Mapping Flexibility of Urban Energy Systems (FIRST) project: Rationale and study design of an exploratory project

With the publication of the new Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, a large number of buildings are expected to become high energy performance and explore more the availability of renewable energy resources. Such buildings are often described in literature as nearly Zero-Energy Buildings (nZEB). Because renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar power, have an intrinsic variability, the zero-energy annual balance of nZEBs is difficult to reach at short time resolution (e.g. hourly). Thus, since electricity generation from small-scale solar renewable (typical case in Portugal) in individual households has limited capacity to be adjusted according to the power system needs, it is relevant to consider the demand flexibility potential, specially at community level (cluster of buildings). Unfortunately, there is a lack of studies on the impact of changes in electricity use at urban level on the future energy systems. Therefore, an approach addressing the energy flexibility (EF) in buildings may allow obtaining useful exploratory directions for the construction sector and related markets, policy makers and regulatory bodies. For these reasons, an exploratory project aimed at examining the potential of EF at the level of an existent neighbourhood in Lisbon was initiated. In this article we describe the objectives, design, and methods of the FIRST project, designed to map out the potential for EF in terms of benefits and costs in Lisbon.