The main goal of this study is to operationalize the emission, exchange and use of digital calibration certificates, through structured information and the specification of a system of information. The purpose of digital calibration certificates, is not only the transformation of a physical format to a digital one, but mainly the application of the real digitalization concept, i.e., the use of digital technologies to change a business model and supply new opportunities with added value. Besides the easiness in the exchange of calibration results, the future development of a system to exchange digital calibration certificates will allow customers to receive and analyze certificates faster, reducing execution times and costs associated to the metrological confirmation process, as well as to avoid human error and their consequences. The application of a system adapted to calibration certificates, and the implementation and testing at a National Measurement Institute as IPQ, based on XML, with examples from different areas will be presented. This study will then result in the creation of national working group in Portugal for the digitalization of calibration certificates to a broader market, with the first trial cases implemented in these two laboratories, INEGI-LAC and IPQ-LNM.
The global transition toward a low-carbon economy has accelerated the adoption of renewable energy sources. This paper presents the development of a model-based electronic Decision Support System for renewable energy planning, incorporating energy storage and carbon footprint assessment. The tool assists stakeholders in the preliminary evaluation of local wind and solar resources. To validate the model’s credibility, a comparative analysis was conducted, using the Port of Sines, Portugal, as an industrial case study. Solar energy estimations were benchmarked against PVSyst, while wind energy simulations were compared with an INEGI technical study. Results indicate consistency in solar estimates, with maximum deviations of 14% for fixed installations and 13% for vertical barriers, primarily due to terrain orography that was not yet integrated into the algorithm. Regarding wind energy, deviations reached 19% to 25%, largely resulting from the use of aggregated mean values in the reference data and generic turbine models. Overall, this work contributes to energy engineering by formalizing a validated workflow that facilitates early-stage sizing and strategic investment decisions under conditions of data scarcity. The tool proves effective for rapid screening of promising investment options while maintaining a balance between computational complexity and practical usability.