The INSMART methodology was developed in the INSMART FP7 Smart City project. The objective is to use a scientifically sound approach in developing Sustainable Energy Action plans a city level. The methodology covers all the energy consumption sectors within a city (buildings, transport, municipal buildings, other uses) and local energy generation (solar water heaters, PV systems etc). It addresses the needs of municipal project planners to understand the current situation in the city energy system and to prioritise future energy projects using a least cost approach incorporating qualitative criteria and the opinion of all local stakeholders. The first step in the methodology is to enhance the understanding of the existing city energy system. This is crucial in order to understand the significance of and interactions between the different sectors in terms of energy use and potential of energy generation. Field surveys and smart meters provide data for the existing building stock typologies. Door to door surveys provide data on the mobility needs of people in different city zones. Specialised simulation modelling tools provide energy demand for buildings in alternative refurbishment scenarios and shifts in the mobility patterns and transportation demand in alternative transport sector scenarios. Energy demand of municipal services, open spaces and public buildings are recorded and included in a city GIS energy database which is used as a common tool for presenting the existing energy systems and alternative energy futures for each city. Renewable energy potential is estimated using mainly data on available area and solar irradiation.
The City Planning Platform utilises an Energy System Model (ESM) based on the TIMES model generator and combines all the information collected. The City-ESM includes all the energy consuming and producing sectors within the city and is used for analysing alternative scenarios for the development of the city energy system in a medium term horizon. The selection of interventions is also based on a participatory approach and a multi-criteria decision support system in order to incorporate quantitative and qualitative criteria for the final ranking of alternatives.
The tool has been applied in the cities of Trikala (GR), Cesena (IT), Evora (PT), Nottingham (UK). Details on the application and the outcomes can be found on the project website http://www.insmartenergy.com
The INSMART methodology and tools were designed in order to be adapted to represent the energy systems of different municipalities/cities. Data availability is the main issue to ensure a successful application in a city. Once the energy consumption data, building typologies and RES potential data are gathered, the tools can be readily adapted to represent the energy system of each city. Alternative scenarios for the development of the city energy system can be built and analyzed. The participation of local stakeholders in the process is crucial, since the Multi Criteria Decision Analysis is a fundamental closing step in the methodology where the different alternatives are ranked based on the ranking of the local stakeholders.
• insufficient information on training possibilities (art. 17)
• insufficient information on technical tools (art. 17)
• absence of other tools supporting energy efficiency measures development (art. 17)
• absence of support organisations in your territory addressing energy efficiency matters (art. 17)
• support organisations have unsufficient competency and knowledge (art. 17)
technological development and demonstration under grant agreement no 314164 (ENER/FP7/314164).