Use Case 1: Strategic Planning for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Integration
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Target Users
Civil society, energy cooperatives, technicians, planners, and policymakers.
Use Case Description
With the aim to intervene towards higher energy efficiency of residential buildings and a wider integration of RES plants, the story should address the integration of space cooling (SC) in the wider energy efficiency sector. This means increasing the knowledge of technicians and making strategic decisions in the SC sector at a regional scale.
Research Question
How can space cooling be integrated into the broader energy efficiency sector to improve strategic decision-making at a regional scale, ensuring higher energy efficiency in residential buildings and better integration of renewable energy sources?
Calculation Module Use and Order
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Space Cooling Demand Layers: To begin the analysis, it is essential to establish a baseline understanding of cooling demand and the impact of energy efficiency measures. The default layers in the CoolLIFE platform provide existing layers representing different scenarios of passive measure uptake. These layers offer insights into cooling demand projections and the effect of energy efficiency measures on demand reduction. By selecting the appropriate layers for different forecast years, planners and policymakers can define the initial conditions for strategic decision-making.
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Space Cooling Demand: To integrate space cooling into energy efficiency planning, it is necessary to determine current and projected cooling demand. The Space Cooling Demand Calculation Module allows users to select and adjust the default cooling demand layers based on different passive measure uptake scenarios and forecast years. By refining these layers to fit regional needs, planners and policymakers can establish an accurate baseline for assessing cooling interventions.
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Technology and Measures: Once the cooling demand baseline is set, it is important to evaluate how technology adoption and efficiency measures influence cooling electricity consumption. The Technology and Measures Calculation Module enables users to estimate the energy consumption of decentralized space cooling units, such as air conditioners, while considering cooling degree days and efficiency improvements. This module helps identify the impact of different technology deployment scenarios on overall energy demand.
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District Cooling: In areas with high cooling demand density, district cooling may be a more efficient and cost-effective alternative. The District Cooling Calculation Module helps users spatially identify locations where a district cooling grid could be implemented under different market and technology efficiency scenarios. This module ensures that centralized cooling options are considered alongside decentralized solutions, providing a holistic view of cooling interventions at the regional scale.
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Economic Feasibility: Assessing the financial viability of different cooling interventions is essential for effective decision-making in energy efficiency planning. The Economic Feasibility Calculation Module allows users to compare the costs of various cooling solutions at both the national and building archetype levels. This module enables a detailed economic analysis of different scenarios, including the adoption of passive cooling technologies and the development of active cooling systems. By evaluating these scenarios, planners and policymakers can identify the most cost-effective measures to improve energy efficiency—both at the individual building level and across the entire building stock—ensuring optimal investment in sustainable cooling solutions.
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Demand-Side Management: To maximize the integration of renewable energy sources into space cooling, the Demand-Side Management Calculation Module assesses the potential for demand response and PV self-consumption. This module provides insights into how cooling demand can be shifted to align with renewable generation, reducing peak loads and increasing energy efficiency.
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Comfort, Lifestyle, and User Behavior: Understanding how lifestyle patterns and behavioral trends affect space cooling demand is crucial for strategic decision-making. The Comfort, Lifestyle, and User Behavior Calculation Module provides information on thermal comfort requirements, typical cooling behaviors, and adaptive interventions that can reduce energy demand. This ensures that technological and economic analyses consider real-world user behavior.
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Legal and Regulatory Layers: Integrating space cooling into the energy efficiency sector requires alignment with regulatory frameworks. The Legal and Regulatory Layers Calculation Module provides an overview of relevant EU policies, national legislation, and planning strategies related to space cooling. This module ensures that proposed interventions comply with existing laws and leverage available policy support.
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Financial Instruments: The final step in supporting the integration of space cooling into energy efficiency planning is identifying financial support for implementation. The Financial Instruments Calculation Module allows users to explore and filter funding mechanisms by country and type (public, private, or EU-level). This module helps policymakers and planners secure the necessary financial resources for deploying energy-efficient cooling solutions.
This structured use of calculation modules enables regional planners and policymakers to make informed decisions regarding the integration of space cooling into the energy efficiency sector. By sequentially assessing cooling demand, technology adoption, economic feasibility, demand management potential, behavioral factors, regulatory conditions, and financing opportunities, this approach ensures that cooling interventions are aligned with strategic energy efficiency and renewable energy goals.
How To Cite
Aadit Malla, in CoolLIFE-Wiki, Use Case 1: Strategic Planning for Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Integration
Authors And Reviewers
This page was written by Aadit Malla EEG-TU WIEN.
This page was reviewed by Ardak Akhatova e-think.
License
Copyright © 2024-2025: Aadit Malla
Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY 4.0 International License.
SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-4.0
License-Text: https://spdx.org/licenses/CC-BY-4.0.html
Acknowledgement
We would like to convey our deepest appreciation to the LIFE Programme CoolLIFE Project (Grant Agreement number 101075405), which co-funded the present investigation.