Future City Design under extreme weather conditions
Ivar Baldvinnson (Tohoku University), Marina Ide (Osaka University),
Carmen Wouters (University College London), Yue Wu (Southampton University)
Introduction
Extreme climatic conditions resulting in heavy winters and hot summers are becoming more
prominent due to climate change and global warming [reference]. Cities pressured by these
extreme weather conditions are increasingly constrained in meeting their energy demands
and form a challenging environment to create a sustainable city in all sectors.
Objective
To create a sustainable and resilient future energy system of a city bound by extreme
climatological conditions, exploiting as much as possible the locally available (renewable)energyresourcesand
thelocalenvironmental features.
Methodology
Transition theory is employed, as illustrated
in the figure right. A future city design isenvisioned based on the current status of
the considered city. Back casting is thenutilized to transition the current city structure
to the future city design through retrofitting
City Profiles
Two cities are the scope of the study: Adelaide, South Australia and Hirosaki, Japan. The
choice of cities is motivated by climate, available resources and potential of improvement.
The characteristics and motivation of each city are given in the table below.
CityAdelaideHirosaki

29-30 degrees
7-8 degrees
Solar – Wind - Biomass
1,203,200
Hot Mediterranean climate - mild winters withmoderate rainfall and hot, dry summers- summer heat waves: >10 consecutive days >35
degrees- water usage restrictions- low household insulation standard- Stand-alone 1 floor houses – spread out living- car culture – barely public transport- peak cooling demand- Only major city in the state - 75% of population- access to the sea

15 degrees
5 degreesWind – Geothermal - Biomass
183,473
Mild humid summer and cold winterswith heavy snowfall- heavy accumulated snowfall winter:
2.4 m- low household insulation standard- compact residential living- peak heating demand- second biggest city in the region- land locked

Average yearlysolar irradiation

Max avg Temp.
Min avg Temp.
RESPopulation
ClimateCharacteristics

Future city design
Although climatologically different, the basic future structure of both cities can be set upsimilarly. The urban areas will be designed based on a meshed network divided into zones ofan equivalent of 50 to 250 households as seen on the figure below. The electrical network will
follow the boundaries of the mesh and feeds to all residences in the urban area. Central
generation plants can be installed outside the city centers feeding into the meshed network. A
districting heating or cooling network will be installed following the streets. For Hirosaki thishot water distribution network can double for road heating and snow smelting during winter.
RENEI	  SUMMER	  SCHOOL	  –	  TOHOKU	  2014	  	  11	  SEPTEMBER	  2014	  The district thermal network can be fed in from several sides, both centrally through waste
heat of central generation plants as well as distributed through local waste heat generation.
Each zone will be operated by the distribution system operator as a smart energy grid
employing centrally controlled demand side to shave peak load and control household
appliances. The buildings and households will be insulated appropriately to reduce end
consumer demand further. Each zone will have a small scale CHP unit installed ranging from100 kW to 500 kW, which feeds its electricity to the households in the zone as well as to thecentral meshed network. The waste heat will used to feed into the district heating system or in
the district cooling system using small scale absorption chillers. Additionally ground heat andcooling pumps are installed in each household in the respective cities. The small commercial
consumers will be integrated into the system similarly to the residential consumers. Largecommercial and industrial consumers will have onsite CHP or CHPC generation bothelectricity and heat or cooling can be used locally as well as fed into the central system.The
transportation sector will be transformed changing to hybrid electric vehicles as well asbattery electric vehicles. The batteries of cars can be charged using excess electricity
generation at night by CHP units, central generation as well as rooftop PV where applicable.
A public transport scheme will be put into place using hydrogen fuelled busses. The hydrogenis generated in a hydrolysis plant outside of the city fuelled by excess generation at night.
AdelaideHirosaki- smart energy grid meshed network with demand side
management- house insulation- small scale CHP with absorption chillers CHPC in eachzone- district cooling system- CHPC for industrial players and hospitals connected tothe network- roof top PV and solar hot water exploiting large surface
areas- waste incineration and biomass for cogeneration ofheat to cooling an electricity-installation of large scale solar desalination plant andrain water storage tanks in each building to elevatewater restrictions- hydrolysis plant for hydrogen generation- installation of central wind farm park outside city tofeed in on central network- smart energy grid meshed network with demand sidemanagement- house insulation- small scale CHP in each zone
- district heating system also for road heating- CHP for industrial players and hospitals connected to
the network- low exergy heat source through geothermal generation
outside city center to feed in on district heating network- waste incineration and biomass for cogeneration ofheat to cooling an electricity- installation of central wind farm park outside city to feedin on central network- hydrolysis plant for hydrogen generation

Transition pathwayThe current situation of both cities is analysed and their future design is envisioned. Now thetransition pathways and timeline to achieve the change have to be checked. The proposed
pathway is to make distribution and transmission system operators in each city area key forthe implementation and roll out of the smart energy network since they will provide the energy
as well as own the local CHP generation units. The district thermal systems together with theelectricity network will be owned and operated by them. The local government will besupporting the roll out through incentives under the form of tax reductions, subsidies forbuilding insulation and local generation and feed-in tariffs for consumers as well as subsidies
to roll out the smart network to the DSO and TSOs.
Conclusion
The cities considered are constraint in terms of their future design through climatic extremities.
Nevertheless, a general meshed zone approach can be used to create a future smart andresilient network with different resources using transition theory. In terms of sustainability, thefuture city designs increase efficient use of locally available energy resources such as windand geothermal as well as cogeneration. The energy demand is decreased through building
insulation and smart network demand side management. In terms of resilience, the meshednetwork structure with multiple sources provides flexibility and smart usage of the generation
sources.
References
Vlaams instituut voor technologisch onderzoek, VITO, Transition theory, www.vito.be/transition
Government of South Australia, water, energy and environment, sa.gov.au
Koppen-Geiger Climate Maps, koeppen-geiger.vu-wien.ac.at
Japan bureau of meteorology
Australian bureau of meteorology

RENEI	  SUMMER	  SCHOOL	  –	  TOHOKU	  2014	  	  11	  SEPTEMBER	  2014	  Future	  City	  Design	  under	  extreme	  weather	  condi6ons	  Ivar	  Baldvinnson	  (Tohoku	  University),	  Marina	  Ide	  (Osaka	  University),	  	  Carmen	  Wouters	  (University	  College	  London),	  	  Yue	  Wu	  (Southampton	  University)	  Introduc6on	  • Extreme	  clima6c	  condi6ons	  resul6ng	  in	  heavy	  winters	  and	  hot	  summers	  are	  becoming	  more	  prominent	  due	  to	  climate	  change	  and	  global	  warming.	  	  • Ci6es	  pressured	  by	  these	  extreme	  weather	  condi6ons	  	  • Increasingly	  constrained	  in	  mee6ng	  their	  energy	  demands	  and	  form	  a	  challenging	  environment	  to	  create	  a	  sustainable	  city	  in	  all	  sectors.	  	  Energy	  balance	  system	  Renewables	  Industry	  Manufacturing	  Agriculture	  Forestry/Fishery	  Fossil	  fuels	  SUPPLY	  DEMAND	  Commercial	  Residen6al	  Unconven6onals	  Transport	  Hea6ng	  Cooling	  Electricity	  Objec6ve	  • To	  create	  a	  sustainable	  and	  resilient	  future	  energy	  system	  of	  a	  city	  bound	  	  • Take	  into	  account	  extreme	  climatological	  condi6ons.	  
• Exploit	  as	  much	  as	  possible	  the	  locally	  available	  (renewable)	  energy	  resources	  and	  the	  local	  environmental	  features.	  	  Methodology	  • Transi6on	  theory	  Energy	  system	  (heat)	  of	  Hirosaki	  Current	  electricity	  sources	  Adelaide	  GWh	  13450	  14000	  coal	  gas	  wind	  interconnector	  13800	  14300	  City	  Adelaide	  	  City	  proﬁles	  Hirosaki	  Average	   yearly	  solar	  irradia2on	  	   29-­‐30	  degrees	  15	  degrees	  	   7-­‐8	  degrees	  5	  degrees	  RES	  Solar	  –	  Wind	  -­‐	  Biomass	  Wind	  –	  Geothermal	  -­‐	  Biomass	  Popula2on	  1,203,200	  183,473	  Climate	  Hot	  Mediterranean	  climate	  -­‐	  mild	  winters	  with	   Mild	   humid	   summer	   and	   cold	   winters	   with	  moderate	  rainfall	  and	  hot,	  dry	  summers	  heavy	  snowfall	  Max	  avg	  Temp.
Min	  avg	  Temp.

City	  Characteris2cs

City	  proﬁles	  Adelaide	  	  Hirosaki	  	   -­‐	   summer	   heat	   waves:	   >10	   -­‐	   heavy	   accumulated	   snowfall	  consecu6ve	  days	  >35	  degrees	  winter:	  2.4	  m	  	  -­‐	  water	  usage	  restric6ons	  	  -­‐	   low	   household	   insula6on	  -­‐	   low	   household	   insula6on	   standard	  	  	  standard	  	  -­‐	  compact	  residen6al	  living	  -­‐	   Stand-­‐alone	   1	   ﬂoor	   houses	   –	   -­‐	  peak	  hea6ng	  demand	  spread	  out	  living	  -­‐	  second	  biggest	  city	  in	  the	  region	  -­‐	   car	   culture	   –	   barely	   public	   -­‐	  land	  locked	  transport	  -­‐	  peak	  cooling	  demand	  -­‐	   Only	   major	   city	   in	   the	   state	   -­‐	  75%	  of	  popula6on	  -­‐	  access	  to	  the	  sea	  Understand	  the	  city	  -­‐	  Hirosaki	  The	  city	  centre	  occupies	  6%	  in	  area,	  but	  accommodates	  60%	  of	  the	  buildings.	  

Hirosaki	  Building	  density:	  (number/m2)	  Source:	  Public	  map	  database	  of	  Japan	  Meshed	  network	  Adelaide	  Hirosaki	  523	  km2	  5	  5	  (km)	  1,827	  km2	  Understand	  the	  city	  Use	  geo-­‐divided	  grids	  to	  break	  down	  ci6es	  to	  areas.	  
Adelaide	  Future	  city	  design	  	  Adelaide

Hirosaki	  -­‐	   smart	   energy	   grid	   meshed	   network	   with	   -­‐	   smart	   energy	   grid	   meshed	   network	   with	  demand	  side	  management
demand	  side	  management-­‐	  house	  insula6on-­‐	  house	  insula6on-­‐	  small	  scale	  CHP	  with	  absorp6on	  chillers	  CHPC	   -­‐	  small	  scale	  CHP	  in	  each	  zonein	  each	  zone-­‐	  district	  hea6ng	  system	  also	  for	  road	  hea6ng-­‐	  district	  cooling	  system-­‐	   CHP	   for	   industrial	   players	   and	   hospitals	  -­‐	   CHPC	   for	   industrial	   players	   and	   hospitals	   connected	  to	  the	  network
connected	  to	  the	  network-­‐	   low	   exergy	   heat	   source	   through	   geothermal	  -­‐	   roof	   top	   PV	   and	   solar	   hot	   water	   exploi6ng	   genera6on	   outside	   city	   center	   to	   feed	   in	   on	  large	  surface	  areas
district	  hea6ng	  network-­‐	   waste	   incinera6on	   and	   biomass	   for	   -­‐	   waste	   incinera6on	   and	   biomass	   for	  cogenera6on	  of	  heat	  to	  cooling	  an	  electricity
cogenera6on	  of	  heat	  to	  cooling	  an	  electricity-­‐installa6on	   of	   large	   scale	   solar	   desalina6on	   -­‐	   installa6on	   of	   central	   wind	   farm	   park	   outside	  plant	   and	   rain	   water	   storage	   tanks	   in	   each	   city	  to	  feed	  in	  on	  central	  networkbuilding	  to	  elevate	  water	  restric6ons-­‐	  hydrolysis	  plant	  for	  hydrogen	  genera6on-­‐	  hydrolysis	  plant	  for	  hydrogen	  genera6on-­‐	   installa6on	   of	   central	   wind	   farm	   park	   outside	  city	  to	  feed	  in	  on	  central	  network	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  	  Poten6al	  heat	  supply	  of	  Hirosaki	  GWh	  237	  368	  Geothermal	  71	  Biomass	  87	  GSHP	  Waste	  heat	  CHP	  355	  204	  Kerosene	  Poten6al	  electricity	  supply	  of	  Hirosaki	  29	  41	  GWh	  210	  292	  Biomass	  Waste	  heat	  Wind	  CHP	  Grid	  2038	  Transi6on	  pathway	  • The	  current	  situa6on	  of	  both	  ci6es	  is	  analysed	  and	  their	  future	  design	  is	  envisioned.	  	  • Transi6on	  pathways	  and	  6meline	  to	  achieve	  the	  change	  have	  to	  be	  checked.	  	  • The	  proposed	  pathway	  is	  to	  make	  distribu6on	  and	  transmission	  system	  operators	  in	  each	  city	  area	  key	  for	  the	  implementa6on	  and	  roll	  out	  of	  the	  smart	  energy	  network	  since	  they	  will	  provide	  the	  energy	  as	  well	  as	  own	  the	  local	  CHP	  genera6on	  units.	  	  • The	  district	  thermal	  systems	  together	  with	  the	  electricity	  network	  will	  be	  owned	  and	  operated	  by	  them.	  	  • The	  local	  government	  will	  be	  suppor6ng	  the	  roll	  out	  through	  incen6ves	  under	  the	  form	  of	  tax	  reduc6ons,	  subsidies	  for	  building	  insula6on	  and	  local	  genera6on	  and	  feed-­‐in	  tariﬀs	  for	  consumers	  as	  well	  as	  subsidies	  to	  roll	  out	  the	  smart	  network	  to	  the	  DSO	  and	  TSOs.	  Conclusion	  • The	  ci6es	  considered	  are	  constraint	  in	  terms	  of	  their	  future	  design	  through	  clima6c	  extremi6es.	  	  • Nevertheless,	  a	  general	  meshed	  zone	  approach	  can	  be	  used	  to	  create	  a	  future	  smart	  and	  resilient	  network	  with	  diﬀerent	  resources	  using	  transi6on	  theory.	  	  • In	  terms	  of	  sustainability,	  the	  future	  city	  designs	  increase	  eﬃcient	  use	  of	  locally	  available	  energy	  resources	  such	  as	  wind	  and	  geothermal	  as	  well	  as	  cogenera6on.	  The	  energy	  demand	  is	  decreased	  through	  building	  insula6on	  and	  smart	  network	  demand	  side	  management.	  	  • In	  terms	  of	  resilience,	  the	  meshed	  network	  structure	  with	  mul6ple	  sources	  provides	  ﬂexibility	  and	  smart	  usage	  of	  the	  genera6on	  sources.