UrbanTwin: Decision support tool for sustainable urban energy system planning

We proposed using the UrbanTwin approach to support European cities in achieving their climate and energy transition goals. UrbanTwin is a joint initiative of the Swiss Federal Institutes of Technology, led by Prof. David Atienza and Prof. François Maréchal (EPFL), in collaboration with ETH Zurich, EMPA, Eawag, and WSL. It aims to develop a prospective decision-support tool based on digital twins for sustainable urban systems planning. It aims to develop a digital-twin-based decision-support platform for sustainable urban systems planning, integrating geographical information and optimisation-based tools to explore future urban infrastructure scenarios. This platform is centred around REHO (https://reho.readthedocs.io/en/main/),,) an open-source tool for sustainable urban energy infrastructure planning that optimises multi-energy integration across buildings and districts.

We will tailor and extend the UrbanTwin platform to the specific needs of European cities by integrating datasets and methodologies specific to European urban contexts, enabling scenario-based policy analysis for local climate neutrality targets. To do so, a GIS-based characterisation and modelling of each city's energy system will be carried out using REHO. This will include the integration and fitting of specific datasets related to the city’s building stock, mobility patterns, energy consumption, and infrastructure to ensure high-fidelity modelling. The renewable energy potential within local communities will be analysed, with a focus on solar, wind, water, waste biomass and waste heat sources (e.g., wastewater) and their integration with energy conversion and management systems. 

The role of LECs in the urban energy transition will be assessed, analysing the potential synergy or competition between decentralised and centralised energy providers, with particular attention to the optimal size and perimeter of LECs, the integration of special buildings, such as administrative buildings, commercial centres and data centres, and the related infrastructures (electrical grid, district heating, gas and water).

Finally, to support long-term planning, net-zero transitional pathways will be identified through multi-scale energy system modelling and optimisation. These pathways will be evaluated considering economic, environmental and social sustainability metrics at the building, district, and city levels, revealing trade-offs and synergies between energy efficiency, decentralisation, and carbon reduction goals.

The adapted UrbanTwin platform will provide a replicable decision-support tool for European municipalities, enabling evidence-based, participatory, and sustainable urban energy planning.