures to greening commuters’ transportation and parking within a University campus, identifying and quantifying opportunities for successfully making the transitions toward a more sustainable future, namely, increasing well-being and reducing environmental impact. Practical implications Results demonstrate that effective control of illegal parking and different forms of modal shift toward public transportation may contribute to important reductions in environmental impacts. Social implications Local population reveals willingness to participate in collective efforts to tackle traffic and parking problems, challenging authorities to take action and empowering ever more people to engage in such cathartic changes. Originality/value This comprehensive approach is highly valuable for the management of parking and traffic within the UC campus, providing innovative lessons on the social and environmental impacts that would result from this policy approach to urban areas (e.g. historical centers) facing the typical problems of a carbon society, such as traffic congestion, non-regulated parking and intensive car use.

The lack of subnational trade data has dampened the development of reliable regional and multiregional models for regional policy development. So, most researchers and vendors of regional and interregional economic models continue to rely on location quotients, supply-demand pool techniques, or minor modifications of them, despite knowing that they underestimate interregional trade. In this piece, we analyse the relative viability of estimates of intraregional trade-so called "regional purchase coefficients" (RPCs). We do so for manufacturing sectors in 28 EU countries using the World Input-Output Database. We introduce an RPC-estimating technique using a quasi-binomial regression approach for goods-producing industries; we apply standard supply/demand ratios as RPCs for service-based industries. We then apply the estimates to an aggregate EU input-output (I-O) table and measure how closely the results approximate the I-O tables (direct requirements matrices) for each of the 28 EU nations. We compare these findings to those obtained by other conventional approaches. We also evaluate their ability to replicate the country Leontief inverses and output multipliers. We find quasi-binomial regression approaches superior across the board.