Urban energy pathfinder
Energy planning from building to region
Can we reduce the footprint of our built environment? Only if local districts also generate, store, distribute and consume their own energy. But what energy-efficient solar, wind, heat and biomass measures are necessary in order to reduce greenhouse gas emissions emanating from buildings, streets, districts or cities? And what investments will provide the greatest return?
Sustainable streets, districts and cities
These can be charted using the Urban Energy Pathfinder developed by VITO/EnergyVille. Urban Energy Pathfinder is a tool that calculates what mix of measures will be the most effective way of ensuring that energy is used sustainably within a building, street, district or city. The tool examines the energy savings along with the reduction in CO2 emissions and costs for each scenario. Wall, roof and window insulation, solar panels, heat pumps, charging infrastructure for electric vehicles, heat networks – all of these are possible.
With the Urban Energy Pathfinder, you can identify for each zone or building:
- The energy consumption and the buildings at that location
- Potential collective renovation scenarios
- Opportunities for the production of renewable energy and for the use of heat networks
- The predicted residual demand for energy
- All of the costs and benefits of each measure
The Urban Energy Pathfinder benefits
- Supports investment decisions to bring about a reduced carbon footprint
- Defines a mix of energy measures, such as building renovations and the local production of renewable energy
- Calculates the financial, energy and environmental impact of each measure
Added value for
- Urban planners
- Project developers
- Utility companies
- Energy suppliers
- Network distributors
- Consultancy companies
- Investors and financiers
- Cities and municipalities
- Regional, national and European governments and government organisations
Ready to use
The Urban Energy Pathfinder has been tested by a range of users and each test makes the tool even better. At the end of 2019, we developed an interface and a front-end to make the tool even more user-friendly than before. This means that the Urban Energy Pathfinder is now ready to be deployed as a service to utility companies, energy suppliers and network distributors.
