Upscaling Tool

The Upscaling-Tool simplifies the creation of the model definition. For more information take a look at the method: Modeling Method.

1. Uploading the upscaling sheet

Upload your upscaling_sheet.xlsx which contains all building-specific parameters.

2. Uploading the standard parameter sheet

Upload your standard_parameter.xlsx which contains all technological parameters.

3. Naming the model definition

You can choose any name for your model definition.

4. Starting the Upscaling-Tool

The model definition is created automatically and can be viewed on the right side.

5. Downloading the xlsx-file

If you agree with the model definition, it can be downloaded. The model definition serves as a basis for the optimization process and can be used on the Main Application.

Upscaling Sheet

This part of the documentation is taken from Budde’s master’s thesis [1] and guides how the upscaling sheet can be adapted.

Category 1

Input for the upscaling sheet. Category 1: Building-specific data.

label	comment	active	year of construction	distance of electric vehicles	electricity demand	heat demand	building type	units	occupants per unit	gross building area	latitude	longitude	year of construction wall	area outer wall	year of construction windows	area windows	year of construction roof	rooftype	area roof	cluster ID	flow temperature	electricity cost	heatpump electricity cost	electricity emission	heatpump electricity emission
x				km/a	kWh / (sqm * a)	kWh / (sqm * a)				sqm	° WGS 84	° WGS 84		sqm		sqm			sqm		°C	€/kWh	g/kWh	€/kWh	g/kWh
001_building		1	1800	0	400	400	COM_Food	1	1	100	52.000000	7.000000	1800	50	0	0	1967	flat roof	25	0	60	standard	standard	standard	standard
002_building		1	1800	0	0	0	MFB	1	1	50	52.000000	7.000000	1979	100	1999	20	1993	flat roof	50	0	60	standard	standard	standard	standard
003_building		1	1800	10000	30	20	SFB	1	1	120	52.000000	7.000000	1994	250	2001	125	1992	step roof	125	0	40	standard	standard	standard	standard

• label: The building name can be chosen by the user and is the identification number (ID) of a building. The ID must be unique for each building, because all the following columns are assigned to it.

• comment: Space for an individual comment, e.g. an indication of which measure this component belongs to.

• active: In this cell, users decide whether a building should be considered in the modeling.

• year of construction: The year of construction of a building is relevant for the calculation of the heat demand.

• distance of electric vehicles (km/a): The annual kilometers driven are used to create the charging profile of an electric car. The electricity demand for the electric car is considered separately from the building electricity demand.

• electricity demand (kWh / (m² a)): The specific electricity demand is multiplied by the useful building area to calculate the annual demand. If the annual electricity demand is not available as a function of the building floor area, 1 m² must be entered for the building floor area.

• heat demand (kWh / (m² a)): The specific heat demand is multiplied by the useful building area to calculate the annual demand. If the annual heat demand is not available as a function of the building floor area, 1 m² must be entered for the building floor area.

• building type: The building usage influences the calculation of the energy demand and the selection of the load profile for buildings. The different building types can be found in the standard parameter documentation (see standard parameter). The following input values are valid: SFB, MFB, COM_Food, COM_Retail, COM_Office, COM_School, COM_Stable, COM_Sports, COM_Workshop, COM_Restaurant and COM_Hotel.

• units: The number of housing units is required for calculating the heat demand of residential buildings.

• occupants per unit: The occupants per housing unit are required to calculate the electricity demand of the households. If the occupants per housing unit are multiplied by the housing units, the number of occupants per building can be calculated. The summed occupants of all buildings represent the total modeled neighborhood residents and provide a good basis for validation with real data.

• gross building area (m²): The gross building area is required to calculate the annual electricity and heat demand of commercial buildings and the heat demand of residential buildings. For this purpose, the gross building area is multiplied by the specific electricity and heat demand and a building area factor (see standard parameter). The building area factor depends on the building use and reduces the gross building area by non-usable areas such as the base areas of walls.

• latitude (° WGS 84): The latitude of the building are required to connect the building to a heating network. In addition, the coordinates are used to obtain weather data for PV systems from an external database. The World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) is used as a reference system.

• longitude (° WGS 84): The longitude of the building are required to connect the building to a heating network. In addition, the coordinates are used to obtain weather data for PV systems from an external database. The World Geodetic System 1984 (WGS 84) is used as a reference system.

• year of construction wall: The year of construction of a walls is relevant for the calculation of the savings potential of insulation measures. For each building, the U-value (also heat transfer coefficient) is obtained from the standard parameter sheet (see standard parameter), depending on the year of construction of the building. In the Energy Saving Ordinance 2014, U-values are defined to achieve the desirable efficiency level 1. These U-values can be maximally achieved in the modeling. The difference between current and minimum U-value is the possible saving of heat demand. The calculation is explained in the standard parameter documentation (see standard parameter).

• area outer wall (m²): The external wall area is relevant for the calculation of insulation measures.

• year of construction windows: The year of construction of windows is relevant for the calculation of the savings potential of insulation measures. For each building, the U-value (also heat transfer coefficient) is obtained from the standard parameter sheet (see standard parameter), depending on the year of construction of the building. In the Energy Saving Ordinance 2014, U-values are defined to achieve the desirable efficiency level 1. These U-values can be maximally achieved in the modeling. The difference between current and minimum U-value is the possible saving of heat demand. The calculation is explained in the standard parameter documentation (see standard parameter).

• area windows (m²): The window area is relevant for the calculation of insulation measures.

• year of construction roof: The year of construction of a roof is relevant for the calculation of the savings potential of insulation measures. For each building, the U-value (also heat transfer coefficient) is obtained from the standard parameter sheet (see standard parameter), depending on the year of construction of the building. In the Energy Saving Ordinance 2014, U-values are defined to achieve the desirable efficiency level 1. These U-values can be maximally achieved in the modeling. The difference between current and minimum U-value is the possible saving of heat demand. The calculation is explained in the standard parameter documentation (see standard parameter).

• rooftype: The roof type is differentiated between flat roofs and step roofs. The roof type is relevant for the calculation of insulation measures.

• area roof (m²): The roof areas are relevant for the calculation of insulation measures.

• cluster ID: The cluster ID is used to spatially assign a building to a specific area. The area can be, for example, a settlement or neighborhood. The cluster ID is crucial for spatial clustering.

• flow temperature (°C): The flow temperature may differ depending on the heating system. The flow temperature should not fall below the heat source temperature of a heat pump. If the outdoor temperature is 35 °C and the flow temperature is 30 °C, the air heat pump is switched off and an alternative technology is used for heat supply.

• electricity cost (€/kWh): If the user wants to use a electricity purchase price that differs from the standard parameter (e.g. due to a green electricity tariff), this can be entered here. If not the user has to enter “standard”.

• electricity emission (g/kWh): If the user wants to use a electricity purchase emission that differs from the standard parameter (e.g. due to a green electricity tariff), this can be entered here. If not the user has to enter “standard”.

• heatpump electricity cost (€/kWh): If the user wants to use a heatpump electricity purchase price that differs from the standard parameter (e.g. due to a different heatpump tariff), this can be entered here. If not the user has to enter “standard”.

• heatpump electricity emission (g/kWh): If the user wants to use a heatpump electricity purchase emission that differs from the standard parameter (e.g. due to a different heatpump tariff), this can be entered here. If not the user has to enter “standard”.

Category 2

Input for the upscaling sheet. Category 2: Building investment data.

label	HS	ashp	gchp	parcel ID	oil heating	gas heating	battery storage	thermal storage	central heat	electric heating	wood stove	aahp	st 1	pv 1	roof area 1	surface tilt 1	azimuth 1	st 2	pv 2	roof area 2	surface tilt 2	azimuth 2
x															(m²)	(°)	(°)			(m²)	(°)	(°)
001_building	1	no	no	no	no	no	no	no	yes	no	yes	yes	no	no	0	0	0	no	no	0	0	0
002_building	1	no	no	no	no	yes	no	no	no	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	150	75	100	0	0	0	0	0
003_building	1	yes	yes	GCHP25	no	no	yes	yes	yes	no	yes	yes	yes	yes	200	50	180	0	0	0	0	0

• label: The building name can be chosen by the user and is the identification number (ID) of a building. The ID must be unique for each building, because all the following columns are assigned to it.

• ashp: Air source heat pumps (ASHP) can be considered in the optimization of a building if the air-regenerated noise of the fans does not exceed the limits of the Technical Instructions on Noise Abatement (TA Lärm). There are already some ASHP on the market that meet the requirements.

• gchp: Ground-coupled heat pumps are limited by the area required for geothermal collectors or probes. If there is a potential area for the GCHP, the so-called parcel must be assigned to the buildings.

• parcel ID: The parcel ID assigns a potential area for GCHP to the buildings. On an additional auxiliary data sheet, users enter the parcel ID and the potential area.

• heat extraction (kW/m): The extraction capacity of the geothermal probes or collectors is crucial for the performance of the heat pumps. The extraction rate should be determined specifically for the location.

• oil heating, gas heating, electric heating, battery storage, thermal storage, wood stove, aahp: The technologies are not subject to restrictions and can be considered as an investment alternative.

• central heat: If a heating network is available, a network connection can be considered as an investment alternative.

• wood stove share: If a value between 0 and 1 is used as “wood stove share”, this share is separated from the main household heat demand and connected primarily to the wood stove. To avoid insolubility, this bus is also connected to the main heating bus of the considered building. If this division of the sink is not desired, “standard” should be used.

• solar thermal share: If a value between 0 and 1 is used as “solar thermal share”, this share is separated from the main household heat demand and connected primarily to the solar thermal collector. To avoid insolubility, this bus is also connected to the main heating bus of the considered building. If this division of the sink is not desired, “standard” should be used.

• st 1: In this column it is decided whether the roof potential area applies to solar thermal (ST) systems. Possible entries: yes or no.

• pv 1: In this column it is decided whether the roof potential area applies to photovoltaic (PV) systems. Possible entries: yes or no. As soon as both systems are relevant for one area, an area competition arises, which is automatically considered.

• roof area 1 (m²): The roof potential area of a building can be divided into several partial roof areas with respect to the radiation intensity. In total, users can add 30 partial roof areas.

• surface tilt 1 (°): The surface tilt is decisive for the dimensioning of the solar systems and depends on the construction of the roof.

• azimuth 1 (°): The azimuth is also critical to solar system sizing and depends on the orientation of the building.

Category 3

Input for the upscaling sheet. Category 3: Central investment data.

label	comment	active	technology	latitude	longitude	area	dh_connection	azimuth	surface tilt	flow temperature	length of the geoth. probe	heat extraction
				° WGS 84	° WGS 84	sqm		°	°	°C	m	(kW / (m*a))
electricity_exchange		1	electricity_exchange
battery_storage		1	battery
ng_chp		0	naturalgas_chp				heat_input
bg_chp		0	biogas_chp				heat_input
pe_chp		0	pellet_chp				heat_input
wc_chp		1	woodchips_chp				heat_input
swhp		0	swhp_transformer				heat_input
ashp		0	ashp_transformer				heat_input
gchp	free area needed	1	gchp_transformer			2500	heat_input				100	0.0328
ng_heating		0	naturalgas_heating_plant				heat_input
bg_heating		0	biogas_heating_plant				heat_input
pe_heating		0	pellet_heating_plant				heat_input
wc_heating		1	woodchips_heating_plant				heat_input
thermal_storage		1	thermal_storage				heat_input
p2g		0	power_to_gas				heat_input
heat_input	heat center	1	heat_input_bus	52	7					40
central_pv_st	free area needed	1	pv&st	52	7	15000	heat_input	180	22.5
screw_turbine		1	timeseries_source

• label: The technology name can be chosen arbitrarily by the user and represents the ID of a central technology. The ID must be unique for each technology, because all following columns are assigned to it.

• comment: Space for an individual comment, e.g. an indication of which measure this component belongs to.

• active: In this cell, users decide whether a technology should be considered in the modeling.

• technology: In this cell, the central technologies are considered (see table below).

• latitude, longitude (° WGS 84): The WGS 84 coordinates are required when heat grid centers or ground-mounted solar systems are selected as technologies. The coordinates are used to locate the technologies.

• area (m²): This is where the area for central solar and GCHP systems is entered.

• dh_connection: In this cell, the central heat supply technologies are connected to a heat network center. The label of the heat network center must be entered. In addition, the corner points of the street pipes must be located in the auxiliary data sheet. Two WGS 84 coordinates are required for each corner point. The length of the house connection lines (distance between distribution line and house connection point) is calculated automatically. With the perpendicular point method, the shortest path for the house connection lines is always calculated. Twelve different pipe diameters are stored in the standard parameter sheer (see standard parameter), which can be considered as investment alternatives.

• azimuth (°): For ground-mounted solar systems, the azimuth must be specified.

• surface tilt (°): For ground-mounted solar systems, the surface tilt must be specified.

• flow temperature (°C): For each heat network center, it is necessary to specify the flow temperature at which the technologies feed into the heat network.

• length of the geoth. probe (m): For GCHP systems it is necessary to specify the length of the vertical heat exchanger.

• heat extraction (kW / (m*a)): For GCHP systems it is necessary to specify the heat extraction for the heat exchanger.

All possible central technologies.

key word	meaning
electricity_exchange	local energy market
battery	battery storage
naturalgas_chp	natrual gas combined heat and power (CHP)
biogas_chp	biogas CHP
pellet_chp	pellet CHP
woodchips_chp	woodchip CHP
swhp_transformer	surface water heat pump (SWHP)
ashp_transformer	ASHP
gchp_transformer	GCHP
naturalgas_heating_plant	natural gas heating plant
biogas_heating_plant	biogas heating plant
pellet_heating_plant	pellet heating plant
woodchips_heating_plant	woodchips heating plant
thermal_storage	central thermal storage
power_to_gas	Power-to-Gas system (electrolyzer; hydrogen storage; fuel cell; methanization; natural gas storage)
heat_input_bus	heat network center
pv&st	central photovoltaic or solar thermal system
timeseries_source	time series e.g. hydropower plants

Category 4

Input for the upscaling sheet. Category 4: Time series.

timestamp	dhi	pressure	temperature	windspeed	z0	dni	ghi	ground_temp	water_temp	groundwater_temp	screw_turbine.fix	electric_vehicle.fix
01.01.2012 00:00	0	100119.3125	8.656125	5.9235	0.159	0	0	12.6	14.62006667	13.06	0.420911041	0
01.01.2012 01:00	0	100113.836	8.9435	6.455	0.159	0	0	12.6	14.62006667	13.06	0.420911041	0
01.01.2012 02:00	0	100102.5625	9.210125	6.8535	0.159	0	0	12.6	14.71342667	13.06	0.420911041	0
01.01.2012 03:00	0	100075.5	9.6415	7.318	0.159	0	0	12.6	14.75492	13.06	0.420911041	0
01.01.2012 04:00	0	100026.8555	9.9285	7.916	0.159	0	0	12.6	14.99350667	13.06	0.420911041	0
…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…	…

• timestamp: The time stamp is entered with an hourly accuracy for one year (8 760 time steps). All further time series are assigned to this time stamp.

• temperature (°C), dhi (W/m²), dni (W/m²), ghi (W/m²), pressure (Pa), windspeed (m/s), z0 (m): The time series can be obtained from the Open Energy Platform via the Open Fred interface integrated in the SESMG. For this purpose, the year and the centroid of the neighborhood are specified in the Graphical User Interface (GUI). The outdoor temperature (temperature) serves as a heat source for ASHP, influences the performance of the PV systems and has an impact on the heat transfer of the building components. Diffuse horizontal irradiance (dhi), direct normal irradiance (dni) and global horizontal irradiance (ghi) are required for solar systems. The air pressure (pressure), wind speed (windspeed), and surface roughness (z0) are required for wind turbines. In addition, the air pressure influences the design of the PV systems. Alternatively, the time series can be taken from other sources and added to the upscaling sheet.

• ground_temp: The ground temperature serves as a heat source for GCHP.

• water_temp: The water temperature serves as a heat source for SWHP.

• groundwater_temp: The ground-water temperature serves as a heat source for ground-water heat pumps (GWHP).

• screw_turbine.fix: This is a dimensionless time series that indicates the relative utilization of the hydropower screw. Multiplication by the maximum electrical power gives the power per time step.

• electric_vehicle.fix: The time series represents the charging power of an electric car. Each time series value is automatically multiplied by the annual kilometers driven and transferred to the model_definition.xlsx.

Standard Parameter Sheet

The standard parameter sheet contains all technology-specific data (costs, emissions, efficiencies) as well as all other data (e.g. specific energy requirements) required for energy system modeling. The parameters used are included in the following standard parameter documentation: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.6974401

The documents contain all values, formulas and related sources used. The standard parameter documentation is intended to ensure the reproducibility of the results. The documentation is continuously updated.

References

[1] Budde J., Leitfaden zur Modellierung von Energiesystemen (2022), master thesis.

[2] Klemm, C., Budde J., Vennemann P., Model Structure for urban energy system optimization models, unpublished at the time of publication of this documentation, 2021.