Energy neutral districts in 2050 – the Dutch approach

Abstract

For energy neutral district development in 2050, six innovative energy concepts have been elaborated for the Dutch situation and their potential for energy neutrality in 2020, 2035 and 2050 calculated. Three concepts are based on the idea of an energy hub - bio hub, geo hub and a solar hub. Other concepts are the all-electric, conventional and hydrogen concepts. Calculations show that implementation of each of the concepts can lead to energy neutral districts in 2050. When personal transport is included, energy neutrality in 2050 is not feasible. Based on the six general concepts, the most optimal energy concepts tailored for four Dutch cities have been elaborated as pilots, in close cooperation with municipality representatives. The EPG (Energy Pattern Generator) is applied for simulation of a virtual district with 1000 dwellings of various categories. The modelling of a solar hub shows that, assuming equal heat losses for the individual storages and the collective storage, an energy hub with collective heat storage can reduce the required storage capacity by 26%, and the total required solar collector surface by 30% at maximum. This shows the added value of energy hubs with exchange, central storage and conversion of energy on a district level and suggests that costs of an energy hub can be optimised, becoming financially more attractive than houses with individual seasonal heat storage. Energy hub concepts can contribute considerably to the energy neutral built environment in 2050. The effect can be intensified by an exchange of surplus sustainable energy with neighbouring districts and import of energy in case of a shortage.