The Illuminator: An Open Source Energy System Integration Development Kit

This paper introduces a flexible and extendable easy-to-use energy system integration development kit: the Illuminator. The Illuminator illustrates challenges arising from the energy transition. Hence, it is suitable in education and for demonstration. It also acts as a sandbox for testing new research concepts, and particularly, distributed...

Simulated thermal comfort in renovated houses with low temperature heating

Low Temperature Heating (LTH) of buildings is a key feature when switching to renewable energy. Even when the capacity of LTH is high enough, LTH may adversely affect indoor thermal comfort in case buildings are not suitably insulated. This paper goes deeper into methodological issues when conducting a thermal comfort assessment. Thermal comfort...

Chances for the upscaling of living-cost neutral renovations in the Netherlands

Many multi-owned condominiums need an energy renovation, but in practice the number of such renovations is low. Dutch policy emphasizes the need to search for cost-neutral renovation solutions. This study therefore examined how the number of living-cost neutral renovations of buildings owned by assemblies of homeowners in the Netherlands can be...

Co-designing an interactive data platform for contextualizing the role of citizens on energy and low-carbon transitions

Citizens are expected to play a significant role to the current energy transition in Europe, such as through prosumerism and collective initiatives for energy efficiency. While there are many platforms for domestic energy analytics and for engaging citizens and transition stakeholders on energy topics, context-specific information is frequently...

Dutch Hybrid Neighbourhoods of the Late 19th Century in Heat Transition

This paper explores the typo-morphologic characteristics of late 19th century hybrid neighbourhoods in urban region of The Netherlands and possibilities of a feasible climate neutral energy system in the future. Sustainable Development Goals are involved such as ensure access to affordable and clean energy (SDG 7) and make cities inclusive, safe...

Building Scenarios in Urban Energy Transition: A trans-disciplinary method for integrated spatial energy design

Within an energy transition process in the urban environment, a successful implementation of strategies requires the capacity of communities to develop and explore various visions and make decisions within an uncertain and complex context. To achieve a reduction of energy demand and to introduce technologies for production, storage and re-use of...

Exploring interventions and tools used by REScoops to lower householders’ energy consumption and stimulate investment in RES projects

REScoops are well positioned to spur energy savings among householders and generate investment in renewable energy projects. As compared to other agents in energy markets they have many benefits, particularly their embeddedness in local, social structures. In this paper we explore in which ways, and by using which tools and interventions...

Technology and transition: ‘Progressive Evolution of Regimes and the Consequences for Energy Regime Change

Transition of energy systems has been under-theorised. We have argued previously that energy efficiency as a strategy for fossil fuel replacement is inadequate as energy demand is not being reduced by efficiency alone. This paper is intended to elaborate further on the reasons. We require better answers to better questions about the nature of...

Energy transitions in Built Environment of Netherlands: A System Dynamics approach to diffusion of Solar boilers and Insulation

In context of rising demand for energy amidst limited resources, energy efficiency is one of the major concerns of a modernized world. Gas consumption in the built environment constitutes for more than 30% of the overall energy consumption in the world. Hence, energy transitions and their preferences in the built environment demand urgent...

Exploring carbon futures in the EU power sector: Using Exploratory System Dynamics Modelling and Analysis to explore policy regimes under deep uncertainty

The European Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS) in combination with other renewable electricity (RES-E) support schemes such as (premium) feed-in tariffs or tradable green certificates do not guarantee a carbon neutral power sector in 2050. This paper shows that many plausible futures of high carbon emissions exist when no substantial efficiency...

Agent-based model of intermittent renewables: Simulating emerging changes in energy markets in transition

The energy transition is taking shape in the German and, to a lesser extent also its neighbouring electricity markets. We have proposed adaptations to an existing model to represent the increasing shares of intermittent renewables, that may alter the structure of the market and the viability of strategies of energy companies. The proposed model...

Speeding Up Energy Transitions: Gaming Towards Sustainability in The Dutch Built Environment

The built environment accounts for the largest proportion (approximately 40%) of energy consumption in most countries and consumption levels are still rising. This significant proportion makes it an essential sector to address in the sustainable transitions agenda. In the Netherlands, it is generally accepted that the energy transition of the...

Speeding Up Energy Transitions: Gaming Towards Sustainability in The Dutch Built Environment

The paper explores the relevance and use of games for speeding up the energy transition in the Dutch built environment. Since the transition of the Dutch energy system with the current policies is much slower than required given the urgency of the foreseeable problems and the substantive system delays. There seems to be a need for...

Making System Dynamics Cool III: New Hot Teaching & Testing Cases

This follow-up paper presents seven actual cases for testing and teaching System Dynamics developed and used between January 2010 and January 2011 for one of the largest System Dynamics courses (250+ students per year) at Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The cases presented in this paper range from short to long and can be used...