The goal of the energy transition is to create clean, reliable, secure, and affordable energy systems. Local energy systems (LESs) are a promising solution, however, LESs come with technical challenges in their design and operation. This project develops methodologies and tools for designing LESs in neighborhoods. These methodologies and tools will consider both the social interactions between the decision makers and the energy-related technical features of the LES components. Our methods will be demonstrated in real-world situations in the Netherlands and China to show their potential and usefulness.

In order to meet the 2030 emissions reduction targets of the Climate Agreement, the Dutch and Chinese government requires active participation of all energy systems users. Only by properly coordinating energy generation and consumption among all users, we will be able to ensure a safe provision of energy with minimum cost. In this project, we propose to use different sources of data combined with advanced AI and engineering methods to achieve this required level of coordination. We will also develop new understanding methods of acceptance of renewable technology by residential users.