Planning Instruments for Smart Energy Communities

The objectives of the Projects have been met. In this last period of the project, both Work package leads finalised the Task 1.4 "PI-SEC Scenario Calculator Guideline" and the task 2.4 "PI-SEC Planning Wheel guideline" and published within the deadline. WP1: PI-SEC Scenario Calculator is an Excel Based tool for planners and developers that can be used to measure the performance on overall climatic goals linked to detailed development of an area through the use of different key performance indicators. In the tool, an area is describes by a user through putting in information about the buildings (their size, building category, energy demand and energy system), local energy production, the users, and the transport system in the area. The area is describes as it is today, and in an end year defined by the user. It is possible to create several different scenarios for the end year. The tool lets the user define concrete, numerical goals from a list of predefined KPIs. The performance of these goals for each scenario can then be visualized for the users. GAPS: Consultants use their own tools and results will vary. Goal: get them to use PI-SEC Scenario Calculator as a complimentary tool. WP2: PI-SEC Planning Wheel contains 5 tool elements; 1) Vision setting and anchoring 2) Target setting 3) Intention and commitment agreements 4) Enabling tools and incentives 5) Monitoring and evaluation tools Each of these not necessarily applicable and also not rigid in the set order. It is meant as an overall support for the planning phase and to re-check at later stages in a development project. The Guideline is a handbook on what to do before start. During the work in WP2 we identified four key actor challenges: 1) Achieving multi-stakeholder concepts and commitment 2) Private/public relationship and responsibilities 3) System borders in regional and city planning and infrastructure planning 4) Balancing social and high environmental goals Gap: Establishing a sustainable and sound collaboration and vision setting in the project when the contrast between the municipality planning and Industrial/engineering planning is big.

Several Norwegian municipalities have expressed their interest to test further and/or use the tools in real-time; Orkanger has incorporated 3 PhD, Bodø and Oslo will continue to test/use, together with the FME ZEN centre and others who are in dialogue. Also from our International expert group, did we receive the request to bring it forward in other networks for testing. The general feedback is that the tools and the gap analysis are very interesting and of high value (reference to the Evaluation meeting report).

PI-SEC addresses the thematic priority area Smart Cities and Communities and the challenge of developing effective planning instruments to improve the energy performance of built environments, and monitor corresponding progress made over time. The scope of the project combines elements of all four thematic priority areas of the EnergiX program (Renewables, Energy systems, Efficient use, and Energy policy). The originality of the project lies in the coupling of planning instruments on different scales applying a multi-disciplinary approach including case studies. The project applies a multidisciplinary approach by analysing ambitious case study projects both from a bottom-up viewpoint (developers and designers) and a top down viewpoint (municipalities). To avoid sub-optimization and ensure that overall goals are met, the planning instruments will be interrelated in a way that makes it possible to transfer and aggregate information from building level, to neighbourhood, city, regional and national levels, and vice versa. The knowledge developed in PI-SEC will be a catalyst for achieving long-term political goals for reductions in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions, utilization of local renewable energy sources, and security of supply. Having specific, agreed upon goals and performance indicators is important for development of new smart energy services and products by and for the construction industry, as well as for shaping policy and legislation for sustainable development of built environments. This knowledge will also give input to standardization, certification and regulations.