Good practices for urban energy planning

“Each city is a unique combination of economic, social, environmental, and institutional conditions, which results in various needs, priorities, and capacities” for the development and implementation of smart energy solutions, say SINFONIA experts in Deliverable 2.2 entitled “Good practice district stimulator”. Nonetheless, traditional Energy plans or Sustainable Energy Action Plans often show their limits in adapting to the specific potential and needs of each city. As a consequence, changing circumstances require master plans to be refined and adapted to local characteristics for the development of site-specific solutions.

 

To define relevant objectives for each city, precise data regarding energy consumption and production should first be collected and split in different categories depending on the sectors targeted by the action plan. In this work, the “geo-referentiation”, or spatial allocation of data, is of great importance to evaluate the potential of a region, particularly for renewable energy production. Additionally, geo-referentiated data provide highly detailed information that enhance the adequacy of the solutions chosen for each geographical location and the effectiveness in the implementation of these solutions.

 

In Deliverable 2.2, SINFONIA experts have established a checklist of the information that has to be collected for the refinement of urban energy master plans. This information not only contains energy consumption and production data but also general context data related to the legislative framework for data protection, the presence of potential economic incentives and the level of information among the stakeholders. More specific data on the energy system components and energy saving potential also have to be gathered. Meteorological data is also essential for the definition of the renewable energy production potential. In addition, the definition of monitoring indicators will allow the cities to adapt their targets over time and implement corrective measures if needed.

 

If the checklist provided in Deliverable 2.2 represents a useful tool for other European cities willing to refine their local energy Master plan, SINFONIA experts remind their readers that ensuring a continuous flow of information amongst stakeholders is the key to success. To achieve this objective and thus collect all the data needed, the authors advice to set up a specific information sharing system. With precise information, each European city will be able to find adapted energy solutions and thus contribute to the fight against climate change at the global level.

 

To discover how to refine your local energy master plan, click here to read Deliverable 2.2 “Good practice district stimulator”.

RENEWABLE ENERGIES
2017-01-17