3-5 October 2022, Dalarna University, Borlänge, Sweden
As part of the dissemination activities coordinated by WG4 “Dissemination, Outreach, and Exploitation”, and with the financial support of the European Union, thirty-tree members of the Action CA19126 “Positive Energy Districts European Network” gather on October 3-5 in Borlänge, Sweden, at Dalarna University, School of Industrial Technology and Business Studies, for the 1st PED-EU-NET Training School on “Useful tools for characterization and simulation of Positive Energy Districts (PED)”.
The local organiser and the participants – trainers and trainees coming from 12 different countries – were selected through a specific and very successful Call, previously launched by the Action. The participants were mainly, but not exclusively, young researchers and practitioners already involved, or willing to engage in the Action’s activities.
After two presentations on the scope and advancements of the COST Action, and on the on-going PED development in Sweden, the trainers introduced relevant tools and software for characterisation and simulation of PED. Beril Alpagut, from WG1 “PED Mapping, Characterisation and Learning” presented latest advancements regarding the PED database. Prof. Dr. Clarice Bleil de Souza offered a lecture on Axiomatic Design for PED, i.e., a Systems Design Method to systematically analyse and transform stakeholders needs into functional requirements, design parameters, and process variables. Professor Dr. Mengjie Han presented the concept of Graph Data Science (GDS), connecting data science and graph database to model PED from multiple angles. Prof. Dr. Davide Astiaso Garcia gave a lecture on the use of EnergyPLAN to run simulations on pilot areas with the objective of better integrate renewables in the development of local energy systems. Dr. Jimeno Fonseca explained the functionality of the City Energy Analyst, an open-source software he created and developed for the analysis of energy systems in cities.
The tools were then applied by the trainees, under supervision of the trainers, to a local case study, Ludvika, a demo centre in sustainable energy supply that the participants had the opportunity to experience through a dedicated guided walk.
On the last day, after a session of supervised group work on simulation, Ghazal Etminan, leader of WG3 “PED Laboratories, Monitoring and Replication” presented and led a group discussion linking simulation results and database development with PED planning, design, and implementation. A hybrid parallel session targeting Swedish urban stakeholders – jointly organised with the Research Institute of Sweden – was held with the participation of PED-EU-NET representatives and local municipalities to discuss experiences and insights on PED development, also in relation to other emerging urban transition paradigms. The concluding remarks of Prof. Dr. Maria Beatrice Andreucci, leader of WG4 “Dissemination, Outreach, and Exploitation”, and the local organizer, Prof. Dr. Xingxing Zhang, ended the Training School, with an acknowledgement of the youngest female participant, Camille Reynaud, from AIT, Vienna.
COST Action Training Schools provide intensive training in emerging research topics within the laboratories and organizations involved in the Action as well as networking opportunities for all members. Two more PED Training Schools will be organized – in 2023 and 2024 – by the COST Action CA19126 PED-EU-NET, stay tuned!
Credit: Maria-Beatrice Andreucci
