Application of the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index to World Cities with a Normative Scenario for Rio de Janeiro

Urban sustainability is one of the most prominent challenges in the global agenda waiting to be addressed since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. This research work applies a composite indicator that has been developed as the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index to benchmark the performance of a new sample of 26 world cities. The sample advances the geographical diversity of previous samples and represents cities in the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy as well as the C40 initiative. The benchmarking results are analysed based on quartiles of city performance and Monte Carlo simulations. The results indicate the top three cities in the sample to be Copenhagen, which obtains a score of 36.038, followed by Helsinki and Gothenburg. The top cities represent multiple best practices including those in district energy networks, water quality, and environmental management. A normative scenario up to the year 2050 is then applied to one of the cities in the sample, namely Rio de Janeiro. The normative scenario involves targets that take place in local plans, particularly Vision Rio 500. The benchmarking results for the new sample of 26 world cities and the normative scenario not only identifies the benchmark leaders but also underlines opportunities to pursue pathways in which higher levels of performance can be reached by cities that may face multiple challenges. The results of the research work holds significance for advancing the application of an original composite indicator to benchmark cities towards supporting the aim of decoupling economic growth from environmental pressures in more sustainable urban systems towards carbon neutrality

Data on cities that are benchmarked with the sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems index and related crosssectoral scenario

The data set of this article is related to an original research article entitled "Benchmarking the sustainability of urban energy, water and environment systems and envisioning a cross-sectoral scenario for the future" Kilkis , 2019. The data article provides data compilations in the context of benchmarking studies based on the composite indicator of the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems City Index. Data tables for the seven dimensions of the index are provided for 35 main indicators and related sub-indicators for the newly benchmarked cities while those for other cities are monitored. In addition to periodic updates in the common data sources, some cities released updated reports for the Sustainable Energy and/or Climate Action Plans and/or relevant local statistics since the initial benchmarking. Normalized and aggregated values per dimension of the index for 120 cities are provided as an appendix for groups of 30 cities that are characterized as the pioneering, transitioning, solution-seeking, and challenged cities of the sample. The data compilation for the sources of residual energy from the industry, thermal power generation, the wastewater sector and urban biowaste are further provided for 60 cities as the basis of a scenario to encourage the integration of cross-sectoral measures in urban systems to improve benchmarked performances. The data that is contained in this data article thus enables the original application of the index to 120 cities and the analysis of a scenario in which cities reduce primary energy spending and carbon dioxide emissions. (C) 2019 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc

Benchmarking South East European Cities with the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index

Tools that can benchmark cities, including cities in South East Europe, are necessary to enable the comparison and diffusion of more sustainable practices for urban systems. The “Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index” provides a composite indicator for benchmarking city performance based on 7 dimensions and 35 main indicators. In this research work, the Index is applied to a new sample of 18 cities in South East Europe for which data is collected, normalized, and aggregated. Klagenfurt (3.08), Velenje (3.06) and Pécs (3.01) are found to be the top three cities in the sample while an average city receives an index score of 2.85. The results are further compared to reference averages and evaluated based on the mean simulated values of 10,000 Monte Carlo experiments. The results are interpreted in quartiles for pioneering, transitioning, solution-seeking, and challenged cities. The results are then applied within a benchmarking tool of the Index that supports policy learning to trigger collaboration between cities and further used to match cities according to a search algorithm based on index performance. In addition, the results are compared to urban hierarchy as well as development contexts and mapped onto the spatial dimension as an initial step for enabling a “Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Future City Network”. The paper concludes with a set of four proposed steps to enable decision-makers and urban planners in using the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems Index in support of more sustainable urban systems

Rational Exergy Management Model for Effective Utilization of Low-Enthalpy Geothermal Energy Resources

Within the broad range of sustainability and decarbonization efforts, energy and exergy-rational cities are becoming universally important. Within this context, both ORC systems, which are touted as primarily useful for utilizing low-enthalpy geothermal resources and heat pumps, which are considered as the primary tool for decarbonization are critically analyzed in this study. In this context, two cases regarding an ORC, which is used only for power generation without utilizing its waste heat and a heat pump operating on grid power, were examined and was concluded that they are not exergetically sustainable, if they operate as individual systems. This study instead developed an analysis model, which reveals with case studies and examples that a broad hybridization of combining ORC technology, heat pumps, absorption units, thermal storage, and other renewable energy resources, like solar and wind provides sustainable and exergetically rational design solutions. It is argued and verified that, within practical demand and supply constraints in the built environment, such hybrid systems lead to 4th generation district energy systems and beyond, like nearly-zero energy and exergy cities. In order to arrive such conclusions, new evaluation and rating metrics based on Rational Exergy Management Model were introduced. A novel nearly-zero energy and exergy design about a 20000-inhabitant town having geothermal energy potential at a production well-head temperature of 80o C is presented for a simplified purpose of demonstrating the algorithm of the new model This design incorporates ground-source heat pumps, waste heat utilization, cogeneration units, in addition to ORC system. Such an enrichment of the multiple systems even in a simplistic manner in an exergy economy cycle analytically reduces CO2 emissions by about 66%, when compared to a conventional district energy system utilizing natural gas. Yet analyses have shown that results are sensitive upon design constraints and local conditions and concludes that the only option of achieving a truly sustainable solution in terms of exergy towards net-zero status is optimum bundling of the energy resources and systems on a caseby-case design with the main aim of balancing the supply and demand exergy

Sustainable R&D and innovation system comparisons of India, Russia, Mexico and Turkey

Purpose - The purpose of this paper is to define and measure the outputs of a specific kind of innovation system, namely a sustainability-oriented innovation system (SoIS) for India, Russia, Mexico, and Turkey, with a view to compare and draw best practises for other emerging economies

Sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems index for Southeast European cities

Benchmarking the performance of cities across aspects that relate to the sustainable development of energy, water and environment systems requires an integrated approach. This paper benchmarks a sample of 12 Southeast European cities based on a composite indicator that consists of 7 dimensions and 35 main indicators. The composite indicator is namely the Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) City Sustainability Index. The first three dimensions are energy consumption and climate, penetration of energy and carbon dioxide saving measures, and renewable energy potential and utilization. The last four dimensions are water and environmental quality, carbon dioxide emissions and industrial profile, city planning and social welfare, and research, development, innovation, and sustainability policy. The data collection process for the 12 cities integrates data from Sustainable Energy Action Plans and other sources. Data entries are normalized based on the Min-Max method and aggregated for a final ranking. Zagreb, Bucharest (District 1), and Ohrid are the top three cities. An average city receives a composite score of 2.69. Best practices are identified to allow cities to adopt well-rounded efforts to improve future performance. The SDEWES Index is useful to trigger learning, action, and collaboration among cities to transition to a more sustainable future. (C) 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

An Optimum Decision-Making Algorithm for Energy Efficient Cooling in Green Cities - From Split Systems to District Cooling

One of the dilemmas of this decade seems to be the fact that the need for comfort and high-density cooling increases with global warming while global warming further increases with its resultant CO(2) emissions. This dilemma can only be solved by achieving cooling systems with smaller CO(2) footprints. This effort involves multiple fronts, namely, new, sustainable, and low-exergy cooling systems, highly efficient cooling energy supplies, novel distribution networks, and innovative energy conversion systems. All of these solutions must, however, meet at a common denominator for decision-making. In this paper, the common denominator is defined to be the Rational Exergy Management Model (REMM), which provides a robust algorithm to link the supply and demand exergy points in the cooling sector for a given district. The objective is to minimize the CO(2) footprint of the entire cooling sector in a district to guide green cities from split systems to district cooling

Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Index for policy learning in cities

Policy learning between cities is a vital process to enable the diffusion of more sustainable practices. The Sustainable Development of Energy, Water and Environment Systems (SDEWES) Index provides a composite indicator to benchmark city performance based on 7 dimensions and 35 main indicators. In this research work, the SDEWES Index is applied to 25 cities. Data are collected, normalised, and aggregated to obtain the results. Stockholm (3.29), Espoo (3.25) and Sevilla (2.98) are the top three cities. An average city in the sample receives an index score of 2.75. The paper further develops a benchmarking tool to trigger policy learning based on the index performance. Two typologies of policy learning are discussed to stimulate an exploratory process for catching-up or finding solutions to common needs. On the basis of the total of 56 cities to which the index is applied to date, a search algorithm is developed to match cities in which 10 common patterns are identified. The paper concludes with the prospect of using the SDEWES Index to stimulate innovation for more sustainable cities

Motors of Change for R&D and Innovation towards Sustainable Energy in Turkey

<p><em>There is a revival of mission-oriented R&amp;D and innovation programs in prioritized areas that serve the aim of decoupling economic growth from environmental pressures. This paper analyzes the governance process in activating the innovation actors in the area of energy technologies in Turkey. This process that was coordinated by TÜBİTAK led to the National Energy R&amp;D and Innovation Strategy for 2011-2016. The three main phases of this process are mapped to be strategy-building, prioritization, and implementation involving six different participatory approaches. The Strategy is based on the strategic aims of mission-oriented R&amp;D projects, capacity advancement, commercialization, and governance. Two new, call-based grant programs launched with eleven energy calls in the first year are overviewed. These programs were key to activating a phase known as “motors of change” for the innovation system. The second year led to the selection of the topic of “Energy Efficiency” for a pilot technology roadmap process, which involved a separate, multi-actor governance process. The paper concludes with the key role of R&amp;D and innovation in allowing energy to contribute to the sustainable development of Turkey by utilizing energy resources effectively and efficiently.</em></p