Green Societies and Environment
ICT can generate growth and improvements in people’s lives in ways consistent with sustainable development, playing a key role in the Green Economy, an economy that is low-carbon, resource efficient and socially inclusive.
ITACA aims to provide solutions to some of the challenges of the Green Economy that our society will have to face in the coming years:
- Affordable, cost-effective and resource-efficient technology solutions to decarbonize the energy system in a sustainable way, reducing resource use and environmental impact.
- Transformation of conventional industrial processes and products into those that are resource-efficient and sustainable.
- Cross-cutting marine and maritime research to harness the potential of Europe's oceans, seas and coasts for employment and growth.
- Better mobility, less congestion, more safety and security, with a substantial reduction of traffic congestion, accident rates, fatalities and casualties.
- Sustainable development of urban areas.
- Protection and sustainable management of natural resources and ecosystems.
Our current research in this field is grouped into the following topics.
Green Energy and Intelligent Energy Networks
ICT allows a new inclusive approach leading to a smooth transition to a much more flexible, intelligent and easy-to-use energy network. ITACA has expertise in the generation of green hydrogen by microwaves, the improvement of the energy-efficiency of thermal and electrical networks based on renewable energies, and in the design of secure distributed systems. These modalities are being used to design and implement secure smart cities and intelligent network infrastructure.
ICTs for Climate Change, Circular Economy & Bioeconomy
Forestry is a key pillar of a knowledge-based bioeconomy and will play an increasingly important role in society by providing renewable and green energy solutions and tripling the use of wood in housing, furniture, packaging and logistics that are carbon positive. ITACA has expertise in the development and integration of innovative technologies to improve low-carbon processes and products throughout the forest value chain.
Smart Transport & Green Aviation
Digital technologies are transforming vehicles and how we interact with them, and are reshaping city transport infrastructure. ITACA has expertise in traffic control systems, air traffic management, safety and reliability in vehicles and vehicular networks, and unmanned autonomous vehicles support in the area of underwater positioning and vehicle communications.
Social Innovation & Co-creation
According to the European Comission, social innovations are new ideas that meet social needs, create social relationships and form new collaborations. These innovations can be products, services or models that address unmet needs more effectively. ITACA is involved in several EU projects in this area with a strong collaboration with the IDEAS Institute, the entity that promotes and develops entrepreneurship at the UPV.