Software tools for distict planning
The planning of district energy systems is complex due to a large number of technical, economic and political dependencies. New software tools support the planning process in different project phases.
The right tool for the right question
When planning energy supply systems for neighborhoods, complex issues arise that can include technical, economic and social-ecological topics. Not every tool is suitable for every issue. Rather, most tools have been developed for a specific field of application and provide sufficiently detailed answers only for certain questions. For this reason, the choice of the appropriate tool is crucial.
What planning tools are available for districts?
For district planning, tools for calculating demand and load profiles are used. These are often complex software packages for the energy building simulation. With these, the heat demand of a building can be estimated depending on a large number of building and user parameters. Tools for the simulation of thermal networks are also used in the planning of heating networks. The goal of the simulation is often the design of the heat network, i.e. the determination of optimal pipe diameters. Alternatively, the estimation of the operating behavior is also subject of heat network simulations. Simulations can be used, for example, to check how fail-safe a heating network is, what degree of redundancy a network has, and many other aspects. Optimization or simulation software is also used for sizing generation and storage capacities in an energy center or heating center. From this, conclusions can be drawn about the economic efficiency of the overall system or the running times of individual plants, in order to optimize the planning of new systems or the expansion of existing supply systems. Some tools for neighborhood energy systems are listed in Table 1. Many tools are software tools that originated in academia.
| Tool | Characteristics | Complexity | Open-source / proprietary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rambøll model | Excel-based calculation model with simple input mask. | Low | Open-source |
| COWI Varmeatlas | Excel-based calculation model with low usability. Advantage of the tool is that several systems can be calculated and analyzed simultaneously. Low level of detail at heat network level. | Medium | Proprietary |
| RETScreen | Excel-based calculation model. High effort in defining the system and all input parameters. | Medium | Open-source |
| DEEM | Excel-based calculation model. Very extensive input mask with many parameters. Advantageous is the holistic analysis, which also takes into account social factors, such as the number of newly created jobs or the increase in tax revenues. | Low | Open-source |
| Balmorel | GAMS optimization model with high complexity in the necessary input parameters as well as calculation models. Not suitable for the analysis of a single neighborhood solution, but for the impact and interaction of the neighborhood system with the adjacent regional energy system. | High | Open-source |
| District Energy Concept Advisor | Users can select buildings from a database, consider different technologies, and calculate and analyze different system configurations. | Medium | Proprietary |
| nPro | Demand profiles can be generated for different building types, heat networks can be analyzed and calculated. Calculation module allows the optimization of the plant configuration and dimensioning. | Medium | Proprietary |
Sources
- Plan4DE Literature Review, IEA DHC Annex XI: Literature Review. 2015.
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