Interview with Ricardo Prata

1 - What reasons led you to make a thesis on renewable energy?

 

The electricity system plays a central role in responding to the challenges posed by climate change, being on the side of the solution in the need to decarbonise the energy consumptions, either by allowing greater electrification of the energy consumptions or by allowing the integration of a growing contribution of the energies supply side. This central role also poses challenges, including those that will be related to the increase in renewable production associated with distribution networks. I considered it important to analyze these challenges in an integrated way, including the effects of increased wholesale production on the wholesale market and the level of system costs, as well as the regulatory effects associated with increased self-consumption. This increase is something that can be expected in the medium / long term, as a result of the significant cost reduction trend associated with solar-based electricity generation technologies.

 

2 - What are your professional ambitions?

 

I am a collaborator of EDP Distribuição, and my ambitions are associated with my evolution within the company. The PhD course that I completed allowed me to acquire new knowledge about regulatory mechanisms and contribute to a better perception of the impacts on the electric system due to an increase in self-consumption, which may prove useful in the design of the regulatory model to be applied. This knowledge facilitates a design of public policies that, at the same time, facilitate the development of renewable production technologies without generating cross-subsidization phenomena that may prove to be socially unfair.

 

3 - How did you know about the APREN Award?

 

I learned about the Award through the APREN website.

 

4 - What made you compete?

 

The opportunity to promote an even wider dissemination of my thesis and the encouragement of my thesis advisor, Prof. Pedro Carvalho from IST.
 
5 - What message would you like to leave to those who are hesitant to participate in the 2019 edition?

 

To those who are undecided, my unequivocal recommendation is that they participate in the 2019 edition. The candidacy confers, first of all, the possibility of publicizing the work at the APREN Conference. This is an excellent opportunity. In addition, the possibility of seeing the work recognized through one of the awards or the honorable mentions, constitutes an important added value for the curriculum of those awarded with these distinctions.