Page 24 - European Energy Innovation - autumn 2017 publication

24 Autumn 2017 European Energy Innovation

SMART BUILDINGS AND ELECTRIC VEHICLES

Reimagining the energy system
– smart buildings and electric
vehicles

How smart buildings and electric vehicles can successfully work together

By Cosmina Marian, Buildings Performance Institute Europe

Buildings, transport and power
sectors are the three biggest
CO2 polluters in Europe. But
emerging new trends - such
as digitalisation, mass customisation,
servitisation, greater circularity and
resource efficiency – are leaving their
mark by transforming how these
sectors work. These external factors,
together with the EU’s decarbonisation
goals, must lead to an energy efficient,
more decentralised, renewable-energy-
based and interdependent energy
system.

While in the past, these three sectors
might have been separated, they are
now linked by innovative technologies
and business models, a sign of the
energy system’s changing needs.
Buildings, currently often viewed as
inflexible, are evolving, becoming
micro energy-hubs. These are buildings
flexibly connected and synchronised
with the energy system, able to
produce, store and/or consume energy
efficiently. They can adapt to citizen’s
needs and simultaneously strengthen
the energy system. Micro energy-hubs
are smart buildings.

Almost in parallel, electric vehicles have
entered the market, being championed
by companies like Tesla, but now hailed
by most car manufacturers. A greener
car fleet will reduce air pollution and
greenhouse gas emissions. In Norway,
for example, almost one quarter of
the new vehicles sold today run on
electricity and politicians from all sides
have agreed to have 100% of the newly

www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu