Urban and regional energy systems

The goals of this research group concern the sustainable energy planning and policies, spatial decision support systems, models for sustainable energy development, big data frameworks and economic and financial evaluations of sustainable energy solutions at urban and regional level.

Urban and energy systems are complex, for this reason the scientific approach, such as the composition of the group, is multidisciplinary: group collaborators come from both academic world and the world of business and design, combinig research and development.

The membership in international and national scientific networks allows a continuous confrontation and update on the studied topics. In particular, the research group is active in initiatives of the International Energy Agency (IEA), International Society Of City And Regional Planners (ISOCARP), United Nations, European Commission and the Alpine Convention, as well as in discussion groups and international and national companies.

MAIN TOPICS:

• development of urban and regional energy plans and Sustainable Energy Action Plans (SEAP)
• development of tools and models for energy strategic planning
• spatial decision support and big data frameworks
• coordination of international, European and local development projects

RESEARCH PROJECTS ARE FOCUSED ON:

• design of integrated energy systems
• modeling of urban energy systems
• strategies and guidelines for the reduction of CO2 emissions
• financial and economic evaluations of integrated energy systems

SCIENTIFIC CONSULTANCY FOR PUBBLIC AUTHORITIES ARE PROVIDED IN TERMS OF:

• consultancy for energy saving and efficiency
• support in the design and implementation of smart cities and smart regions
• strategies to transform fossil energy systems into efficient and renewable systems based on the characteristics of the place
• innovative solutions to improve the form, structure and functioning of regional and urban energy systems

METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH:

• tools for energy planning and strategies for energy saving
• use of renewable energy sources
• holistic solutions and scalability of innovative technical solutions in complex energy systems

RESEARCH GROUP STRUCTURE:

The Research Group is led by Daniele Vettorato and internally structured with the following Teams:

• Team on City planning & multiple-benefits - coordinated by Adriano Bisello
• Team on Just ecological transition - coordinated by Sonia Gantioler
• Team on Engineering energy economics - coordinated by Simon Pezzutto