Research into a climate-neutral built environment united in TU Delft Urban Energy Institute
A substantial part of the CO2 emissions in the Netherlands is caused by the energy consumption in buildings. A lot of fossil fuel is still needed to power and heat our homes and offices. At TU Delft, various aspects of that energy use are being researched, with the aim of drastically reducing the use in urban areas and generating the remaining energy from sustainable sources. This research is now officially bundled in the Urban Energy Institute.
TU Delft Urban Energy Institute combines and coordinates research within various faculties into making the urban environment more sustainable. The research takes place at multiple levels of scale, from individual buildings to entire cities. Director Kornelis Blok is pleased with the establishment of the institute: "Above all, it means that the researchers from the six faculties involved will work together much more intensively and will be able to join forces. It also provides a recognisable image of the research to the outside world, so that we can address the importance of a climate-neutral built environment".
Important research themes are the realization of energy-neutral new neighbourhoods, accelerating the sustainability of existing buildings through digitization of the building process and the integration of solar energy in the built environment. In addition, research is being conducted into making heat grids and buildings smarter by using machine learning and AI techniques. Furthermore, the social and societal impact of the energy transition is an important research theme.
The institute's research is characterised by collaborations with parties such as the AMS Institute and The Green Village. In this way, innovations can be examined immediately in practice. New techniques are also being tested on the TU Delft campus. Kornelis: "This type of collaboration keeps innovative scientific research close to practice and enables us to take steps towards a sustainable future.
More information about the TU Delft Urban Energy Institute can be found on the website. It is also possible to subscribe to the Urban Energy mailing list by sending an email.
