Energy and Ecological Transition

Objectives

The energy and ecological transition is an essential aspect of the transformation towards more sustainable and environmentally friendly societies. This transition involves changes in both the way we produce energy and the way we consume it. In order to achieve climate neutrality, we are committed to minimize net greenhouse gas emissions and work on technical aspects related to energy production, storage and management, and the political, social, legal, economic and environmental aspects of energy transitions.  
Through research, teaching and collaboration with economic and social agents, we want to contribute to solve the current challenges in decarbonisation, energy storage, biofuels, energy poverty, and employability in the energy sector where the training of high-level professionals can meet the current needs of companies.  

Areas of expertise

Regulation of energy systems; production of renewable energy (wind, photovoltaic, geothermal, bioenergy, hydroelectric); energy storage (electrical, chemical, thermal); energy markets and infrastructures; energy efficiency; decarbonization; green hydrogen; CO₂ capture and conversion (CCUS); social and economic impact of the energy transition; innovation and new technologies; ecological macroeconomics and energy system models; socially just transition; new materials that facilitate the energy transition.  

Research Lines 

  • Development of materials and reactors for the production of green hydrogen, CO₂ conversion and waste recovery.  

  • New nanomaterials development for the conversion of thermoelectric and photovoltaic energy.  

  • Governance and sustainability.  

  • Ecological macroeconomics to achieve a fair transition within planetary boundaries.

  • Geological reservoirs models that generate or potentially store renewable energy resources.  

  • Energy system models for energy transition towards a decarbonized economy.  

  • Poverty and social rights in the face of energy transition.  

  • Energetic sustainability, energy economy and the environment.  

Coordination

 
María Teresa Costa Campí has been a full professor of Economics and Director of the Chair of Energy Sustainability at the University of Barcelona since 2012. In 2021, she became Emeritus Professor. She directs the lines of research Energy Sustainability, Energy Poverty and Knowledge Transfer in the field of energy and environment sustainability. She is a member of the Council of the Barcelona Institute of Economics. At the University she is a member of scientific committees at the international level and an assessor for global impact scientific journals. She has been a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Moral and Political sciences since 2012 and, in 2019, won the Victoriano Reinoso National Energy and Society Award (Club Español de la Energía).  

Contact mtcosta@ub.edu​​
 

​​​​​Albert Serrà Ramos is an assistant professor in the Department of Materials Science and Physical Chemistry at the University. He holds a PhD in Chemistry, a master's degree in Nanoscience and Nanotechnology, and a bachelor's degree in chemistry from the University of Barcelona, as well as a Law degree from the Open University of Catalonia. His scientific career has taken place at the University of Barcelona, Newcastle University, and the Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology. In 2021, he was awarded the Jóvenes Talentos prize by RSEQ-GEE-CIC energiGUNE. His current research focuses on the development of micro- and nanomaterials for water decontamination processes and energy production, as well as the development of nanorobotic platforms for controlled drug delivery.