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Exploring strategies for reducing the natural gas de- mand in the historic non-residential buildings in the city center of Amsterdam
Amsterdam aims to become a natural gas free city by 2040, the Transition Vi- sion Heat is created to guide this process. However, most neighborhoods in the city center are categorized in this transition document as "sustainable gas" neighborhoods, where the aim is to reduce 70 % of the natural gas demand, and supply the remaining heat demand with “green” hydrogen or bio gas. Furthermore, most research on reducing natural gas demands is focused on dwellings, and non-residential buildings are grouped together as ‘utility’. The city center of Ams- terdam consist of more than half of mixed-use and non-residential buildings, and Fifty-four percent of the city center’s natural gas demand comes from businesses and institutions.
Archetyping for energy modeling is typically done for residential buildings, this research creates archetypes for non-residential and mixed-use historic buildings to calculate potential natural gas reduction. The research question is as follows: “Which natural gas reducing strategies can be created for the non-residential his- toric buildings in the city center of Amsterdam through an archetypical approach?”
This research simulate retrofitting scenarios’ in buildings considering their cultural- historical value though a bottom-up approach, starting from retrofitting scenarios of representative archetypes on a building level and transposing this to a neigh- bourhood level and the city center district. The protection of the value of historic buildings brings challenges to retrofitting, especially in monuments, but can in contrast offers a perspective that cultural value can shift the exclusive focus on the present and future needs of sustainable development to a perspective that includes the role of past needs and developments. -
Artikel
Redesigning condominiums in Addis Ababa
In 2015, the UN coined 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with each goal based on three pillars: society, environment, and economy. Rapid growth can result in a country not succeeding in developing all pillars simultaneously. This, in turn, can lead to a stagnation of development. Ethiopia is a clear example of such stagnation, as inject were given to the environmental and economic pillars, but the societal pillar remains underdeveloped. As a result, several societal issues translate to unsatisfied citizens, which subsequently hamper the country’s further development.
This research found a meeting point where, through the feasible concept of LiFePO4 batteries in condominiums, the societal, environmental, and economic pillars can all be developed simultaneously. Maslow’s theory was used to conclude that this battery creates values contributing to the societal pillar as citizens can focus on fulfilling Social needs leading to social cohesion. The Carbon footprint was used to understand environmental impacts that are reduced, expressing environmental value through the reduction of the countries Carbon footprint with 143,7 kgCO2e and, therefore, contributing to the environmental pillar. The relationship captured in the Energy-GDP equilibrium and the use of a Value Proposition and Triple Layered Business Model helped to understand how stable electricity will stimulate the economic pillar, including international fund flows, PPP project approach, and over $300 thousand annual financial savings through risk reduction. A Multi-Criteria Analysis proved that a LiFePO4 battery is most suitable in condominiums compared to a lead-acid and gravity battery. Finally, zooming out assisted to understand that the rate at which condominiums are built, including basic services, is crucial. Without a perspective, unsatisfied citizens can easily cause society to collapse and stop the country from further developing in all sectors all at once. This will also make all the potential values connected to energy storage in condominiums insignificant. This all contributed to answering the main question: ‘To what extent can the implementation of sustainable energy storage create value within the condominiums of Addis Ababa?’
The delivered canvasses can directly stimulate social-oriented, environmental-oriented, and economic- oriented businesses to develop these storage units. As the interdisciplinary nature of this research connected these layers, it can spark the opportunity for further in-depth research per sector. This further research can help validate the ripple effect stable electricity has on a developing country.
Author: Eva IJzermans
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Artikel
Powering a Revolution: The Potential of Carnot Batteries in the Built Environment
The implementation of Carnot batteries to existing buildings can manage electricity and heat services, provide a cost-competitive energy storage option, and reduce carbon emissions released into the environment when coupled to renewable energy systems over the lifetime of the technology. The findings indicate massive potential for Carnot batteries to contribute to urban energy storage needs.
Author: Ben Nelson
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MSc Thesis - Interventions for an inclusive energy transition in Amsterdam South East
Alisa van Gent heeft binnen het LIFE project onderzocht aan welke condities interventies moeten voldoen om bij te dragen aan een inclusieve energie transitie in Zuidoost. Hieronder treft u een kort overzicht van het onderzoek, het volledige onderzoeksrapport en de presentatie die zij heeft gegeven bij het Energie Lab Zuidoost.
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Artikel
From ambitions to reality. Understanding and quantifying the relations between food, energy & water for a neighborhood sustainability hub, the green tower in Amsterdam
Sustainable food, energy, and water (FEW) provisions are essential to creating sustainable urban communities. However, there are only few examples of decentralized systems that support the generation, distribution, and recycling of FEW at a neighbourhood level. Let alone examples of a neighbourhood sustainability hub that processes all three at one location. Motived by the Green Tower in the Bajeskwartier, a tower with the intention to become the ‘sustainable heart of the neighbourhood’, this thesis aims to improve the understanding of the interrelations in FEW for neighbourhood sustainability hubs.
References can be found inside the document.In this, emphasis is placed on creating a flexible and interactive tool that helps improve this understanding to help designers and developers in the initiation phase of designing the hub. The Green Tower is used as case study for this research and the designers as test group for the tool. Design thinking was applied as overarching methodological approach and the FEW Nexus used as theoretical basis for creating this tool. First, a stakeholder analysis and power relation mapping helped identify the types of involvement of the main stakeholders. Then, a literature study and a series of SWOT analyses helped understand the preliminary design of the Green Tower and the strengths and weaknesses of its planned systems from a FEW Nexus approach. Afterwards, a system diagram and theoretical model were created to visualize the planned and potential relations in FEW among the Green Tower’s systems. By means of prototyping, an interactive quantitative model was made in Excel that calculates the FEW balances of the sustainability hub based on a scalable floor plan. Last, the outcomes of the model were tested in a focus group with representatives of the main stakeholders involved in designing the Green Tower. The tool created in this thesis exists of the visualization method and quantitative model. The results of the quantitative model showed that the current program of the Green Tower has a negative energy balance, limited availability in food supply and a lack of water treatments systems from a FEW Nexus perspective. The design team of the Green Tower positively received the tool and results. An elaborate set of recommendation for operationalizing the tool have been documented.
Author: Jesse Bergman
Want to read more about this topic?
If you are interested in this topic, it is recommended to also visit the collection Healthy Urban Living. This Living Lab project by students in which a database is used to monitor how clean, safe, comfortable, sustainable, and wealthy living environments are, in order to help cities and their local policymakers, urban planners, or project developers in decision-making processes.
Visit the page here.
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MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - Towards a Fossil-Free Kattenburg
Amsterdam has the ambition to become climate neutral by 2050. To do so, a transition from a fossilbased to a renewable-based energy system is necessary. This a technical challenge because renewable energy production is intermittent in supply. Additionally, renewable resources have a low energy density, whereas urban areas are highly dense. The Dutch Climate Agreement delegates the responsibility for the energy transition in the built environment to local authorities. Municipalities need to develop neighbourhood specific strategies before 2021. This study aims to investigate the spatial and technical potential and to explore the possible steps towards a fossil-free and energetically self-sufficient neighbourhood energy system in 2030. The focus lays on electrical self-sufficiency. The Amsterdam neighbourhood Kattenburg was used as a case study.
References can be found inside the document.The case study area, the climate in 2030, as well as other factors affecting the energy system, were investigated. Energy demand, production, and the mismatch of demand and supply were analysed, and energy calculations were performed with a developed hourly energy balance model. The model showed that Kattenburg could, theoretically, become energetically self-sufficient and fossilfree in 2030 despite doubling its residential occupancy. To do so, thorough energetic renovations and a low-temperature heat network, providing the right quality of energy for heating, are necessary to reduce annual electricity demand with 37 GWh to 12 GWh. With large application of PV modules, approximately 12 GWh of electricity can be produced; therefore, energy neutrality can almost be reached. However, a daily and seasonal mismatch between supply and demand remains. Demand-sidemanagement, as well as daily and seasonal storage measures, are necessary to solve the mismatch between supply and demand. In order to bridge the final gap to self -sufficiency, the energy potential of biomass and small wind turbines need to be utilised. With these measures, Kattenburg could even become energy positive. Due to performance, exchange, conversion and storage losses, the energetic output of the final steps towards full energetic self-sufficiency was found to be significantly reduced while the system’s material and spatial requirements increased. Further research should point out what the most efficient way of providing the final energy demand of the neighbourhood is from an energetic, material, carbon and spatial perspective. Moreover, from these perspectives, it should be investigated on which scale energetic self-sufficiency is most efficient and what the role of the neighbourhood’s energy system is in relation to that scale. The mainly technical and spatial perspective of this study can be used as a reference or as a basis for studies that use other perspectives. It would be necessary to conduct a study on the social dimensions of the energy transition in Kattenburg to complement this study.
Author: Moja Reus
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Artikel
MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - Mitigating high PV penetration-induced low-voltage grid overvoltage while stimulating the energy transition through a generalised approach
This research describes a generic step-by-step approach that can be used to depict energy transition enhancing overvoltage prevention strategies that fit the local context of a neighbourhood. Although high PV induced low-voltage grid overvoltage mitigation has been studied extensively, this research adds onto existing literature in three ways. It is the first generic approach to develop neighbourhood overvoltage prevention strategies. Moreover, it considers spatial and socio-economic aspects. Lastly, it regards system integration and wider energy transition ambitions. The 6 steps of the transition-enhancing overvoltage mitigation framework (TENOMF) are described. Subsequently, the TENOMF is demonstrated on a case study in the Diamantbuurt in Amsterdam. The results of the case study show that conventional mitigation strategies are very effective in overvoltage mitigation, however, they lack in wider energy transition ambitions.
References can be found inside the document.Author: Diederik van Hasselt
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MSc MADE Thesis AMS Institute - Including Microclimatic Weather Data in Residential Energy Demand Modeling
With the increase of global temperatures and the urban heat island effect, differences in climate between urban and rural regions are increasing. Building energy simulations (BES) are simulations of the use of energy in different weather conditions, to help them design efficient buildings. However, BES do not take these differences in climate into account. Although studies have coupled CFD simulations of building climate variables to BES models, they have not been applied to a case study of row houses in the Netherlands. Furthermore, current coupling methods only take spatial variations in climate over the building envelope into account through an averaging over the entire building. This study creates a methodology to integrate the microclimatic effects of a heatwave event for a case study of row houses in the village of Rijsenhout.
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - Datacenters as residual heat source for district heating in residential neighbourhoods of Amsterdam
This research aims to study to what extent residual heat from datacenters can be integrated in district heating in terms of technical and institutional feasibility and if a framework for institutional mapping contributes to finding the institutional feasibility.
References can be found inside the document.District heating is considered as an alternative heating system for the natural gas heating systems for households. The ability to heat and supply hot water to buildings of households is essential in cities. Moreover, the transition to an alternative is necessary due to the depletion of fossil fuels and limits on carbon dioxide per country and cities since the Paris Climate Agreement. Fundamental in district heating is the conscious choice for the usage of local heat resources that would otherwise be wasted.
As a result of the operation of data servers, datacenters have a constant production of heat. Therefore datacenters are a local heat source that could potentially be a heat supplying source for district heating. An important factor to take into consideration when considering the potential of residual heat supply from datacenters for district heating for residential neighbourhoods is that datacenters are considered as a sustainable heat source for district heating when the electricity use of the DC is supplied from renewable energy sources.Please find the link to this document on our Figshare repository here.
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MSc Thesis AMS Institute - A just heat transition: Assessing the future of heat supply in Amsterdam using an energy justice framework
The Paris Agreement has set goals for carbon dioxide reduction to prevent global temperatures from rising more than 2 degrees Celsius. On top of this, the Dutch Climate agreement has formulated the ambition to reduce CO2-emissions with 49% in 2030, compared to 1990. The transition from natural gas to alternative sources of heat has been started because of these and other factors. This thesis explores the impact of the transition from the natural gas heat supply to sustainable heat provision on energy justice in the metropolitan area of Amsterdam.
References can be found inside the document.Currently, the trends of decentralization, increased citizen responsibility, the focus on CO2-emission reduction targets and the previous decades of liberalization all lead to concerns about the effects of the heat transition. These effects are largely unknown to date and will depend on political choices that are made, underpinned by public values.
At present, these values are overshadowed by the urgency of a rapid transition. In order to address these values, the academic field of studying energy justice has emerged, in which justice principles are applied to the field of energy production, consumption, policy, activism and security. The emergence of the concept energy justice offers an interesting framework to assess the decisions related to the heat transition. Therefore, the following research question is formulated: What is the impact of the transition from the natural gas heat supply to sustainable heat provision on energy justice in the metropolitan area of Amsterdam?
Please find the link to this document on our Figshare repository here. -
Artikel
MSc Thesis AMS Institute - The Prospects for Heat: Urban heat modelling as a means for a sustainable and equitable heat transition in the historic centre of Amsterdam
As part of a nationwide energy transition, the city of Amsterdam aims to reduce CO2 emission by 95% in 2050 relative to 1990. To achieve such an ambition, the municipality has set requirements on the implementation of a sustainable and low-carbon heat supply.
The historic centre of Amsterdam has the highest heat demand density measured in peta joules (PJ) of the entire city. However, underground infrastructure and monumental buildings have postponed the development of a sustainable heat system in this area. This thesis considers the optimal mix of technology choices that can supply this areas’ heat demand in the future. In a reliable, sustainable, and affordable manner.
References can be found inside the document.Author: Tess Miedema
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Artikel
MSc Thesis - Assessing the Robustness of a Gas Distribution Network
Natural gas networks are gaining special attention in the Netherlands in the context of emerging energy transition. It is fundamental to understand and manage the resilience of this critical infrastructure to ensure service and safety, and to address transition pathways and increasing interdependencies with other networks.
In this research, we leveraged key concepts in network science to investigate a major Dutch natural gas distribution network due to the projected out-phasing of this energy source in 2030. In order to address resilience and robustness, we devised a disruption simulation model to quantify the network’s structural and functional robustness in terms of the size of the giant connected component (GCC) and customer service level respectively. We performed simulations according to four disruption scenarios: random attacks, attacks targeted on degree, and centralities of closeness and betweenness. The simulation results allowed us to pinpoint critical elements for preserving a robust distribution network.
References for this thesis can be found inside the document.Author: Alexandra Akosa