Modelling and Evaluation of Multi-Vector Energy Networks in Smart Cities

Abstract

Energy demand growth and the rapid rate of technological change in an urban context are already having an impact on our energy systems. Considering global ambitions to reduce carbon emissions and minimise the rate and impacts of climate change, this demand will need to be met with energy from low carbon sources. Increased electrification of heat and transport networks is anticipated, however, the crosssectoral impacts of different interventions in these systems must be better understood to prevent gains in one system leading to losses in another while ensuring financial benefits for producers and consumers. As such, evaluating the impacts of specific interventions can be a challenge, with analyses typically focussed on individual systems. In this paper, a simulation environment is developed to capture the behaviour of interconnected heat, power and transport networks in an urban environment to act as a ‘digital twin’ for the energy systems of a district or city. The modelling environment illustrated here is based on the smart city interventions in Greenwich (London), with model validation carried out using real data measurements. Building retrofit and heat electrification interventions are demonstrated in terms of costs, energy consumption and CO2 emissions, considering constraints on power and thermal systems.