Eva Pongrácz

• D.Sc.(Tech.)
• Professor at University of Oulu

This study investigates the impact of building orientation on the economic feasibility of residential rooftop photovoltaic installations in Arctic climatic conditions, aligning with the European Union's advocacy for region-specific 'solar-ready' buildings. The research uses a novel combination of 3-dimensional modelling, solar simulation, and compr...

This article presents the evolution of a smart grid in an artic city, and we analyze its development using the Smart Grid Reference Architecture (SGAM) and from historical, technological, and social points of view in an Arctic context. We illustrate the emergence of smart grid application and its relation to energy consumption habits and sustainabi...

The building sector is critical in climate change mitigation by reducing its energy consumption. At the same time, warming climate requires adaptation measures from buildings, making it necessary to study the future thermal energy demand of buildings. This paper studies the impact of climate change on the thermal energy demand of buildings in a hea...

Purpose Calculating an organization's carbon footprint is crucial for assessing and implementing emission reductions. Although Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) aim for carbon neutrality by 2030, limited research exists on plans to reach a similar target in any country. This paper aims to address the shared and individual challenges Finn...

The change in the global energy production mix towards variable renewable energy sources requires efficient utilization of regulated rivers to optimise hydropower operations meet the needs of a changing energy market. However, the flexible operation of hydropower plants causes non-natural, sub-daily fluctuating flows in the receiving water bodies,...

Hydropower is a flexible form of electricity generation providing both baseload and balancing power to accommodate intermittent renewables in the energy mix. However, hydropower also generates various externalities. This study investigates individuals' preferences for policies aiming to reduce short-term regulations (i.e., hydropeaking in regulated...

The European Union’s highly anticipated “solar strategy” to equip the new and existing building stocks with solar PV panels displays a promising trend in the solar PV industry. However, from Finland’s perspective, generating solar PV energy in an Arctic setting is characterised by a few common ambiguities, further lowering the motivation. Several m...

Phosphorus (P) recovery and recycling play a crucial role in improving resource efciency, sustainable nutrient management and moving toward circular economy. Increasing demand for fertilizers, signs of geopolitical constraints, and high discharge of P to waterbodies are the other reasons to pursue the circularity of P. Various research have been ca...

The sea area around the Orkney archipelago, Scotland is subjected to substantial maritime shipping activities. By contract, the Svalbard archipelago, Norway currently has a rather low marine traffic profile. Future projections, however, indicate that the Trans-Arctic route might change the whole transportation picture and Svalbard may be at the cen...

As an answer to the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, organizations are increasingly making efforts to account for their carbon footprint. While general guidelines for carbon footprint calculation exist, they usually do not consider special characteristics of organisations such as institutions of higher education. Case studies can act then a...

This study proposes a product sustainability assessment tool (PSAT) that addresses the environmental, health and safety, social, and economic sustainability aspects from a life cycle perspective. The proposed PSAT uses the principles of Green Chemistry, Industrial Ecology, and Green Engineering as guidelines in the development of its assessment cri...

Growing energy consumption is a global problem. The information and communications technology (ICT) industry is in a critical role as an enabler of energy savings in other sectors. However, the power consumption of the ICT sector also needs to be addressed, to contribute to the overall reduction of power consumption and carbon emissions. A new era...

Hydropower is a flexible form of electricity generation providing both baseload and balancing power to accommodate intermittent renewables in the energy mix. However, hydropower also generates various externalities. This study investigates individuals’ preferences for policies aiming to reduce short-term regulations (i.e., hydropeaking in regulated...

Finland, Sweden and Norway, have their own geographical and societal characteristics including sparse population, long transportation distances and cold weather. These Nordic countries are also highly dependent on P-imports and have strict regulation of trace elements for recycled fertilizers. Considering the bad state of the Baltic Sea due to P-di...

This study focuses on the lifespan of consumer electronics. The article reviews end-of-life terminology in scientific literature and suggests distinguishing end-of-use and end-of-life stages. The question, when electronics become waste, is approached using the concept of a system called PSSP language, which classifies artefacts based on their attri...

Phosphorus (P) recovery and recycling play a crucial role in improving resource efficiency, sustainable nutrient management and moving toward circular economy. Increasing demand for fertilizers, signs of geopolitical constraints, and high discharge of P to water bodies are the other reasons to pursue the circularity of P. Various research have been...

Increasing exploration and exploitation activity in the Arctic Ocean has intensified maritime traffic in the Barents Sea. Due to the sparse population and insufficient oil spill response infrastructure on the extensive Barents Sea shoreline, it is necessary to address the possibility of offshore accidents and study hazards to the local environment...

Circular economy has emerged as a sustainable alternative to the traditional, linear, extract-produce-use-dump economy. The scientific society, practitioners, policymakers, and business sectors are all actively taking part in driving the transition toward circular economy in their own sectors. Every sector is striving to address the environmental i...

The Renewable Community Empowerment in Northern Territories (RECENT) project intended to enhance the utilization of unused assets in remote and sparsely populated areas and communities. The objectives were to enhance energy efficiency, implement renewable energy solutions and help communities to have more resilient and energy efficient public infra...

The use of mobile data has increased and will continue to increase in the future, because more data is moving to wireless networks such as 5G. Cooling energy need is also expected to increase in indoor telecom rooms, and can be as high as the equipment’s own power consumption. The world’s first liquid Base Transceiver Station (BTS) was adopted into...

This chapter provides the theoretical basis of the book by outlining the framework of sustainability in an Arctic marine context. The chapter presents the Sustainable Development Goals, especially goal 14 on conserving and sustainably use the oceans, seas, and marine resources, as well as Arctic States’ commitments to goal 14. The chapter explains...

Supply chain risk management has been well researched over the years. However, management of social risks in bioenergy supply chains has been studied less in contemporary research. The ability of bioenergy companies to identify, properly address, and communicate social sustainability has become crucial for many global producers. In order to meet cu...

This book presents the latest scientific views on resource use conflicts in the Arctic seas. The main areas of focus are the biological resources of Arctic seas vs. exploitation of oil and gas resources, and the conflicts in between. In addition, climate change is presented as a stressor, which both limits and facilitates the economic availability...

Artificial intelligence (AI) techniques and algorithms are increasingly being utilized in energy and renewable research to tackle various engineering problems. However, a majority of the AI studies in the energy domain have been focusing on solving specific technical issues. There is limited discussion on how AI can be utilized to enhance the energ...

The need to reduce CO2 emissions makes companies find new sustainable solutions for energy production. Diverse multiple sourcing energy production value chains became an important strategical development used at a regional level in Finland. This article presents a social sustainability state data visualization framework that allows us to communicat...

The importance of the Arctic has increased because of geopolitical, economic, environmental, and transport issues, and the Arctic region has turned from the world’s periphery into a centre of global attention. In perspective of risks attributed to Arctic Ocean oil spills, which are more likely to happen due to increased oil exploration activities a...

A new approach to allocate environmental responsibility, the ‘value added-based responsibility’ allocation, is presented in this article. This metric allocates total environmental pressures occurring along an international supply chain to the participating sectors and countries according to the share of value added they generate within that specifi...

The two main methods used to estimate raw material embodied in imports are life cycle assessment (LCA) and multi-regional input-output (MRIO) models. The key advantage of LCA is its higher product resolution but it relies on global or regional averages, which could bias results. Our outcomes suggest that this obstacle could be avoided for primary g...

The article presents a cumulative social effects assessment framework -based methodology. The devised methodology applies a hierarchy of social sustainability indicators and core social components. The core social components are individual, community and societal impacts and, within these, nine key social sustainability indicators are assessed. Thi...

Decarbonising the European economy is a long-term goal in which the residential sector will play a significant role. Smart buildings for energy management are one means of decarbonisation, by reducing energy consumption and related emissions. This study investigated the environmental impacts of smart house automation using life cycle impact assessm...

The Finnish Lapland is the most sparsely populated region in Europe and the population is decreasing all the time. The constantly growing tourist visits and overnight stays cause large amounts of wastes and erosion of local nature. Tightening waste regulations and increasing fossil energy prices provide motivation to improve local waste processing...

Raw material criticality studies are receiving increasing attention because an increasing number of elements of great economic importance, performing essential functions face high supply risks. Scarcity of key materials is a potential barrier to large-scale deployment of sustainable energy and clean-tech technologies as resorting to several critica...

This paper suggests a ‘Sustainability Assessment Tool’ that can be used in early design phases of production processes. “Green Chemistry” principles were considered as a baseline when proposing the sustainability indicators. European chemicals regulations and databases were also applied and used as a baseline in chemicals hazards assessment. The to...

To attend the growing consumer demand for novel ready-to-eat fresh cut fruits packaging polylactic acid (PLA)-based active packaging was realized. The aim of these packaging is to provide an improved protection and even to extend their shelf-life. PLA-based active packaging was prepared by adding nanoclays and surfactants in its formulation. The ev...

This report provides baseline information regarding northern communities involved in the RECENT project. On a country level, critical infrastructure state, in particular, water services as well as energy solutions intended to improve regional energy security and self-sufficiency are described. In addition, existing financial mechanisms for implemen...

The evolution of electricity grids into a smart grid requires the inclusion of control systems to control load, flatten peaks and ensure the distribution of electricity. In parallel, the building sector will also be incorporating more control technology and put emphasis on sustainability issues such as reducing CO2 emissions associated with the bui...

The IMO’s Polar Code is an international binding norm addressed to cargo and passenger vessels sailing in Arctic and Antarctic waters. The environmental and safety regulations of the code will come in force January 1st, 2017, and the regulations regarding qualifications and training of the crew presumably July 1st, 2018. In order to prepare for the...

The IMO’s Polar Code is an international binding norm addressed to cargo and passenger vessels sailing in Arctic and Antarctic waters. The environmental and safety regulations of the code will come in force January 1st, 2017, and the regulations regarding qualifications and training of the crew presumably July 1st, 2018. In order to prepare for the...

The IMO’s Polar Code is an international binding norm addressed to cargo and passenger vessels sailing in Arctic and Antarctic waters. The environmental and safety regulations of the code will come in force January 1st, 2017, and the regulations regarding qualifications and training of the crew presumably July 1st, 2018. In order to prepare for the...

Large scale electrification of the transportation sector is generally considered a promising strategy for improving efficiency and reducing greenhouse gases emissions. Within a broader decarbonization strategy, the development of the electric vehicles sector, including its integration within a smarter energy network, it is considered one of the cor...

This paper presents the impact of sector aggregation bias in Environmentally Extended Input Output (EEIO) models, focusing on raw material flows. Finnish industries are aggregated in different ways and causes of bias are studied. The results show that industries with high raw material use deserve special attention in EEIO models. For Finland, parti...

Further to Directive 2009/28/EC on the promotion of the use of energy from renewable sources, the share of biofuels in transport should rise to a minimum of 10% in Member States by 2020. In Finland, the goal is set at 20%, and it is estimated that this can be produced entirely in domestic factories, as long as the projects already underway will be...

In using input output models for environmental analysis, lack of data regarding technology of trade partners has been traditionally overcome following the " domestic technology assumption " that is, domestic technical coefficients and loads intensities were used in assessing imports. Nevertheless, this assumption may significantly bias results, rem...

Municipal solid waste management is a basic service that, in Finland, consists of collection, transportation and treatment systems provided by municipalities, waste management companies and producer responsibility organizations. The amount of municipal solid waste in Finland has risen quite steadily for many decades. In 2012, the recovery rate of m...

Smart grids are meant to reach multiple goals such as leveling the electricity demand profile, reducing electricity consumption and increasing the energy efficiency of the electrical grid. Smart buildings play an important role in achieving these goals. With an increased number of measuring and controlling tools, new problems also arise, such as th...

Smart grids are meant to reach multiple goals such as leveling the electricity demand profile, reducing electricity consumption and increasing the energy efficiency of the electrical grid. Smart buildings play an important role in achieving these goals. With an increased number of measuring and controlling tools, new problems also arise, such as th...

This paper examines consumers' awareness and perceptions towards mobile phone recycling and re-use. The results are based on a survey conducted in the city of Oulu, Finland, and analysed in the theoretical framework based on the theories of planned behaviour (TPB) and value-belief-norm (VBN). The findings indicate that consumers' awareness of the i...

Unsustainable consumption patterns are a key challenge of industrialized nations. Many EU environmental policies are aimed at reducing both the quantitative and qualitative impacts of material flows. Of concern is also the environmental impacts related to European consumption in other countries, especially with lower environmental standards and ins...

The share of bio-waste is about 20-30% of all the wastes generated in Finnish households. The majority of this is food waste originating from the preparation of food. About one third of wasted food is edible but it has either passed its best before date or it just has not been eaten. On average, Finns generate about 50kg/person food waste annually....

This paper suggested multicriteria based evaluation tool to assess the sustainability of three different reaction routes to dimethyl carbonate: direct synthesis from carbon dioxide and methanol, transesterification of methanol and propylene carbonate, and oxidative carbonylation of methanol. The first two routes are CO 2-based and in a research and...

This paper discusses the life-cycle environmental impact of Home Energy Management System (HEMS), in terms of their potential benefits and detrimental impacts. It is the expectation that adapting smart home automation (SHA) would lead to reduced electricity usage in the household and overall environmental advantages. The purpose of this research wa...

To achieve the decarbonisation of the energy sector in Europe, the CO2 emission profile of energy consumption must be fully understood. A new methodology for accounting for CO2 emissions is required for representing the dynamics of emissions. In this article, a dynamic integration of CO2 emissions due to the electricity production and trade was dev...

Tekes Strategic research - Creation of new knowledge and competences in areas of expertise that are expected to be important for businesses in the future.

The objective of our research was to scan the horizon of social sustainability issues in the bioenergy sector. Using horizon scanning, we aimed at creating a tool for biofuel production policy makers in order to provide them with a strategic instrument for anticipating future developments. Horizon-scanning allows the identification of challenges, t...

Electronic devices and mobile applications have become a part of everyday life. Fast technological progress and rapid product obsolescence have led to the rapid growth of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE). Due to hazardous substances and also substantial amounts of valuable materials contained in electrical and electronic equipment,...

Work Package 4 (Natural Resource Management an Economics - Smart Energy Grids) final report of the SMARCTIC (Roadmap to a smart Arctic specialization ) project. The aim was to characterize and list synergistic solutions for a sustainable use of Arctic resources while identifying related innovations and business opportunities. The vision offered foc...

Increasing amounts of wastes, seasonal changes and tightened waste legislation and regulations in EU and Finland together with long distances cause challenges to waste management in Lapland. Anaerobic digestion (AD) process produces biogas with high methane content and is one potential waste-to-energy technology to produce heat and electricity in C...

Bioreducer use in the blast furnace could be one of the measures to decrease the fossil CO2 emissions of steelmaking. This paper presents an environmental and economic evaluation of three bioreducers; charcoal, torrefied wood and wood-based synthetic natural gas (Bio-SNG), produced from logging residues, small-diameter wood and stumps. Additionally...

: Critical materials share the same insufficiencies in their life cycles; low recycling rates and a high degree of dissipative losses. The limitations for the secondary use of critical materials are their minor concentrations in final products, their dissipative applications, and the fact that they are irreversibly mixed with other material flows i...

In this paper, the legislative implementation and the development of the WEEE recovery infrastructure in Finland are described. Further, the realisation of regional WEEE recovery system in the Oulu region is introduced and, finally, the results of questionnaire survey on consumers’ perceptions toward WEEE recycling in the city of Oulu are presented...

In this paper, the prevalent bio-waste management system in Finland is presented, highlighting the example of the city of Oulu in Northern Finland. Separate collection of bio-waste in Finland has started about 20 years ago. Very different national and regional policies are applied to bio-waste management. Because Finland is a rather large country w...

There is currently no generally accepted definition of Smart Grids, especially on what is expected to make them smart and how. On the other hand, the general assumption about Smart Grids implies the development of power networks toward more efficient, greener and sustainable systems. In this article, we present the intrinsic limitations of this vie...

Understanding the energy consumption of households is a cornerstone for improving residential energy efficiency. In addition, the CO2 emission profile of energy consumption must be fully understood, to achieve the decarbonisation of energy sector in Europe. Smart houses incorporated into smart grids allow the survey and control of household energy...

Understanding the energy consumption of households is a cornerstone for improving residential energy efficiency. In addition, the CO2 emission profile of energy consumption must be fully understood, to achieve the decarbonisation of energy sector in Europe. Smart houses incorporated into smart grids allow the survey and control of household energy...

This report is published within the Water Asset Renewable Energy Solutions (WARES) project. WARES is a two-year strategic project of the Northern Periphery Programme, which explores the opportunities to generate renewable energy at water utility assets. The project is led by the International Resources and Recycling Institute in Scotland, in partne...

This report is published within the Water Asset Renewable Energy Solutions (WARES) project. WARES is a two-year strategic project of the Northern Periphery Programme, which explores the opportunities to generate renewable energy at water utility assets. The project is led by the International Resources and Recycling Institute in Scotland, in partne...

This report is published within the Water Asset Renewable Energy Solutions (WARES) project. WARES is a two-year strategic project of the Northern Periphery Programme, which explores the opportunities to generate renewable energy at water utility assets. The project is led by the International Resources and Recycling Institute in Scotland, in partne...