IDEAS
Tools to support incremental roll-out of Energy Positive
Neighbourhoods
Mia Ala-Juusela VTT, Finland
Michael Short, Teesside University, UK
Uzi Shvadron, IBM Haifa research, Israel
IDEAS project
IDEAS
• The IDEAS project aims to illustrate how communities, public
authorities and utility companies across the EU can be engaged
in the development and operation of energy positive
neighbourhoods (EPN) and the economic and environmental
benefits of doing so.
• IDEAS will demonstrate how energy positive neighbourhoods
can be cost effectively and incrementally implemented by
designing, testing and validating:
– a neighbourhood energy management tool to optimise energy
production and consumption;
– user interfaces that engage communities and individuals in the operation
of energy positive neighbourhoods;
– a decision support urban planning tool to optimise the planning of
neighbourhood energy infrastructures;
– business models to underpin energy positive neighbourhoods that
engage end users, public authorities and utility companies.
IDEAS Partners
IDEAS
Teesside University UK Project Coordinator
Technical Research Centre of Finland
Centre Scientifique et Technique du Bâtiment,
France
IBM Israel Science & Technology Ltd Israel
Compagnie IBM France SA France
NOBATEK France
Porvoon kaupunki Finland
Porvoon Energia Oy Finland
3
What is an EPN?
IDEAS
• Definition by IDEAS consortium:
“In an Energy Positive Neighbourhood (EPN) the
annual energy demand is lower than annual energy
supply from local renewable energy sources. Shortterm imbalances in energy supply and demand are
corrected with national energy supplies.”
“The aim is to provide a functional, healthy, user
friendly environment with as low energy demand and
little environmental impact as possible. “
Intended users for the tools?
IDEAS
• An analysis of the user requirements for stakeholders
in an Energy Positive Neighbourhood was conducted
in beginning of the project, and the development of
the tools and user interfaces are based on this
analysis.
• They are also the starting point for the business
model development.
• The primary intended user of the tools developed in
the IDEAS project is a new type of actor, the energy
positive neighbourhood service provider (EPNSP)
The concept of an EPNSP
IDEAS
IDEAS
Real-time energy management – ICT infrastructure
IDEAS
Real-time energy management - Optimisation and support tool
IDEAS
User interfaces - Home Energy Awareness application
IDEAS
• To enable the residents in an EPN to
contribute to meeting collective
neighbourhood energy positive
consumption and production goals.
• They will not necessarily want to partake
in micro energy trading deals, but may be
willing to shift their patterns of usage in
some cases if they are informed in simple terms that there is an
excess or deficit of energy.
• Energy feedback by using real-time augmented reality
technology on hand-held see-through video to give alerts,
interact with users and allow them to visualise real-time energy
usage of various energy consumption appliances in the home.
• An application that runs on a handheld device will show the
resident the saving potential of these home appliances and the
potential actions that one can take.
User interfaces - 3D virtual site
• User interface based on
mixed reality technology
that share publicly
accessible 3D virtual space,
representing a replica of
the IUT demonstration site
in Bordeaux, France
• Enables remote users to
access the IUT site from anywhere in the world, to be hosted
by a local (virtual) person (avatar), and to learn about energy
consumption and production options in the site without
actually visiting it
• Involving students: includes also the ability of IUT students to
enhance the 3D IUT virtual world with new features and
virtual information
IDEAS
User interfaces - Energy awareness screens
IDEAS
• Public screen displays for
both demo sites
• Residents on the Finnish
demo site want to be
aware of their local
neighbourhood energy
production/consumption
state so that they can contribute their share towards meeting
the collective neighbourhood energy positive consumption and
production goals.
• Current and historical energy consumption for their
neighbourhood
• Also helps the IDEAS project and the City of Porvoo to promote
EPN to residents
• Similar information to IUT users.
Outline of the decision support tool (AtLas)
IDEAS
Next steps
• The tools have been developed according to the
specifications.
• The implementation to the demo sites is being
finalised.
• The tools will be demonstrated at two sites:
– part of a University campus in Bordeaux (IUT), France
– a newly built residential area (Omenatarha) in Porvoo,
Finland.
IDEAS
IDEAS
Thank you
www.ideasproject.eu
info@ideasproject.eu
Acknowledgements
The IDEAS Collaborative Project (Grant Agreement No. 600071) is co-funded by the European
Commission, Information Society and Media Directorate-General, under the Seventh
Framework Programme (FP7), Cooperation theme three, “Information and Communication
Technologies”
15