Open-source modeling of a low-carbon urban neighborhood with high shares of local renewable generation

The main research question of this work is how an urban neighborhood can optimally exploit its local renewable generation potential to cover its electricity, heat and cooling demand. Various cost-minimizing energy technology portfolio studies are examined for an energy community in Vienna, Austria. The method applied is a tailor-made extension of the existing open-source model urbs. Additional functionalities and energy services have been implemented. The results of three scenarios identify a variety of different trade-offs between energy technology utilization, local supply within the community and external supply from outside. The introduced performance indicators reveal the respective strengths/weaknesses of the different energy supply options. In this context, the economic efficiency of geothermal sources and the connection to the district cooling network are highlighted, which have so far received little attention. The insights achieved in this work directly support sustainable urban energy planning. Future work may focus on mapping higher spatial resolution, further enhancement of the performance indicators and implementation of operational energy scheduling and dispatch into the open-source modeling approach.

Automated summary

This study examines how an urban neighborhood in Vienna, Austria can optimally utilize its local renewable energy potential to meet its electricity, heat, and cooling demands. By analyzing different energy technology portfolio studies, various trade-offs between energy technology utilization, local supply within the community, and external supply are identified, revealing the strengths and weaknesses of different energy supply options. The research findings support sustainable urban energy planning and suggest future enhancements to the open-source modeling approach.