Luisa F. Cabeza

University of Lleida | UDL · Department of Computer and Industrial Engineerings

The construction industry significantly impacts the environment through natural resource depletion and energy consumption, leading to environmental degradation. Circular Economy (CE) material efficiency strategies—such as material reuse, design for disassembly, prefabrication, and recycling—offer promising solutions for reducing resource consumptio...

Energy storage is a group of technologies that decrease the gap between energy supply and energy demand. Thermal energy storage (TES) reduces this gap at not only different temperatures but also at different places or power. Design criteria include the integration of the storage system into the whole application system, maximum load, and high‐energ...

With an increasing energy deficit, improving the thermal properties of building materials is nowadays a priority. The incorporation of expanded polystyrene (EPS) and expanded perlite (EP) into cement mortar has shown enormous potential to improve overall thermal performance. This study aims to numerically evaluate the efficiency of using EPS and EP...

The demand for research supporting the development of new policy frameworks for energy saving and conservation has never been more critical. As climate change accelerates and its impacts become increasingly severe, the need for sustainable and resilient socioeconomic systems is increasingly pressing. In response to this global challenge, the ten ar...

The energy consumption for cooling takes up 50% of all the consumed final energy in Europe, which still highly depends on the utilization of fossil fuels. Thus, it is required to propose and develop new technologies for cooling driven by renewable energy. Also, thermal energy storage is an emerging technology to relocate intermittent low-grade heat...

The climate and energy crisis requires immediate countermeasures. Renewable energy communities (RECs) are capable of enhancing the consumption of renewable energy, involving citizens with a leading role in the energy transition process. The main objective of a REC is to maximize the consumption of renewable energy by reducing the mismatch between e...

This paper presents the outcomes of a pioneering study that explores the potential of remote intergenerational communication to combat social isolation among children and older adults, especially under constraints posed by pandemics such as COVID-19. Acknowledging the limited mobility of many older adults, this research aims to provide insights int...

Improving the thermal properties of materials used in buildings is crucial to reducing energy demand and consumption. This study investigated the use of textile fiber waste in cement-based composites for construction applications. Mechanical and thermal characterizations were carried out to assess the behavior of cement mortars with different perce...

Phase Change Materials (PCMs) stand out as a promising solution within the current array of Thermal Energy Storage (TES) technologies, thanks to their superior energy storage capacities (compared to sensible solutions) and technological readiness. Nonetheless, the limited thermal conductivity of these materials may lead to incomplete phase transiti...

Thermal energy storage (TES) plays an important role in industrial applications with intermittent generation of thermal energy. In particular, the implementation of latent heat thermal energy storage (LHTES) technology in industrial thermal processes has shown promising results, significantly reducing sensible heat losses. However, in order to impl...

Thermal energy storage (TES) systems play a very important part in addressing the energy crisis. Therefore, numerous researchers are striving to improve the efficiency of TES tanks. The TES technology has the potential to reach new heights when the biological behavior of nature is incorporated into the design of TES tanks. By mimicking the branched...

The concept of a smart city is becoming increasingly popular to improve citizens’ quality of life. Institutions are also committed to enhancing the sustainability of cities by implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This paper presents a Balaguer case study investigating energy demand monitoring, decreasing energy demand, and citizen...

Decarbonizing the building sector is key to meet the EU climate goals by 2050. Although the recent policies recognized the importance of on-site solar energy production in the energy transition, there are only a few modelling studies analyzing how much the gap between the technically possible and policy-driven power generation of rooftop photovolta...

Currently, the construction sector contributes considerably to the total energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere. Thermal energy storage (TES) systems are alternatives to increase the thermal inertia of buildings, aiming to use less energy, improve thermal comfort and reduce temperature fluctuations of interior spaces. O...

This article explores the viability of economically refurbishing coal power plants through thermal energy storage solutions with molten salts. It underscores the imperative to transition to cleaner energy sources in Europe, highlighting the environmental, health, and economic costs associated with coal-based electricity generation. The paper introd...

Concentrating solar power plants use sensible thermal energy storage, a mature technology based on molten salts, due to the high storage efficiency (up to 99%). Both parabolic trough collectors and the central receiver system for concentrating solar power technologies use molten salts tanks, either in direct storage systems or in indirect ones. But...

Greenhouse gas emissions reduction is a critical topic in the scientific community, as researchers strive to produce knowledge for the betterment of society. However, it is important to acknowledge that researchers themselves engage in activities that have a significant environmental impact. Group meetings and conferences are under the spot due to...

The objective of this research is to assess the operation of a heat pump (HP) under varying climatic conditions in Europe. To achieve this, a Dymola model is developed for a solar-assisted reversible water-to-water HP that utilizes a low global warming potential (GWP) refrigerant, R1234ze(E), and includes thermal and electrical energy storage syste...

Simulating complex systems in real time presents both significant advantages and challenges. Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) simulation has emerged as an interesting technique for addressing these challenges. While HIL has gained attention in the scientific literature, its application in energy studies and power systems remains scattered and challenging...

Developing materials with enhanced thermal properties is fundamental to reduce the energy demand in buildings and consequently energy consumption. In this study, an experimental assessment of the use of textile fiber waste in cement-based composites for building applications was addressed. In particular, both mechanical and thermal characterization...

The tanning industry is one of the highly polluting sectors, and it is only in the last few years that studies on the energy improvement of tanneries started to proliferate in the literature. Even though the energy cost of a tannery is only a small fraction of the total cost, many tanners became aware of the importance of improving energy efficienc...

In order to reduce the dependence on fossil fuels in the residential sector, low-carbon-footprint technologies such as heat pumps should be used. To fully exploit solar-assisted heat pumps, an effective control strategy is required. This study employs a low-global-warming-potential (GWP) refrigerant for a water-to-water reversible heat pump, which...

By enhancing the thermal properties of cement-based building materials, energy consumption and carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions related to space conditioning in buildings can be alleviated. This study aims to present cement-based composites reinforced by textile fibers for application in building and construction. Several lightweight coating mortars...

The main target of this paper is to numerically study a multi-source (air/sun/ground) heat pump with the implementation of a thermal energy storage, using either water or PCM, for residential space heating. The system was modelled considering several sub-models for each of the components (compressor, solar panels, storage tank, heat exchangers etc....

Although one of the main aims of using renewable energy sources in building applications is to reduce the environmental impact caused by the high global energy demand of buildings, it can also produce other positive effects, known as co-benefits. Thermal energy storage technologies are often used in building applications, either integrated into the...

Due to the increasing need for a more sustainable environment, the study of waste management strategies is increasing worldwide. Pneumatic urban waste collection is an alternative to conventional truck collection, especially in urban areas where there is a need for reducing traffic and pollution. In this study, the scientific literature on such aut...

Future perspectives to improve the energy efficiency of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants are focused on increasing temperatures above 600 °C. Among the different components of a CSP plant, the thermal energy storage (TES) medium must withstand high operating temperatures. Concrete was identified as an exciting candidate for its mechanical and...

This research evaluates environmental impact of including phase change materials in the envelope of lightweight buildings constructed off-site with dimensions 2.5 × 2.5 × 2.43 m³, located in the cities of Antofagasta and Calama, both in Chile. These cities are located in a cold desert climate zone, corresponding to a Köppen Climate Classification s...

Two high corrosion resistant super-alloys, alloy 800H and alloy 625, were evaluated for corrosion compatibility with molten nitrate salts at 565 °C under air atmosphere since these super-alloys are possible candidates for the manufacturing of molten salts solar receivers in the CSP tower technology. Both alloys are tested in two different molten ni...

Mitigation option are not yet being implemented at the scale required to limit global warming to well below 2°C. Various factors have been identified that inhibit the implementation of specific mitigation options. Yet, an integrated assessment of key barriers and enablers is lacking. Here we present a comprehensive framework to assess which factors...

Unhairing and liming are the most polluting operations of the leather tanning process. Over the years, this sector has been investigated increasingly. Hence, this paper aims to explore and analyze the scientific activity of this field of research with a new view, applying bibliometrics techniques. The method of the study is based on a search and co...

Electrical energy storage systems have a fundamental role in the energy transition process supporting the penetration of renewable energy sources into the energy mix. Compressed air energy storage (CAES) is a promising energy storage technology, mainly proposed for large-scale applications, that uses compressed air as an energy vector. Although the...

The incorporation of recycled materials in concrete as a partial replacement of cement is becoming an alternative strategy for decreasing energy-intensive and CO2 emissions imputable to the cement manufacture, while investigating new potential uses of such multifunctional materials for environmental sustainability opportunities. Therefore, low-cost...

One of the biggest challenges of concentrating solar power (CSP) is achieving cost-reduction in the thermal energy storage (TES) system. Operating conditions of molten salt CSP plants includes intermittent exposure of the TES tanks materials (i.e., carbon steel, stainless-steel) in contact with molten salt (NaNO3–KNO3). This manuscript evaluates th...

Phase change slurries (PCSs) have great potential as both a heat transfer fluid and an energy storage medium for cooling processes, cold energy storage, and cold energy transportation due to desirable thermophysical properties. One of the major benefits of PCSs compared to pure phase change materials is their fluidity, thus making them cooled or he...

Tens of millions of abandoned exploitation wells (AEW) exist throughout the world, posing a threat to the environment and costing extra investment for decommissioning. Revitalization of the AEW offers a cost-effective solution for geothermal energy exploitation by saving the high costs of decommissioning and drilling. However, the thermal resources...

Although studies on the levelized cost of energy (LCoE) of concentrating solar power (CSP) plants were published in recent years, these studies were not related to the environmental impact generated. To fill this literature gap, this study compares the environmental impacts generated by four tower solar thermal plants with different storage capacit...

The present paper analysed the thermal performance and control optimization of a solar system based on seasonal sorption storage for domestic applications. The system control, which could choose between 41 operational modes, was optimized based on operational costs and maximization of sorption system use. The system was composed by 17.5 m² of evacu...

The increasing demand for cooling and refrigeration poses an urgent need in designing efficient and low-cost thermal energy storage systems for future energy systems. While multiple effects may affect the heat transfer behaviors during thermal energy storage, these effects can be lumped into one parameter, the effective thermal conductivity. Effect...

Thermal energy storage (TES) allows the existing mismatch between supply and demand in energy systems to be overcome. Considering temperatures above 150 °C, there are major potential benefits for applications, such as process heat and electricity production, where TES coupled with concentrating solar power (CSP) plants can increase the penetration...

Thermal energy storage represents a crucial element to increase solar power dispatchability. Within sensible heat storage in solid media, concrete is considered a low-cost alternative to be further developed and therefore, this has been addressed in this paper. Four concrete dosages were designed, combining each type of considered cement, ordinary...

High-density cities, such as Singapore, are currently facing the urban heat island (UHI) effect, a phenomenon that leads to higher air and surface temperatures within the urban area in comparison to the surroundings and is one of the most critical anthropogenic climate change-related environmental issues for contemporary high-density cities. This s...

Solar energy has a significant potential for future power generation but its intermittent and variable nature results in fluctuations of the operational performance of solar power plants. Despite thermal energy storage (TES) systems improving the flexibility and the sustainability of the performance of Concentrated Solar Power (CSP) plants, smart m...

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) 5th Assessment report, energy-efficient appliances can reduce global electricity consumption even though there is an expected increase in the number and ownership of appliances. The International Energy Agency (IEA) expects a high increase in energy efficiency in traditional applianc...

Concentrating solar power (CSP), also known as solar thermal electricity (STE), is increasing its deployment worldwide. One of the potential ways to decrease costs in CSP plants is the improvement of corrosion resistance between the heat transfer fluid (HTF) and storage materials, and the materials used for pipes, tanks, containers, and receivers....

Adopting and contextualizing alternative policy approaches within any scientific discipline or context requires considering the multiple trans-boundary and trans-disciplinary characteristics of the different research and innovations paths and actors, disciplines, and global contexts. However, the implications of the stakeholder's perspective, which...

Thermal energy storage (TES) allows the storage of heat and cold to be used later. TES is also known as heat or cold storage. TES can aid in the efficient use and provision of thermal energy whenever there is a mismatch between energy generation and use. This mismatch can be in terms of time, temperature, power, or site. Different methods for TES a...

This study was carried out within the HYBUILD project, as part of the task aimed at developing novel evaporators for compact and direct integration of phase-change materials (PCM) into air-conditioning systems for efficient utilization of solar energy. To achieve this, novel evaporators were designed to contain PCM between refrigerant and heat tran...

Due to the increasing need for a more sustainable environment, the study of waste management strategies is increasing worldwide. Pneumatic urban waste collection is an alternative to the conventional truck collection, especially in urban areas, where there is a need of reducing traffic and its pollution. LCA is a methodology that can help in the ev...

Salting is the most common method to preserve hides and skins. However, this preservation system requires the generation of large amounts of contaminated salt, approximately three million tons per year. In recent years several researchers have suggested different methods for the short-term preservation of hides using plant-based formulations, which...

Climate change has a strong influence on the energy consumption of buildings, affecting both the heating and cooling demand in the actual and future scenario. In this paper, a life cycle assessment (LCA) was performed to evaluate the influence of both the occupant behaviour and the climate change on the environmental impact of the heating and cooli...

In order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, current and future energy systems need to be made more efficient and sustainable. This change can be accomplished by increasing the penetration of renewable energy sources and using efficient technologies in energy generation systems. One way to improve the operation of the whole energy system is through...

Laminated glass beams without metallic or polymeric reinforcements generally lack post-breakage strength and ductility. This paper aims to perform a comparative study by testing five different fully transparent laminated glass beam designs in order to see how parameters such as the number and thickness of glass sheets (3 x 10 mm or 5 x 6 mm), the i...