UREPE
- Rational Use of Energy and Energy Planning R&D
Group
Description
The research group within INESC designated
UREPE (which stands for Rational Use of
Energy and Energy Planning) has developed its
activity around the great themes of
demand-side management (DSM) and integrated
resource planning (IRP), both in the
perspective of end-users and of energy
suppliers and energy services suppliers. A
synthetic list of the main fields of action
follows, with a brief description of the
group’s involvement in each:
Demand-Side Management (DSM):
methodologies and studies for the evaluation
of the impact of DSM programs and actions,
including load research and cost-benefit
evaluation.
Efficient Use of Energy in Buildings:
lighting systems (co-ordination with
daylight, control methodologies, illuminance
measurement methods), energy management
computer-based systems, methodologies and
computational tools for building performance
evaluation.
Energy Audits: instrumentation
and computer programs for automating
energy audits, diagnostic methodologies.
Maximum Demand Control: methodologies
and algorithms, instrumentation and methods
for evaluating controllers .
Communications for energy management and
telemetering: power-line carrier
communications (modems and communication
protocols).
Computer Simulation and Modelling of
Electric Energy End-Uses:
physically-based models of electric loads,
simulation of end-use plants (customers)
including individual load models, load
shifting, maximum demand control and economic
analysis capabilities.
Energy Planning: methodologies and models
for integrated resource planning in electric
power systems, energy and environmental
planning at municipal level.
A number of forms of
intervention have been practised, such as
instrumentation development, software
development, studies, methodology
development, education, technology transfer.
Previous experience
UREPE group has been involved in several
R&D projects, either academic or also
under contract with the EU, the portuguese
government, industrial companies and electric
utilities.
Some finished projects are referred
below, briefly identifying the
collaboration/contractual liasion of
the UREPE group.
- Project: ADCE -
Decision support system for electric
energy purchasing
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: Directorate General for Energy,
Ministry of Industry and Energy (P)
- Project: SAPRA -
Computer-aided planning and report
generation tool for M&T
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: Directorate General for Energy,
Ministry of Industry and Energy (P)
- Project: Planning,
automation and operation of energy
distribution networks with disperse and
renewable generation in a deregulated
scenario
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: INESC Oporto branch, INTERG
(R&D Institute in Lisbon )
- Project: Computer-aided
energy management and process control
functions for the stabilization of the
interconnected power system (IPS) of the
Baltic States (CIPA-CT93-0162)
Scope:
International (EuropeComputer-aided
energy management and process control
functions for the stabilization of the
interconnected power system (IPS) of the
Baltic States (CIPA-CT93-0162)an Union,
programme COPERNICUS)
Other partners
involved: IITB-Fraunhofer Ges. (Germany),
DC Baltija (Latvia), IER - Institute of
Energy Research (Estonia)
- Project: ACOGER
- evaluation of the impact of
co-generation in Portugal
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: EDP, S.A. (national eletric
utility holding company)
- Project: PEMP -
mid-term energy plan for the historic
centre of the city of Coimbra
Scope:
International (European Union,
programme RECITE)
Other partners
involved: IERU (R&D Institute in
Coimbra), Municipalities of Perugia (I),
Prato (I), Corfu (Gr), Rodhes (Gr),
Amsterdco (NL), Jaen (E), Coimbra
(P)
- Project: ALMEDINA
- daylight evaluation of a building
retrofit design
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: IERU (R&D Institute in
Coimbra)
- Project: VVOUGA
- development of an energy management
system for an energy efficient school
building
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: Ministry of Education (P)
- Project: Energy
savings in textile industry (XVII / 4.1031 / SA /
102 / 96 / SWE)
Scope:
International (European Union,
programme SAVE II)
Other partners involved: AF Energikonsult
Stockholm AB (Sweden), Universita di
Palermo (Italy), Alteren Inc. (Greece)
- Project: DSM in
the historical centre of the city of
Coimbra
Scope: National
Other partners
involved: EDP, S.A. (national eletric
utility holding company)
The following projects
are presently under development:
- Project: Energy
efficiency in schools (XVII / 4.1031
/ SA / 9 / 96 / OST)
Scope:
International (European Union,
programme SAVE II)
Other partners
involved: SAFE (Austrian regional
electric distribution utility),
University of Graz (Austria), Swb. Brixen
(Italian municipal electric distribution
utility)
Capabilities
INESC, particularly the research group UREPE
within it, has a considerable experience in
rational use of energy (RUE), energy
management, load research and DSM activities.
Load modelling, namely through
physically-based load models (PBLM), has been
one direction of research at academic level,
with software tools developed that may be
useful for DSM and load management (LM)
actions simulation in electric
networks. Besides, it has a large curriculum
in dissemination actions, namely in
cooperation with other institutions, in the
fields of RUE and integrated resource
planning (IRP), as for instance with
universities, R&D institutes, energy
agencies and professional associations,
through seminars, conferences and short
courses. Researchers within the group are
also involved in lecturing activities at the
University of Coimbra and several polytechnic
institutes in Portugal, all in fields related
to their research activities.
UREPE is provided with several software tools
adapted to its fields of activity, in three
main vectors: commercially available software
developed at highly reputable institutions
such as the Electrical Power Research
Institute (EPRI) and the US Department of
Energy (DOE); home developed software tools
as result of its own R&D activity, some
of which are available in the portuguese
market; CASE tools, compilers, data base
management systems, libraries, etc.
Besides, there is also available
instrumentation that may be divided into 2
groups: energy audits instrumentation such as
single- and three-phase energy analysers,
harmonic analyser, portable data loggers for
load profile recording; instrumentation for
the measurement of environmental quantities,
such as multi-channel data loggers, sensors
and portable meters.
Contact
Legal name INESC
INstituto de Engenharia de Sistemas e
Computadores
Street, number Rua Antero de
Quental 199
Country, Postal code, town
Portugal 3000 Coimbra
Telephone (area code, number) 039-832
689
Fax 039-824 692
Person in charge of the project
Professor A. Gomes Martins amartins@inescc.pt
Position held by this person Research
Manager
Person in charge:
Professor A. Gomes Martins
amartins@inescc.pt
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