Climate Impact and Energy Sustainability of Future European Neighborhoods

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of typical European city centers energy demand and supply for present time and 2050, according to the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change (IPCC) climatic scenario A1B. Two multi-family houses are modeled, adapted and simulated considering local thermal characteristics and climate conditions of twenty-two European countries. An energy hub system is optimized in order to investigate how the micro-grid responds to the renewable energy integration for ten countries. The European heating demand is evaluated to be reduced by half by 2050 (49%) due to the climate change (6%) and refurbishment (43%) effects. Integration of renewable energy sources in most European countries is set to surpass the EU renewable energy targets given proper implementation of appropriate governmental polices coupled with emerging technological advancements in the renewable energy sector.