ABSTRACT
CLAUDIA PALMAS, EMANUELA ABIS, CHRISTINA VON HAAREN, AND ANDREW LOVETT
10.1 BACKGROUND
A sustainable future for cities significantly depends upon the integration of energy efficiency in regional and urban planning. About 40% of the final energy demand is needed to heat and power homes. This represents a major source of greenhouse gas emissions, making energy savings in the field
of residential development a key element of the European climate change strategy [1]. In this context, Europe is also faced with the challenge of implementing growing amounts of intermittent power sources such as microsolar and wind sources in the electricity grid. The generation of renewable energy is characterized by intermittency; therefore, it is imperative that a mix of sources should be selected and used along with the suitable energy storage mechanisms in order to best utilize the available renewable energy resources and ensure the continuity of supply [2].
