A review of the transformation from urban centralized heating system to integrated energy system in smart city

Abstract

The heating system is foundational to the functionality of modern urban environments, intertwined with diverse facets of industrial production and residential life. Transitioning to a low-carbon heating system is critical to the forthcoming generation of energy systems and future carbon–neutral cities. It has been observed that the development of unban centralized heating systems includes both the diversification of energy sources and the development of “smart heating.” This paper firstly summarizes recent work in smart heating technology in the urban centralized heating system, which is representative of large-scale infrastructure smartification during the ongoing smart city transition as observed. It then delves into the essential cyber-physical system technologies that underpin smart heating solutions. Building on this foundation, the discussion pivots to the transition from smart heating to smart IES, examining four critical dimensions: the design of IES digesting renewable energy, the modeling of its dynamics, the vulnerability of multi-energy coupling, and the smartification of its operation control. The efficacy and limitations of this approach are demonstrated through empirical analyses of both real heating systems and park-scale IES cases. This paper should provide both theoretical and practical guidance for the integration of multi-energy systems and smart technologies to achieve comprehensive renewable energy utilization.