{"id":9905,"date":"2022-12-16T12:47:09","date_gmt":"2022-12-16T11:47:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.dksr.city\/energy-transition-in-the-neighborhood-with-climate-positive-neighborhoods\/"},"modified":"2022-12-16T12:47:09","modified_gmt":"2022-12-16T11:47:09","slug":"energy-transition-in-the-neighborhood-with-climate-positive-neighborhoods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dksr.city\/en\/energy-transition-in-the-neighborhood-with-climate-positive-neighborhoods\/","title":{"rendered":"Energy transition in the neighborhood: with climate-positive neighborhoods"},"content":{"rendered":"

Difficult political dependencies, far-reaching climate change, declining availability of raw materials – many factors are pushing for radical change in the energy sector in order to reduce costs, resource consumption and emissions. The energy consumption of cities plays a central role in this. Looking at the energy management of individual buildings is not enough for sustainable change: current concepts therefore focus on district planning. This also includes “positive energy districts”: climate-positive neighborhoods that have an annual net zero energy import and zero CO\u2082 emissions through technological networking between buildings, users and regional energy, mobility and ICT systems – and are even intended to achieve surplus production of renewable energies. The smart use of urban data also contributes to this. But how will this work? Are there already examples? <\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Cities are the black sheep when it comes to energy consumption: they are responsible for more than two thirds of energy consumption and over 70% of global CO2 emissions. Logical – after all, this is where the majority of the human population lives. If the energy transition is to be tackled, then the first effective place to start is where many people live together. At the same time, long-term change in the energy sector can only be brought about from several sides at once: Socio-economic, technological, ecological, political, as well as institutional factors must be included. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

As part of a holistic urban strategy, the concept of Positive Energy Districts (climate-positive neighborhoods, PEDs for short) was therefore developed. They emerged from earlier concepts of comparable importance: these include (net) zero-energy buildings, nearly zero-energy buildings, climate-positive neighborhoods and energy-neutral districts. What these concepts have in common is the goal that a building, a neighborhood or an entire district can cover its energy needs from cost-effective, locally available and environmentally friendly renewable sources. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The first attempt at a general definition of such districts was undertaken by the <\/span>PED Program Management of the JPI Urban Europe<\/span><\/a> ventured. The definition of the program not only talks about an algorithm for calculating energy input and output, but also sets a framework that outlines three key requirements of climate-positive districts in the context of their respective urban and regional energy systems, which vary greatly depending on the city or municipality. The first requirement is that PEDs should only rely on renewable energy; this is one of their most important contributions to climate neutrality. Secondly, they should make energy efficiency one of their priorities in order to make the best use of available renewable energy. Thirdly, as urban areas are inevitably among the largest energy consumers, a PED must operate in a way that is optimal for its own energy system (energy flexibility). <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

From European sub-projects to Europe-wide effects<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

As part of its contribution to climate neutrality, the European Union (EU) has set itself the goal of building one hundred energy-positive districts in European countries by 2025 as part of the Strategic Energy Technology Plan. This involves both the design of new neighborhoods and innovations in existing urban districts. The public sector will tackle this together with industry – with the active participation of the local civilian population. Twenty countries are currently taking part in the initiative. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The Joint Program Initiative Urban Europe (JPI-UE) has also published a <\/span>brochure<\/span><\/a> with the most advanced European PED projects as well as projects with PED-related objectives. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

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Source: JPI Urban Europe<\/p><\/div>\n

The pioneering countries in PED implementation are the Scandinavian countries with the most projects. In 2020, for example, Finland implemented “Smart Energy Aland”, an energy-efficient, carbon-free and climate-neutral neighborhood in the Aland region. The archipelago benefits from its wind and solar conditions, which have enabled the installation of efficient solar systems and a wind farm within this framework. <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

The European Union’s current efforts are aimed at rolling out such projects and reducing emissions across the board. Various technologies play an important role here. But where does data usage come into play? <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n

Data for efficient management – even in sustainable neighborhoods<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n

Data has a fundamental function in climate-positive districts – because without data generation, processing and exchange, there can be no efficient energy management. The functionality of PEDs is based on the use of data-based technologies such as artificial intelligence, visualization of processes, geo-information systems, blockchain and others. Urban data is used in <\/span>various functions<\/span><\/a> to the application. This includes… <\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n