The rise of the Positive Energy District (PED) model marks a significant shift in urban energy management, offering a promising alternative for urban decarbonization.
Amidst the current and potential challenges around energy supply in the future, the model represents a fundamental rethink to conventional approaches to energy in cities. As such, it aims to channel renewable energies not only as a way to address climate and pollution concerns, but also as a model with the potential to improve citizens’ quality of life and access to energy.
Cities accommodate about 67% of the world’s population and are responsible for around 70% of global energy consumption and C02 emissions, following UN figures. These data show urban decarbonization must necessarily be accomplished for achieving a true energy transition and meeting climate goals, such as those part of the Paris Agreement.
In this context, positive clean energy districts offer a promising look at cities for their transformative potential of urban spaces from being a challenge in terms of energy provision to becoming key agents in the solution.
The positive energy district departs from conventional centralized energy production models and instead prioritizes renewable energy sources and energy efficiency. The result is a more sustainable and resilient approach to energy generation and consumption which could be key for the urban environments of the future.
Thus, PEDs show the feasibility of integrating renewable energy technologies with efficient systems such as district heating, while also offering a holistic approach that considers the interconnectedness of energy, buildings, and public spaces within urban areas.
Let’s look at what positive clean energy districts are and the paradigm shift they represent in how cities can manage energy in the face of climate change.
What is a Positive Energy District?
A Positive Energy District is an urban area that generates more energy from renewable sources than it consumes. Typically flexible and integrating various sustainable energy sources, they produce net-zero greenhouse gas emissions and manage an annual local surplus production of energy.
As such, PEDs are set to play a key role in urban decarbonization for their capacity to reduce carbon emissions, increase energy efficiency, and promote renewable energy production within urban environments. Additionally, they can be part of both new initiatives as well as retrofitted projects.
A holistic approach to energy production is central to positive clean energy districts, as the model integrates building units and interactions, as well as available energy sources, all while ensuring continuous and reliable supply.
The result is a model that generates added value for citizens, moving away from “single-building” paradigms and thus generating a more significant impact.
The Positive Energy District is currently understood as a European concept, as it has been generated for specifically European initiatives and policies, such as the ‘Positive Energy Districts and Neighborhoods for Sustainable Urban Development’. However, similar concepts are being developed at a global scale, even if different terminologies are used.
How does a Positive Energy District work
By definition, the positive energy district model embraces a wide variety of formulas and solutions, depending on each project’s needs and energy availability on a local level.
However, key features of positive clean energy districts typically include:
- Renewable energy generation, including sources such as solar, wind, and/or geothermal, among others.
- Energy-efficient buildings within the district, meeting high energy efficiency standards and thus reducing energy consumption and avoiding energy losses.
- Smart grid technologies that enable efficient energy distribution and management.
- District heating and cooling solutions, which optimize energy efficiency but also enable a reduction of greenhouse gas emissions.
- Energy storage solutions, which are able to store excess energy generated during peak production periods for use during times of high demand. This cutting-edge infrastructure is fundamental to efficiently manage short-term supply fluctuations and is thus key in incorporating renewable sources, as well as implementing demand-response energy models.
The result is a system that is able to generate more renewable energy than it consumes on an annual basis, thus pushing the possibilities of urban energy production and consumption to new frontiers.
The benefits of the Positive Energy District
1. Reduced carbon emissions
By electrifying energy production and moving away from fossil fuels, PEDs significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions, contributing to mitigating climate change.
2. Energy efficiency
The Positive Energy District is built with energy efficiency as a core principle, from energy storage systems, to energy-efficient buildings and the incorporation of equipment such as industrial heat pumps.
At the same time, moving away from “single building” paradigms, PEDs facilitate the aggregation of energy demand and resources, thus enabling the implementation of more efficient models such as district heating. This “district-level” approach relies on shared resources and infrastructure, such as energy storage facilities, smart grid networks, and transportation systems, as a model that minimizes redundancy and enables top efficiency.
3. Cost savings
By ensuring energy efficiency and incorporating renewable energy, instead of increasingly costly fossil fuels, PEDs can result in lower energy bills for residents and businesses within the district.
In fact, positive clean energy districts have been hailed for their potential to address energy poverty issues, thus providing a more affordable and flexible heating, cooling and lighting for citizens.
4. Green economies and cities
The development of the Positive Energy District model represents an initiative to develop local employment opportunities in the renewable energy sector. It’s an opportunity to foster innovation in sustainable urban planning, renewable energy technologies, and smart grid systems, generating new opportunities in fields with great future potential.
At the same time, these economies are built on community involvement, as PED projects often involve community stakeholders in the planning and decision-making process, fostering a sense of ownership and pride for being part of a “green district” initiative, thus going beyond mere economic factors.
5. Greater resilience
In a context of great instability surrounding energy supply (especially when considering fossil fuel supply), PEDs provide a consistent energy production. Because these models often don’t rely on a single energy source, they encourage energy resilience in urban areas in face of potential disruptions in the central energy grid (such as power outages or supply shortages).
6. Improved air quality
By reducing reliance on fossil fuels, the Positive Energy District helps improve local air quality, leading to better public health outcomes and improved living conditions.
Trends and advancement of the Positive Energy District model
As societies increasingly prioritize renewable energy and decarbonization, community-based energy solutions like the Positive Energy District model spark a growing interest. As a model that aligns with broader energy transition goals, regulatory catalysts and public funding initiatives have been contributing to the implementation of positive clean energy districts.
Such is the case of the ‘Positive Energy Districts and Neighborhoods for Sustainable Urban Development’ initiative, which is set to support the development of 100 PEDs across Europe by 2025. Joined by 20 member states and conducted by JPI Urban Europe, the program sets a promising landscape for a robust initial deployment of positive clean energy districts which can then be replicated.
The most outstanding challenges for the implementation of the Positive Energy District model spark from the system’s novelty and its technical requirements. This is why aligning with thermal engineering experts promises to become a key strategy for advancing positive clean energy districts.
At ARANER, we’re at the forefront of cutting-edge thermal projects that have energy efficiency at their core, including the development of Positive Energy District systems.
Through our extended expertise in district cooling and district heating, we offer our know-how and proficiency in thermal engineering to develop the positive clean energy districts of the future, today.
Get in touch with us and speak to our team about how we can help you.
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