PRR Project

Summary

The projection of an acceleration of the sea-level rise, caused mostly by increasing ocean temperatures and the melting of ice caps, is expected to expose the World’s coasts to unprecedented levels of coastal flooding and erosion, representing one of the major hazards that threaten future shorelines and coastal ecosystems. Coastal zones are densely populated, host important socio-economic activities and valuable assets, and accommodate fragile ecosystems that provide valuable services (shoreline protection, food, biodiversity, and (or) natural carbon sequestration). It is estimated that one billion people currently live in coastal areas less than 10 m above high tide level, of which 230 million live less than 1 m above high tide level. As such, adaptation and mitigation planning represents a high-priority mission to reduce the risk to coastal communities and increase their resilience. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) recognized the threat to many coastal cities and communities as they grapple with rapidly increasing flooding, more frequent and intense storms, saltwater intrusion, etc. Thankfully, and as highlighted in the latest assessment report of the IPCC report Working Group III, it is still not too late to act and there are possible pathways to limit our impact on the environment such as replacing carbon fossil energy generation with Renewable Energy Sources (RES), which seem to be one of the most promising solutions to building a sustainable development.Renewable energy, now firmly entrenched as the world´s fastest-growing energy sector, will play a major role in tackling climate change and can provide Europe with affordable and secure energy. Most countries now recognize the need to promote and implement the RES transition into their energy policies, foster energy independence and meet the targets to mitigate the effects of climate change associated with fossil fuels. Energy systems are undergoing a transformation from centralized to decentralized structures, and many countries are changing their legislation to enable RES implementation through what is known as Renewable Energy Communities (REC). Portugal has committed itself internationally to the target discussed at the UN Framework Convention on Climate Control i.e. avoiding global warming above 2 degrees Celsius. The overall objective of the 2030 EU strategy is to move towards the decarbonization of the EU economy by 2030. Ambitious R&D targets have been set for 5 renewable technologies with great potential for cost-reductions and large-scale deployment worldwide – off-shore wind energy, solar photovoltaics, ocean energy, concentrated solar power, and deep geothermal energy. The objective of Portugal is to be neutral in emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG) by 2050. Marine energy renewables and sustainable energy communities are both important elements of the Portuguese Roadmap for Carbon Neutrality 2050. Following EU and Portugal proposed challenges in marine energy and blue growth, specifically on decarbonizing energy economy through energy transition processes.The tenure position herein proposed is for a researcher capable of developing roadmaps that lead to carbon-neutral coastal communities and demonstrate how different renewable energy sources can contribute to reducing energy costs and be integrated into a flexible smart grid. The researcher needs to have proven competence in renewable energy, particularly in testing energy extraction prototypes in marine environments, and in setting up Renewable Energy Communities. Since the prospective challenge is to develop a framework on how to build resilience in self-sufficient coastal communities, adapted to climate change scenarios covering all the dimensions of sustainability e.g. environmental, social, and economic, it is a fundamental complementary experience on coastal evolution processes, coastal modeling, oceanography, earth observation techniques, social science (e.g. implement participatory diagnosis) and economic modeling (e.g. cost-benefit analysis). The researcher must have an excellent track record of publication on the above topics, a proven capacity to attract funding on competitive calls, and an excellent track record on science communication, particularly to main media channels. The researcher will have to handle several data acquisition modalities and platforms to capture relevant data from science citizen data, develop low-cost sensors, use Earth Observations (EO) platforms and aerial/terrestrial Remote Sensing (RS) techniques, plan and perform coastal oceanographic surveys, evaluate renewable energy sources and use demand side algorithms to optimize energy generation to different consumption profiles, model socio-economic and environmental variables, and implement participatory processes designed for a specific purpose.