Towards generalized co-simulation of urban energy systems

Maximizing energy conservation, improving energy efficiency and integration and control of renewable energy sources are critical in order to achieve a low carbon future. An integrated modelling system is needed to evaluate and improve energy performance of urban energy systems' design and operation, from both financial and environmental perspectives. To this end, this paper presents an urban energy co-simulation framework. It is based on co-simulation standard Functional Mock-up Interface (FMI) and CityGML-based semantic 3D city model and utilized programing packages, like PyFMI, FMILibrary, and mosaik, which is capable of orchestrating the execution of dynamic simulation models supporting the for co-simulation. To demonstrate the proof of concept, two simulation tools are coupled in the first instance: EnergyPlus and NoMASS. Based on the two use cases, the principles and workflow of the framework and results from its application are described. Results from use cases show that synchronization and interaction between our urban energy co-simulation framework and coupled co-simulation components works as intended. The paper concludes by discussing strategies to tackle more complex and multiscale energy systems. (c) 2017 Published by Elsevier Ltd.