Aalborg University – September 2019
We had a talk with Prof Poul Alberg from the Aalborg University, responsible for the planning tool needed in the demosites of Osimo and Oud-Heverlee.
Since the project kick-off, what have been the updates in Osimo/Oud-Heverlee for the planning tool/DSM controller?
As a first step in the tool development process, we are working on identifying important design criteria. The design criteria will be based on the current ambitions, practices, and competences of Osimo and Oud-Heverlee, as well as the other virtual demo-sites. To aid in this, we have collected a combination of interviews, surveys, and existing energy- or climate strategies. Finally, we have started collecting data for mapping of the local energy sources and demands in Osimo and Oud-Heverlee. A review of existing tools has revealed a distinct lack of tools for local or decentralised energy system modelling, emphasising the importance of the tool being developed.
What do you think are the most important results since the beginning of the project?
All of the demo-site municipalities are very positive towards increasing their use of energy system modelling and realise the value of having internal capacity available to conduct such analysis, especially in view of designing future energy strategies. However, currently, the municipalities have little experience with the use of tools and modelling of energy systems in general. Further, the municipalities all have their unique diversities regarding available resources, existing demands, and municipal ambitions. Thus, balancing the need for operational simplicity while incorporating local diversity and system complexity will be a key challenge for the tool development going forward.
What should we expect in the upcoming months?
In the following months, we aim to finalise the tool design criteria, which will enable us to begin outlining the functioning of the energy system modelling tool. However, there is still a lot of resource and demand data to be collected for Osimo and Oud-Heverlee, and establishing a robust data foundation will be a priority for the near future.