Refine
Document Type
Language
- English (3)
Is part of the Bibliography
- yes (3)
Keywords
- Climate change impact (1)
- Data framework (1)
- Energy Dispatch Optimization (1)
- Energy System Visualization (1)
- Life cycle assessment (1)
- Manufacturing SMEs (1)
- Merit-Order (1)
- Operational Regimes (1)
- Screening LCA (1)
- Sector Coupling (1)
Institute
This study is the first in a two-part series focused on establishing a fully renewable and energy-autonomous supply system for a small city. Part 1 explores comprehensive energy modelling, while Part 2 introduces an innovative graphical representation that clarifies the operational management strategies of the city's energy hub.
In this initial part, we conduct an exhaustive analysis of the city's energy needs across all sectors, including residential and commercial electricity demand, heating, and mobility, which provides an almost complete depiction of the urban energy landscape. The city is divided into two clusters: Cluster 1 features decentralized heating primarily through air-to-water heat pumps for low density residential buildings, while Cluster 2 employs a district heating grid for multi-family-buildings.
Our analysis indicates that approximately 9 kW of wind and solar power capacity per inhabitant is necessary to entirely meet energy demands through renewable resources, with wind power contributing the majority.
Hydrogen storage plays a crucial role in mitigating seasonal energy fluctuations by leveraging existing capacities within Germany. The study finds that utilizing waste heat from hydrogen production in district heating networks is more efficient, highlighting the advantages of smaller, community-scale hydrogen power plants over larger facilities that lack thermal integration. Furthermore, the study concludes that additional battery and thermal storages are unnecessary when hydrogen storage is implemented. An investment of 11.5 k€ per capita in energy converter facilities is required.
This study presents a method and graphical representation for optimizing the operational strategy of urban energy systems to simultaneously meet electricity and heat demands. Building on Part 1, "Designing a Fully Renewable Urban Energy System: The Meaning of Sector Coupling and Hydrogen," this paper addresses the previously open question of effectively operating a complex structure of multiple energy converters. By introducing a two-dimensional merit order principle, the study systematically prioritizes the use of energy converters based on their efficiency and role in balancing heat, electricity, and hydrogen demands. Visualized through a graphical representation, this approach offers an intuitive understanding of how different energy converters interact to meet demand states, elucidating why specific converters are employed under varying conditions. By providing valuable insights into cross-sectoral energy integration, this methodology serves as both a planning tool and educational resource. It highlights the optimal deployment of specific technologies, with applicability extending to other coupled energy systems, such as heating and cooling systems in diverse contexts.
As decarbonization accelerates across policy, markets, and supply chains, small and medium-sized manufacturers face growing demands to quantify organizational climate impacts and to target the main sources of emissions. This study defines the foundational elements of a streamlined organizational assessment for manufacturing SMEs that is practical, repeatable, and aligned with real data constraints. Building on ISO 14072, ISO 14040, and ISO 14044, and drawing on UNEP O-LCA and ILCD guidance, it reviews relevant standards and conducts a sector scan of six public reports in plastics components and industrial machinery to identify where methodological choices most influence screening outcomes. Two screening designs are proposed that fix goal and scope, and specify an inventory strategy using hybrid data collection, tiered data quality, simple cut-off rules, and clear electricity accounting conventions. The designs align LCA guidelines with sector patterns to enable consistent scoping, efficient data requests, and transparent assumptions. The screening designs are meant to guide screening LCAs that retain broad climate-relevant coverage but rely on streamlined data for key emission sources. The result is an initial technical basis for accessible organizational assessments tailored to German manufacturing SMEs, intended to lower technical barriers, support credible prioritization of action, and improve integration with supply chain sustainability practices.
