Techno-economic energy models for low carbon business parks

To mitigate climate change, global greenhouse gas emissions need to be reduced substantially. Industry and energy sector together are responsible for a major share of those emissions. Hence the development of low carbon business parks by maximising energy efficiency and changing to collective, renewable energy systems at local level holds a high reduction potential. Yet, there is no uniform approach to determine the optimal combination and operation of energy technologies composing such energy systems. However, techno-economic energy models, custom tailored for business parks, can offer a solution, as they identify the configuration and operation that provide an optimal trade-off between economic and environmental performances. However, models specifically developed for industrial park energy systems are not detected in literature, so identifying an existing model that can be adapted is an essential step. In this paper, energy model classifications are scanned for adequate model characteristics and accordingly, a confined number of models are selected and described. Subsequently, main model features are compared, a practical typology is proposed and applicability towards modelling industrial park energy systems is evaluated. Energy system evolution models offer the most perspective to compose a holistic, but simplified model, whereas advanced energy system integration models can adequately be employed to assess energy integration for business clusters up to entire industrial sites. Energy system simulation models, however, provide deeper insight in the system’s operation