# Autonomous Cyber-Physical Systems Enabling Smart Positive Energy Districts
## 1 Introduction
Energy-positive areas can be of many types and consist of many different actors. [PERSON] et al. [11] revealed findings from 62 pioneering PEDs that had either a zero-carbon or zero-energy goal. Four PEDs were analyzed in depth. They emphasized that \"_from a policy perspective, the concept of a zero-energy community has proven to be hard to implement and evaluate_\", despite the fact that there is evidence for \"_the feasibility of the zero-energy concept for individual buildings_\" [11]. They identified four factors that are crucial for successful implementation [11]:  
(i) _\"Measurable targets and a clear implementation timeline\";_\"Transparency about progress towards these targets and any revisions or trade-offs made during project implementation\";_
* _\"The supply and demand of urban services (energy, waste, water and transport) needs to achieve some integration at a local level\";_
* _\"The local residents and community need to be meaningfully engaged\"._  
The four projects followed different approaches for their PED implementation. The majority (66%) of existing PED projects attach newly built neighborhoods to existing ones [9]. The complexity of a PED project requires that all stakeholders are involved in the project from the very beginning and demonstrate consensus about undertakings. Technological limitations, complex ownership structures, building protections, and preservation of the cityscape are significant PED implementation challenges. It is important to note that _\"approximately 75% of the buildings in the EU are energy inefficient\"_[12]. Hence, the integration of PED solutions to the existing urban infrastructure is a priority. [PERSON] et al. [13] emphasized that an effective way to accelerate energy consumption reduction in buildings is to increase renovation rates at a district scale. The Annex 75 project [13,14] of the \"International Energy Agency Energy in Building and Community\" created a methodology for _\"investigating the cost-effective balance between carrying out energy efficiency measures and deploying measures for renewable energy sources regarding the renovation of buildings at district level\"_. Success stories, lessons learnt, good practice, and policy guidelines from the Annex 75 project have been published in [15]. The JRC report [16] highlights that reduction of carbon footprints and the empowerment of citizens and stakeholders to take a lead in their own communities are the main benefits of PEDs. The report also emphasizes that the PED approach is complex because of many technologically innovative combinations on a district level, such as flexible grid usage, demand-side actions application, and photovoltaic-thermal (PVT) systems [17]. For the creation of smart systems and for addressing management issues, including monitoring, control, and energy generation optimization, consumption, and trading, ICT as well as Autonomous CPSs need to be used [18]. CPSs facilitate constant communication and data analysis shared between infrastructures, cyber platforms, and physical devices. Hence, multiple synchronous applications over diverse network structures are utilized. Thanks to the continuous technological developments in the domains of electronics, robotics, and computer science, automated and intelligent sensing systems with improved performance are being developed. CPSs are increasingly being utilized to create different intelligent applications, including smart cities, grids, buildings, cities, transportation, and utility systems. The European perception of smart cities highlights sustainable urban environments that use smart technologies with information and data collected through sensors from the vicinity. Artificial intelligence (AI) is basically integrated into smart innovative technologies which assist end-users in comprehending their energy usage. ZEBs attempt to reduce energy consumption by capitalizing on local energy production and ensuring that the produced energy does not exceed the energy consumed by the buildings [19].